InTouch Spring 2015

InTouch News and information on our services for Veterans

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Pass it on

Karen Miles works directly with Veterans

Please pass on your copy of InTouch and the enclosed Helpline Poster to someone who may need us or drop it off at your GP’s office next time you visit. You never know – you could change someone’s life!

Hand on heart IF YOU have received help from Combat Stress in the past and would like others to benefit from our good work – you don’t have to put your hand in your pocket – put your hand on your heart and share your story. Using real stories in our publications is a good way to help people understand how we can help. Talk to your key worker if you’re interested.

Inspiring the best in you Occupational Therapist Karen Miles helps Veterans to believe in themselves again

K

aren Miles is one of our Occupational Therapists.

Based at our Audley Court treatment centre in Shropshire, Karen was inspired to retrain as an Occupational Therapist after she had an accident, received excellent care and felt compelled to give back. She now inspires the Veterans she works with through her enthusiasm, care and understanding. Occupational Therapy works alongside other therapies to build self-esteem, improve life and work skills and find outlets for creativity and leisure – all of which are essential for good mental health.

Karen helped one young man who felt he had hit rock bottom.

Told by his GP he would never walk

again due to physical injuries, he had no hope for the future and felt he would never recover from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and was becoming a burden to his family. Karen made it her goal to help him believe in himself again.

She encouraged him to do things he had never done before and to realise his full potential. At his final review he revealed that he no longer labelled himself as ‘disabled’ but a Veteran with disabilities and that he has decided to go college to become a tailor. He also uses some simple games Karen taught him to strengthen his relationship with his children.

If you want to find out more about what Occupational Therapy can offer, ask your key worker.

Keep in touch SOCIAL MEDIA means we are constantly in touch with our supporters, as well as Veterans.

Facebook

ELIAS, THE MOST CARING CAT SALLY DIGNAM-THOMAS has two winners in her family. Her husband Jack, a Veteran, is getting help with PTSD from Combat Stress, while their cat Elias won Cats Protection Most Caring Cat of the Year 2014.

When Jack’s symptoms start, he can spend long periods of time withdrawing. It is then that Elias steps in. By jumping up and demanding fuss and attention, Elias helps Jack engage once more in everyday life.

Veteran Jack Purr-fect! with Elias the cat

Stay in touch on the Combat Stress Facebook pages www.facebook.com/CombatStress

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Read the latest updates and get in touch on Twitter @CombatStress

InTouch www.combatstress.org.uk

WHEN DRINK BECOMES AN ISSUE FOR MANY Veterans, alcohol becomes a bit of a habit. At first it may seem a good way to cope with problems, but it can soon get out of control. It may also make it impossible for you to have some of the trauma-related treatments you may need. Before you can take full advantage of everything we have on offer, you need to ask yourself the following questions:

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Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?

Have people annoyed you by criticising your drinking?

Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?

Have you ever had an ‘eye opener’ drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or get rid of a hangover?

If you answer ‘yes’ to any of the above, you should seek help to get your drinking under control. We are piloting a new Substance Misuse Case Management Service that will help you access specialist services. Then we can work with you until your drinking is not the issue that stops you from dealing with your psychological wounds.

‘pop in’ partnership OUR INVOLVEMENT in The Royal British Legion’s ‘pop in’ centres is a growing success. Begun last year, we are offering a wide range of services in local communities. From initial Veteran assessments with a Regional Welfare Officer, monthly group sessions and weekly clinics, to our meetings with partner charities and service providers to ensure effective service delivery – we’re taking full advantage of a high street presence.

A town centre location is a great hub from which to offer that help and get someone started on their journey to recovery. A place that is friendly and Service-focused, is even better. See you there!

Contact your Regional Welfare Officer to find a centre near you.

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The pop in centres have been a great success

Clinical Psychologist Dr Dominic Murphy

GIVING IT EVERYTHING THAT YOU’VE GOT CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST and Research Lead at Combat Stress, Dr Dominic Murphy, has published a report discussing the barriers to getting help faced by Veterans with mental health problems. New research shows the huge part that stigma plays in stopping some Veterans from asking for help – especially those with PTSD. Stigma comes in two forms. The first is what we feel inside about ourselves (internal) and the second is what we guess other people feel about us (external). Together they form a double-whammy, as the military trains personnel to be strong and selfreliant. Many people don’t understand that poor mental health is much like any other health problem – but no one expects someone with heart disease or cancer to ‘get over it’.

The military is taking active steps to fight stigma. Talking to peers or colleagues is proving to be an effective way to make asking for help easier, both in service and after. There is less stigma attached to talking to a fellow soldier; your guard is lowered and help can be more easily accepted. At Combat Stress we know the value of camaraderie, too. Group sessions are a great way to share feelings with people who have been through the same experiences and training.

Getting help means overcoming the barriers from inside and outside and working hard to find out where that help is. So it turns out that people who ask for help are the strong ones after all.

