Army To Offer Resiliency Classes For Troops
By Digest • Aug 19th, 2009 • Category: Combat Stress, In the PressFrom FOX News
In an effort to address the mental health problems of some combat troops, the U.S. Army wants all of its 1.1 million soldiers to start taking emotional resiliency classes.
The new $117 million dollar program is based on the research of Dr. Martin Seligman, chairman of the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center, who has been consulting with the Pentagon and whom the Army calls “Dr. Happy.”
The Army wants to train 1,500 sergeants by next summer to teach weekly 90-minute anger management classes to reduce stress and help combat troops avoid depression and suicidal thoughts.
According to Army spokesman Gary Tallman, the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program is “designed to build resilience in soldiers, family members and Army civilians by developing five dimensions of strength: physical, emotional, social, spiritual and family.”
“Resilience can be defined as having the ability to grow and thrive in the face of challenges and bounce back from adversity,” Tallman told FOX News.
The three-part program began last October with the development of concepts and products. Phase two — implementation begins in October and lasts for a year. Phase three will extend the program from military members to their families and Army civilians.
By the Army’s own estimates, one-fifth of the troops returning from combat have mental health problems.
But some skeptics, including Gen. George Casey Jr., the Army’s chief of staff, question whether mental toughness can be taught in a classroom.
The Army has a battle buddy system in place now which works like a designated driver. At Fort Campbell in Kentucky, where 15 soldiers committed suicide in the first five months of this year, the Army distributes “warrior ethos” cards to carry.
“The new card has the Army’s intervention model on it,” Brig Gen. Steve Townsend told FOX News. “It’s called ACE. One, ask your buddy directly if he’s having suicidal thoughts. Second, care enough about your buddy to take them to help and get them help now. Three, escort them to help now. Do not wait.”
It got so bad at Fort Campbell, Townsend said, that he ordered his base to stand down for a day in May to deal with the high suicide rate.
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The Army is getting a lot of flack for this idea, but I think it’s great. As a Certified Life Coach, one of the things I specialize in is helping clients increase their resiliency. Certainly, during a deployment, you need all the resilience you can get! Spouses and families have a lot of resources for helping them handle the emotional toll of a deployment – I think it’s time that the emotional burden on soldiers is recognized, too. (And, no, I’m not just talking about PTSD.) By learning to be resilient BEFORE deployment happens, soldiers can understand their stress responses, and how to control their emotions better during deployment – and, most importantly, AFTER deployment, when they come home to their families.