USA Army Family Advocacy Program Interview - Essay Example

?U.S. Army Family Advocacy Program Interview I interviewed Ms. Winter Harris on the 17th of June, Ms. Harris works at the Army Family Advocacy Program on Fort Lewis Army Base in Washington. The purpose of the interview was to find out about their techniques and models, and how well these structures work for the agency. Ms. Winter Harris has a Master’s Degree in Social Work. In addition to this, she has a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy. When I first walked into the Army Family Advocacy building office on Fort Lewis Army Base, it felt like any other brick building; however, it was a totally different feeling that I experienced when walking into Ms. Harris’ office. The moment I walked into the room, I could sense that the atmosphere was very relaxing. The room was spacious and let in plenty of light, and there was a fountain running in the corner. The room had been painted with nice, soothing colors. Ms. Harris said that the standard Army counseling sessions are 90 minutes long. She said that the most difficult thing about her job is trying to help someone whose families are constantly moving every two or three years. Ms. Harris expressed frustration with her job, saying that most of the time she feels like she is just putting a bandage on the situation and is not making any long-term impact. The one positive aspect of the program is that it is carried out in conjunction with the military; if the abuser doesn’t stick with therapy or show any improvement, they will be discharged from the military. So, if they do not bother to participate in the program, they won’t have a job. This gives military personal more incentives to work harder. She also stated that the hardest issue is to know if they really want to change or not. As military members, they are supposed to show military barring. Ms. Harris commented that it can be hard to break down these walls because of how the military trains them to think. The U.S. Army Family Advocacy Program is dedicated to the prevention, education, prompt reporting, investigation, intervention, and treatment of spouse and child abuse. The program provides a variety of services to all active duty soldiers, retirees, and DOD employees and their family members to enhance relationship skills and improve each individual’s quality of life. This mission is accomplished through a variety of groups, seminars, workshops, and counseling and intervention services. The programs that are offered through the Family Advocacy Program include the Exceptional Family Member Program, New Parent Support Program, Transitional Compensation Program, and Victim Advocacy Program. The Exceptional Family Member Program caters for soldiers who have a family member with special needs. The program provides community support, housing, education, medical, and personnel services to affected family members of soldiers. On the other hand, the New Parent Support Program helps soldiers and family members who are either expecting a child or have a child or up to three years of age. The program provides home visits, play groups, and parenting classes for military families with young children. The Transitional Compensation Program supports spouses of soldiers who have either been court-martialed or have been found guilty of domestic violence or child abuse. The afflicted family member is eligible for medical and dental care for a period of up to 36 months. Payments are made monthly and vary upon the victim’s status to the soldier. Lastly, the Victim Advocacy Program provides support to victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault. This program is available 24/7 and allows victims to talk with trained professionals about their experiences. The treatment soldiers and their families receive include intervention and therapeutic services designed to prevent repetition of abuse and to restore the health of victims and innocent family members who have suffered physical or psychological damage from abuse. Treatment also may include crisis intervention, education programs, short-term counseling, marital and family therapy, and support groups. They have many different programs that link together to help soldiers and their families. I was surprised to find out that Madigan Hospital has social workers onsite. They use the same behavioral and cognitive intervention techniques that are used off-base; however, onsite workers have more guidelines. Not only do they have to comply with State and Federal regulations, but they also have to follow the Army’s regulations too. The guidelines, or their version of the Bible, they use is Army Regulation 608-18. Personal Affairs, the Army Family Advocacy Program. Madigan Hospital has a whole section just for behavioral therapy. The Family Advocacy Program has two parts: prevention and treatment. There are additional treatments available at Madigan Hospital. I found it interesting that the Family Advocacy Program has a case review committee in order to recommend treatment. However, I could not ascertain a certain therapy or therapies that the program uses. Ms. Harris stated that recommendations for therapy are conducted on a case-by-case basis. The committee decides what kind of behavioral therapy the person or their family needs. Anyone on active duty in the army can attend therapy sessions with their family, but their family members have to agree to go first. Ms. Harris stated that if the solider is the abuser, then they have to go through a series of anger and stress management classes. In some cases, they even have to continue with counseling sessions. The Family Advocacy Program has some programs that I was surprised about. The program has a 24-hour crisis hotline. If members require instantaneous help, the military can give them the necessary shelter, medical, and legal help. The Family Advocacy Program also visits each division annually to give training on abuse, anger, and stress management. The Family Advocacy Program began not long after the Army was formed. Over the years, the program has changed and progressed into what it has become today. The military police have listened and received feedback from military members and have started additional programs in response to issues reported. This is done successfully by logging trends on these incidents. Once an individual or their family gets help, the reported numbers of issues go down. I think that the Family Advocacy Program will always be in place because it has been and still is so successful in taking care of military members. Also, the program provides a shoulder to lean on so soldiers and their families have somewhere to go when they need help.  In conclusion, I have learned that every patient has specific issues that are personal to them and must be treated accordingly. If I go to the federal government for a Human Services position, I now know that I will need to have a lot of education and training before they would consider me. I previously had no idea how many avenues were open to me. I have learned that this type of role can be a good starting point for my career. Ms. Harris was very helpful in explaining the issues surrounding military service members. I know that being in the military would make me want to help my fellow soldiers even more. I now know I am on the right track and must pursue this goal to bring out the best in me. Read More