Reuniting Through the ArtsOffering Creative Arts 

Experiences that Support Families of Returning 

Wounded Troops

Judy RollinsErmyn King

Society for the Arts in HealthcareJuly 18, 2012

Roland Hamand, son a U.S. Army soldier, and his drawing, titled "Proud to Be Part of a Military Family"

Overview

• Military families• Emotional Cycle of

Deployment• Adult family members• Children• Creative arts

experiences

Marriage Rates

• More likely to be married than civilian population

Army—56%Navy—57%Air Force—61%Marines 49%

• Dual‐military marriages—7%

Divorce Rate

• About the same as civilian population

• Exception: Women troops

Single Parents

Nearly 8% of all military members are single parents

• Army—11%• Navy—8%• Air Force—6%• Marine Corps—5%

Age Range of Children

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

Birth–5 6–11 12–18 19–23

“Deployed”

Emotional Cycle of Deployment

1. Anticipation of departure2. Detachment and 

withdrawal3. Emotional disorganization4. Recovery and stabilization5. Anticipation of return6. Return adjustment and 

renegotiation7. Reintegration and 

stabilization

National Center for Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder of the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs 

Caregiver’s Possible Feelings

GriefAnxietyFear

AngerIsolationGuilt

Taking Care of You

James Johnson assists his son, Pfc. Alex Johnson, 19, with exercises to maintain arm strength.

What children may be thinking…

• That the injured family member will no longer be able to care for or play with the child

• That the injury was punishment for being bad

• That he or she will “catch” the family member’s injury

Preparing for the Visit• Description of what the 

child will see, hear, smell, etc.

• Reassurance that the injured family member is still the same person

• Description of how the child might feel when seeing the injured family member

• Something to bring to give to the injured family member

Combat‐Injured Service Members and Child Distress

• Changes inLiving arrangementsSchedulesParenting practicesAmount of time spent with parents

• At risk for distress

Research Findings

Cozza et al. (2010). Combat‐injured service members and their families: The relationship of child distress and spouse‐perceived family distress and disruption. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 23(1), 112–115.

• High pre‐injurydeployment‐related distress 

• High family disruption post‐injury 

• No association:Injury severityParent ageNumber of years marriedNumber of children

Six-Word Memoirs

Arts
ac(vi(es
suppor(ng
families
ofreturning
wounded
troops...

•

allow
for
processing
of
emo(ons•

enhance
effec(ve
communica(on,and
provide
social
support

•

foster
reconnec(on,
adjustment,
androle
renego(a(on•

build
posi(ve
memories
and
hope

•

help
sustain
health
and
well‐being;model
self‐care
while
under
stress

•

highlight
strengths
and
resilience,while
promo(ng
growth

Family‐Focused
&
Subgroup
Ac(vi(es

Sample
Adap(ve,
Mul(sensory
ArtsMaterials
to
Ensure
Access
&
Inclusion

American
Prin(ng
House
for
the
Blind,
Inc.’sDRAFTSMAN
Tac(le
Drawing
Board

Photos:

(leP)
courtesy
of
American
Prin(ng
House
for
the
Blind,
Inc.
–hSp://shop.aph.org/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_DRAFTSMAN%20Tac(le%20Drawing%20Board_1‐08857‐00P_10001_1105;
(right)
courtesy
of
Suzuki
Musical
Instrument
Corp.
–hSp://www.suzukimusic.com/educa(on/qchord/

Suzuki
Musical
Instrument
Corpora(on’sQChord®
Digital
Guitar

For
more
on
adap(ve
arts
resources,
see
hSp://thesah.org/doc/ArtsAccess_Resources.pdf.

An
Ar(sts‐in‐Residence
Project
Currently
ServingWounded
Troops,
Their
Families,
and
Military
Hospital
Staff

on
the
4th
Floor
at
Walter
Reed
Na(onal
Military
Medical
Center



















































Allies
in
the
Arts
Logo
Design
for
ArtStream,
Inc.:

Nancy
Gurganus

ArtStream’s
Allies
in
the
Arts




Project
Goal
&
Objec(ves



Goal:

To
extend
crea(ve
arts
opportuni(esfor
wounded
service
personnel
hospitalized
in
a
militaryhospital
seing
(i.e.,
Walter
Reed),
their
families,
and
staff



Objec*ves:•
To
enrich
the
daily
lives
of
wounded
service
members•
To
increase
self‐iden(ty
and
self‐efficacy
to
help
woundedservice
members
to
cope
more
effec(vely
with
their
injuriesand
hospitaliza(on

•
To
provide
opportuni(es
for
family
members
to
engage
increa(ve
experiences
as
a
means
of
coping
with
the
stress
oftheir
situa(on
and
normalizing
rela*onships

•
To
provide
opportuni(es
for
hospital
staff
to
engage
increa(ve
experiences
to
facilitate
coping



Rollins,
J.
(2011).
Allies
in
the
Arts
Evalua/on
Report.
Washington,
DC:

Rollins
&
Associates
(for
ArtStream,
Inc.).

