Social Work Effects On Veterans

Social work was a natural choice for me when I decided to go to college. I did not think about it at the time, but I had been practicing social work for a long time. It started with my step-kids. My stepdaughter had self-confidence issues so she became anorexic. On top of that, she was having issues with her mother’s boyfriend and had been begging us to come live at our house for years. She had suicidal tendencies and thoughts. I remember spending hours with her just trying to talk through her issues and finding a solution that wasn’t starving herself or killing herself. My stepson had issues as well. He was in the military for seven years and most of that was spent overseas in the heat of the war. He came back a shell of his former self.

Many veterans don’t get the help they need to deal with post-traumatic stress. This can lead to suicide and drug/alcohol abuse. These men and women bravely served our country and saw things most of us can’t even fathom. I would like to do my part to help these veterans so that they can find healthy ways to cope with the stress they are dealing with. My goal is to work for the VA so that I can reach as many veterans and their families as possible. Those affected by PTSD are at many disadvantages because PTSD takes on many forms and affects everyone differently. A lot of PTSD victims lose their friends and families because they are not understood. I want to not only work with veterans but help educate their families on PTSD. I am committed to further my education and research because I plan on developing new coping strategies that would help eliminate this

They are paid minimally while overseas and when they come back, most have difficulties with transition from military life, depression, PTSD, and even finding a job. It is sad to say because of all of these issues that aren’t being addressed effectively we are seeing more and more homeless veterans. Our veterans deserve help and support, but instead are thrown out on the streets many times. I believe we can change this by helping these veterans on a social capacity and getting them transitioned to society. It could greatly increase their odds of being successful in a job or school and decree the odds of them becoming homeless. We can also make sure that they are receiving their benefits that they deserve. My last semester at Northern Kentucky University, I had a great opportunity to do my practicum at the Veterans Resource Station. This experience was invaluable to my learning. I was given additional educational trainings so I could peer mentor for the Tri-State Veterans Community Alliance. I also attended suicide prevention awareness, mental health first aid as well as veteran weekly activities. These opportunities allowed me to learn every aspect of the enrollment lifecycle for veteran students. I also learned how to change my communication style to be more effective for any given