TPC-Journal-V4-Issue2

114 Volunteering to serve one’s country during wartime is an act of heroism, and counselors working with com- bat veterans are in a unique position to honor these heroes. Combat veterans have offered the supreme sacrifice and some are paying a price by suffering from combat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The task of pro- viding mental health services to a growing veteran population and their immediate family members is compli- cated by the lack of accessible services and the complexities of the disorder. To begin to address this challenge, Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) recently introduced legislation focused on improving access to mental health coun- selors by tasking the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with recruiting more licensed professional mental health counselors (Tester, 2013). This article offers an overview of resources available to mental health counselors to assess, case-conceptual- ize, diagnose and treat a growing population of combat veterans with PTSD. The goal is to increase the aware- ness of both beginning counselors and more experienced counselors of new therapies as well as best practices in treating combat PTSD. The compilation of resources begins with diagnostic criteria, assessment tools, and evidence-based practices, including new technologies for treating PTSD, and culminates with a list of resources available to counselors and veterans. Diagnosing PTSD Changes in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition ( DSM-5 ) place PTSD under a new heading, Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders , and remove it from the DSM-4 anxiety category . This new DSM-5 categorization de-stigmatizes PTSD because it recognizes PTSD as a trauma disorder related The Professional Counselor Volume 4, Issue 2, Pages 114–121 http://tpcjournal.nbcc.org © 2014 NBCC, Inc. and Affiliates doi:10.15241/maf.4.2.114 Mary Alice Fernandez, NCC, is an assistant professor at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi. Melissa Short is a doctoral student at Walden University Online. Correspondence can be addressed to Mary Alice Fernandez, 6300 Ocean Drive, Unit 5834, Corpus Christi, TX 78412-5834, mary.fernandez@tamucc.edu . This article offers mental health counselors a compilation of best practices and technology in the treatment of combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The goal is to increase counselors’ awareness of the resources available to enhance their repertoire of tools and techniques to assess, diagnose, case-conceptualize and treat the growing population of combat veterans with PTSD. The National Center for PTSD provides guidelines for diagnosing PTSD using the DSM-5 . PTSD is now recognized as a trauma disorder related to an external event rather than an anxiety disorder associated with mental illness. The authors describe assessment tools and treatment strategies for PTSD validated on veteran populations. The paper also highlights new technology and mobile apps designed to assist in the treatment of combat PTSD. Keywords: combat PTSD, trauma disorder, treatment of combat veterans, National Center for PTSD, mobile apps Mary Alice Fernandez Melissa Short Wounded Warriors with PTSD: A Compilation of Best Practices and Technology in Treatment