Beyond the Uniform: Mental Health and Resilience in Military Families

Beyond the Uniform explores Black military family experiences through the perspectives of a military spouse and retired service member. Beyond the Uniform: Two Perspectives on Mental Health and Resilience in Military Families Thursday, November 5 | 12 PM- 1:30 PM (EST) Virtual Training (1.5 CE) Facilitator: Donesha L. Scott, DrPH, MSW, ACSW, CLC Devon Whittaker, MSW, ASW, Vet Visions Global Inc. Program Overview: Military life requires families to continually adapt to changing roles, routines, environments, and expectations. Yet members of the same family may experience these transitions in profoundly different ways. Beyond the Uniform explores the experiences of Black military families through the complementary perspectives of a military spouse and a retired service member, using personal narratives as a bridge to deeper understanding and professional practice. Through the metaphor of rhythm, participants will examine how families establish new patterns during deployments, relocations, and other military transitions, as well as what can happen when a service member returns to a family whose rhythm has changed. The presentation will explore the often-unspoken experiences service members carry through these transitions and how individual adaptations, while necessary for navigating military life, can affect relationships and family functioning. Grounded in the Black Perspective, the session will consider how culture, history, identity, systemic experiences, and each family member’s unique relationship with the military shape the military-family experience. Participants will be encouraged to move beyond assumptions about “the military family” and approach military-connected clients with curiosity about the distinct experiences, strengths, needs, and perspectives present within the family system. *This training satisfies continuing education requirements related to public health priorities and the identification of mental health impairment. Learning Objectives By the end of this course, participants will be able to: • Identify at least three ways military transitions, including deployment, Permanent Change of Station PCS, separation from service, and retirement, can differently affect service members, spouses, children, and the overall family system. • Examine how military culture, identity, historical context, and the experiences of Black service members and families can influence mental health, relationships, help-seeking, and adaptation during military transitions. • Analyze how differing experiences and adaptive responses during military transitions can shape family roles, expectations, relationships, and conflict, even when multiple perspectives are simultaneously valid. • Apply the Black Perspective to develop culturally responsive questions that explore each family member's individual relationship with and experience of the military rather than relying on assumptions about a shared “military family experience.” Who Should Attend? This course is designed for social workers, mental health professionals, counselors, educators, healthcare providers, military and veteran service professionals, and other practitioners who work with military-connected individuals and families. It is particularly relevant for professionals seeking to strengthen their understanding of the experiences of Black military families and incorporate culturally responsive approaches into assessment, engagement, and practice.