Gay Mental Healthcare Providers and Patients in the Military: Personal Experiences and Clinical Care

Description

This volume tells the history of homosexuality in the United States military beginning in 1986, when the issue first came to the forefront of social consciousness. Each chapter is written through the eyes of gay mental healthcare providers, covering how to steadily adapt and learn to treat veterans struggling with the traumas associated with the stigma of homosexuality in service. Topics include the “Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell” (DADT) policy, its repeal in 2011, and addresses the current trends and challenges. Unlike any other professional book, this text includes the personal stories of gay military mental healthcare providers, as well as gay civilian clinicians who have worked with the military population in various segments in history. These accounts offer invaluable support for medical professionals working with this demographic. Chapters cover the various psychological damage service personnel encounter as it uniquely pertains to those struggling with the stigma of LGBTQ rights. Chapters include clinical pearls for particular psychiatric concerns, lessons learned for the future, and hard-earned successes as stigmas and perceptions evolved over time. Gay Mental Healthcare Providers and Patients in the Military is an excellent resource for psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, policymakers, and all professionals who are interested in LGBTQ rights in the context of veteran psychiatry. Front Matter ....Pages i-xii Front Matter ....Pages 1-1 Introduction (Elspeth Cameron Ritchie)....Pages 3-7 Risk and Resilience: A Review of the Health Literature of Veterans Who Identify as LGBT (Heliana Ramirez, Katharine Bloeser)....Pages 9-24 “I Can Finally Be Me…Why Did It Take So Long?” A History of US Military Policy Regarding Sexual and Gender Minority Service ( Anonymous)....Pages 25-34 Front Matter ....Pages 35-35 The Reservist Perspective: Service Before and During “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (James R. Batterson)....Pages 37-46 Being Discharged Under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (Martin Chin)....Pages 47-51 A Gay Psychologist’s Account of Serving in the Army Reserves and National Guard During Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (Clifford Trott)....Pages 53-59 Does Anybody Have Anything They Want to Say? (Joseph E. Wise)....Pages 61-70 “Family”: Surviving the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Years (Monica Ormeno)....Pages 71-77 Here/Queer/Used to It: An Account of a Post-Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Mental Health Provider (Jackson Taylor)....Pages 79-89 Front Matter ....Pages 91-91 Ward 52: A Haven for HIV-Positive Military Personnel (Daniel W. Hicks, Steven J. Tulin)....Pages 93-103 Creating Safe Spaces: Best Practices for Clinicians Working with Sexual and Gender Minority Military Service Members and Veterans (Heliana Ramirez, Katharine Bloeser)....Pages 105-123 Treating LGBT Veterans with Substance Use Disorders: A Gay Psychiatrist’s Experience (Bruce S. Hill)....Pages 125-138 “At Least ‘Shipmate’ Is a Gender-Neutral Insult”: A Military Psychiatrist’s Introduction to Transgender Military Service ( Anonymous)....Pages 139-151 Ethical Issues Regarding LGBT and Intersex Service Members (Edmund G. Howe III)....Pages 153-164 Back Matter ....Pages 165-169