Welcome Them Home Help Them Heal: Pastoral Care and Ministry With Service Members Returning from War

by Sippola, John W.

• ISBN13: 9781570252464
• ISBN10: 1570252467
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-11-01
• Publisher: INGRAM

Summary

Welcome Them Home Help Them Heal was written to equip the growing number of pastors, parish nurses, counselors, and caregivers across the country to support and advocate for veterans and their loved ones. It expands the reader's knowledge of how to provide physical,, mental and spiritual care for veterans. Welcome Them Home is a practical guide for ministering to veterans offering an understanding of the nature of the Iraq/Afghanistan wars, the challenges soldiers face when returning home, and the physical, psychological and spiritual wounds of war. It offers guidelines to caregivers for creating a welcoming and safe environment for returning soldiers. It also provides a wealth of resources: agencies that serve veterans; tips for making effective referrals; quick screening tools for PTSD, depression, and traumatic brain injury; and a comprehensive Wounds of War assessment.

Author Biography

John Sippola, MDiv, has served as a parish pastor for 20 years, a hospital chaplain for 15 and a chaplain in the National Guard for twenty years. Amy Blumenshine, MSW, is a diaconal mininster in the ELCA. Ministry with veterans and their families is her specialty. Donald A Tubesing, PhD, MDiv, is a retired ELCA pastor, an author of more than 21 books on stress management and wellness promotion and founder of Whole Person Associates, Inc. a publishing company. Valerie Yancey, PhD is an Associate Professor of Nursing at Southern Illinois University. She hold certifications in Holistic Nursing, Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing, and Stress Managment.

Table of Contents

Introduction: America Faces a Crisis of Care	p. 5
The Nature and Challenge of the Iraq/Afghanistan War	p. 11
Understanding the Big Picture
Making the Transition from Soldier to Citizen	p. 19
Understanding Re-entry Challenges
The Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual Wounds of War	p. 29
Understanding the Whole Person Perspective
The Church's Role #1	p. 49
Basic Principles for Reaching Out
The Church's Role #2	p. 61
Create a Healing Environment
The Church's Role #3	p. 79
Provide Healing Rituals Throughout the Church Year Afterword	p. 90
Making a Referral: Veterans Administration and Community Resources for Veterans	p. 93
Parish Nurse Screening Tools for PTSD, Depression, and Traumatic Brain Injury	p. 99
Wounds of War Assessment	p. 103
Endnotes	p. 110
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.