Allies
in
the
Arts
Professional
Ar(sts

•Visual
ar(st

•Crea(ve
writer/poet

•Musician

• Improvisa(onalstorytelling/narra(veexpression
in
mul(mediaar(st

Hand
Color‐Tinted
Photo
for
A
“Personal
Retreat”

Allies
in
the
Arts
ar(sts
completed…

•An
intensive
general
arts‐in‐healthcare
course•A
supervised
internship
in
an
area
hospital•A
minimum
of
two
years
of
experience
working
in
ahospital
seing

•A
special
orienta(on
course
(on
military
life,
combat,common
injuries
of
OEF
and
OIF,
impact
of
theseissues
on
wounded
troops
and
their
families,
andimplica(ons
for
arts
experiences)

•American
Red
Cross
orienta(on
and
requirements•Mental
Health
First
Aid
training


Collaged
Box
Created
by
Family
MemberHolds
Mementos
of
Important
Stories


Talking
S(ck
Created
by
Teen
OffersA
Means
for
Ongoing
Reconnec(on

Mobiles,
Chimes,
Punched
Tin
Lanterns,and
Embossed
Metal
Projects
EnhanceHospital
Room
Décor
and
Serve
as
GiPs







Photos/Photographic
Arrangement
and
Arts
Project
Development
and
Facilita(on:

Nancy
Gurganus

Personalized
Scrolls
Created
as
GiPsHelp
to
Strengthen
Family
Ties

Photos:

Nancy
Gurganus



Arts
Project
Development
and
Facilita(on:

Nancy
Gurganus
and
Rosanne
Singer






Flyer
Design
for
ArtStream,
Inc.:

Nancy
Gurganus

Ins(tute
for
Therapy
through
the
Arts’/ITA’sOpera/on
Oak
Tree
(Music
Ins(tute
of
Chicago)

Opera/on
Oak
Tree
Brochure:

courtesy
of
Jennifer
Rook,
MT‐BC,
LPC,
Clinical
Director,Ins(tute
for
Therapy
through
the
Arts;
see
hSp://www.musicinst.org/military‐family‐services




Opera/on
Oak
Tree’s
Mission

“To
empower
individual
expression
in
order
to...•
foster
personal
growth•
deepen
interpersonal
roots
between
and
among
family•
strengthen
coping
strategies
so
that
families
may
moreeasily
weather
challenges
inherent
in
each
season
of
the[deployment]
cycle

•
make
it
easy
for
families
to
branch
out
into
theircommuni(es
for
support”

Retrieved
08/27/2012
from
hSp://www.musicinst.org/military‐family‐servicesand
hSp://www.musicinst.org/reintegra(on‐programming

Opera/on
Oak
Tree’s
reintegra(on
program
(Deep
Roots,
NewLeaves)
“aims
to
create
a
scaffold
upon
which
a
family
can
builda
new
normal,”
with
“the
Crea(ve
Arts
Therapies
[serving]
as
thedelivery
system
for
communica(on
tools
provided....”

Deep
Roots,
New
Leaves
Tier
1
“Act
Up,Act
Out”
Drama
Therapy
Protocol

Photo
courtesy
of
Jennifer
Rook,
MT‐BC,
LPC,
Clinical
Director,
Ins(tute
forTherapy
through
the
Arts;
see
hSp://www.musicinst.org/reintegra(on‐programming

Deep
Roots,
New
Leaves
Tier
2
“FoundObject
Sculpture”
Art
Therapy
Protocol

Photo
courtesy
of
Jennifer
Rook,
MT‐BC,
LPC,
Clinical
Director,
Ins(tute
forTherapy
through
the
Arts;
see
hSp://www.musicinst.org/reintegra(on‐programming

Family
members
serve,
too....

Photo:

John
Dixon/The
News‐GazeSe,
06/16/2012,
www.news‐gazeSe.com.Reproduced
by
permission
of
The
News‐GazeSe,
Inc.

Permission
does
not
imply
endorsement.

Resources
‐
Children’s
Books
(sampling)

Biden,
J.
(2012).
Don’t
forget,
God
bless
our
troops.
New
York:
Simon
&
Schuster
Books
For
YoungReaders.

Ingram,
L.
&
Lee,
M.
(2008).
That’s
my
hope.
Boyds,
MD:
Early
Light
Press,
LLC.

Lee,
M.
(2005).
The
hero
in
my
pocket.
Boyds,
MD:
EarlyLight
Press,
LLC.

Williams,
D.S.
(2009).
Home
again.
Washington,
DC:
ZERO
TO
THREE®.

Resources
‐
Organiza(ons/Ini(a(ves

Joining
Forceswww.joiningforces.gov

American
Red
Crosswww.redcross.org

USO
(United
Service
Organiza*ons)www.uso.org

Na*onal
Military
Family
Associa*onwww.militaryfamily.org

Opera*on:
Military
Kidswww.opera(onmilitarykids.org

Organiza(ons/Ini(a(ves
‐
cont’d.

Our
Military
Kidswww.ourmilitarykids.org

Na*onal
Guard
Child
and
Youth
Programmingwww.guardfamily.org/youth

Blue
Star
Familieswww.bluestarfam.org

Opera*on
Homefrontwww.opera(onhomefront.net

Fisher
House™
Founda*on,
Inc.www.fisherhouse.org

Organiza(ons/Ini(a(ves
‐
cont’d.

Easter
Sealswww.easterseals.com

Yellow
Ribbon
Fund,
Inc.www.yellowribbonfund.org

Serving
Together:
Troops,
Veterans
&
Family
CareProject
‐
see
www.mhamc.org/html/index.html

Military
Child
Educa*on
Coali*onwww.militarychild.org

The
Military
Family
Research
Ins*tute
at
Purdue
Univ.www.mfri.purdue.edu

Organiza(ons/Ini(a(ves
‐
cont’d.ZERO
TO
THREE®
‐
Military
Family
Projectswww.zerotothree.org

Sesame
Workshop
‐
“Talk,
Listen,
Connect”/T.L.C.www.sesameworkshop.org

The
Ins*tute
for
Therapy
through
the
Arts/ITA
(MusicIns*tute
of
Chicago)
‐
“Opera*on
Oak
Tree”www.musicinst.org/military‐family‐services

ArtStream,
Inc.
‐
“Allies
in
the
Arts”www.art‐stream.org/allies

“Deployed”hSp://www.amc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123298631