Evidence and Rationale

Abstract

At the writing of this book, over 2 million U.S. service members have been deployed in service to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001, and many other troops have been deployed from other countries as part of the Multinational Forces. Based on data indicating that each U.S. service mem­ ber has an average of 1.5 eligible dependents (i.e., spouses, children, adult dependents) this means that approximately 3 million family members have been directly affected by military deployment (U.S. Department of Defense, 2007). These estimates do not take into account the many extended fam­ ily members, such as grandparents, aunts/uncles, siblings, and adult chil­ dren, who have also been affected by the reverberations of deployment and the mental health problems and physical disabilities that may result from experiences during deployment. The most recent conflicts have brought heightened awareness of the effects of deployment and mental health issues on couples and families that arise during the course of military service. As a result, the U.S. Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA), as well as veteran service organizations, have come to recognize the pressing need for family support services and interventions. Yet many clini­ cians within and outside of these organization are not well-versed in family theory and interventions, the military subculture that influences individual and relational functioning, or the best ways to incorporate family members in assessment and treatment when problems develop. Our overarching goal