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
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