WWW.COMBATSTRESS.ORG.UK

WWW.combatstress.org.uk

What we do How Combat Stress helps Veterans live free of psychological injuries To help Veterans rebuild their lives, we provide a range of free services including treating conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety: Short-stay clinical treatment – at one of our residential treatment centres in Ayrshire, Shropshire and Surrey.

A specialist PTSD Intensive Treatment Programme – run at our three residential treatment centres.

Outpatients – assessment by psychiatrists and psychologists helps us to tailor effective individual treatment programmes Veterans require.

Occupational Therapy – meaningful, creative activities encouraging hope, wellbeing and recovery.

Community and Outreach – a UK-wide network of experienced teams providing practical support to you and your family in your own home.

Reserve Forces Liaison Team – working directly with Reservists and military staff to increase awareness of mental health issues in the UK Reserve Forces.

A 24-hour Helpline – for Veterans, serving personnel and families: 0800 138 1619.

ombat Stress is the UK’s leading C mental health charity for Veterans.

We provide specialist clinical treatment and welfare support to those with psychological injuries.

Founded 95 years ago, we have supported more than 100,000 ex-Service men and women. Our work is as vital today as it was after WWI. We are currently supporting more than 5,600 ex-Service men and women across the UK – more than at any time in our long history. The youngest is just 19 years old, the oldest is 97.

To date we have worked with 2,218 Veterans of the conflicts in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

83.7% are ex-Army, and three per cent of our Veterans are female.

We work with NHS Mental Health Trusts and Armed Forces Health Networks to develop services suitable for military Veterans.

100,000

Founded 95 years ago, we have since supported more than 100,000 ex-Service men and women www.combatstress.org.uk

How we help

In the last three months we offered:

299

group therapy sessions covering topics such as preventing relapse, managing symptoms, getting better sleep and learning mindfulness.

246

individual therapy sessions to focus on trauma, one-to-one talks, managing anger and anxiety, and art psychotherapy.

We ask everyone who comes for these sessions to fill in a score card. We combine this feedback from all the Veterans we support to learn how we can change things for the better.

great work:

92 96

% are likely to recommend us

% said they were given enough time to talk with staff

90

% attended ‘all’ or ‘some’ treatment groups during their stay

Room for improvement:

70

% said they had enough say in deciding what was in their treatment plan

74 79

% knew how to make a complaint

% agreed there was enough to do in their spare time We ask people at the end of their stay, but you don’t have to wait to tell us what you think!

Whenever you are in treatment with us and you’ve got something to say, approach a member of staff. And the sooner, the better – we don’t want complaints to get old. It isn’t always easy to speak up – especially if you feel something is wrong – but it’s much better to get it off your chest and let us get to work on the issue with you.

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InTouch We’d like to know what you think of InTouch. Please email your comments to feedback@combatstress.org.uk

Wordsearch Thanks to Veterans and staff at Audley Court Occupational Therapy for the word search puzzle, we hope you enjoy it!

V E T E R A N S B U Q L K

X A B C E N G A G E M E N

Y C A L M I N G X Q R W Q

B T L O P K H I R C D E U

N I O M L N N N B V I E A

O O W E O W C T S W D T E

Q N H D Y H S R Q N S Y R

A P O S I T I V I T Y W O

K L B P X O P N R O V X R

S A B L E W W E L L N E S

N N I C B A S A O M A B S

O U E S W S W T B T R J O

I I S H Q C O I H S G O C

T L Q T S H P N S A C T I

A S D G X E E G D A M O A

P B V N B D S L T G R E L

U N U E N U V O B R I P I

C O J R I L U G R O U P S

C R S T P E M I M C L O E

O W N S L D Q E C N A N E

W R E C O R P

T L O O T E L

A M P M J S M

B L H M P O W

H G M U I U L

D Q A N S R K

E D V I N C M

B T E T M E G

L S U V T D Y W M K S M W S

L E E P O M D

U R N E Y T C

L A G B M E W

V E I R L V M

Q W O D M Y I

A X A T I O N

E W L S M X D

U J B L W G F

I A D M A X U

T N I A M I L

POETRY CORNER

VETERAN’S EYES In my eyes I see a horrible man looking back at me The blackness the fear of a man of war who can shed no tear for the horrors he saw The eyes of a man that cannot take praise who fi nds love diffi cult in so many ways He scares himself of what he sees the eyes of a Veteran looking back at me Bones, Falklands Veteran, 1982

WORDS TO FIND: MINDFUL

WELLNESS

POSITIVITY

RELAXATION

ACTIONPLAN

CBT

SOCIALISE

VETERANS

MAINTENANCE

ACTIVE

HOBBIES

STRENGTHS

EATING

SCHEDULE

RESOURCES

JOURNEY

REMPLOY

OCCUPATIONS

COMBATSTRESS

SLEEP

BREATH

GROUPS

CALMING

COMMUNITY

ENGAGEMENT

Published by James Pembroke Publishing, Bath Combat Stress News © Combat Stress 2015

Can you find ‘hobbies’ in the wordsearch?

Ex-Services Mental Welfare Society.

Company registered in England and Wales No 256353, Charity No 206002, Charity Scotland No SC038828

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WWW.COMBATSTRESS.ORG.UK