Courage after Fire: Coping Stategies for Returning Soldiers and Their Families »

The bravery displayed by our soldiers at war is commonly recognized. However, often forgotten is the courage required by veterans when they return home and suddenly face reintegration into their families, workplaces, and communities. Authored by three mental health professionals with many years of experience counseling veterans, Courage After Fire provides strategies and techniques for this challenging journey home.

Courage After Fire offers soldiers and their families a comprehensive guide to dealing with the all-too-common repercussions of combat duty, including posttraumatic stress symptoms, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. It details state-of-the-art treatments for these difficulties and outlines specific ways to improve couple and family relationships. Courage After Fire also offers tips on areas such as rejoining the workforce and reconnecting with children.

Library Journal

In his moving foreword, former Sen. Bob Dole stresses that servicemen and -women returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars must have the courage to take care of themselves so they can reintegrate themselves into society. To help those veterans and their families and friends move forward, Armstrong, Suzanne Best, and Paula Domenici-all mental health professionals affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco-have written a compassionate and accessible guide. Chapters clearly address specific aspects of wartime trauma (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression) and available treatments (e.g., psychotherapy, techniques for sleeping better). There is also advice on how to rejoin the workforce and reconnect with one's children. Although the authors have compiled mostly tried-and-true coping mechanisms, readers will appreciate the book's easy-to-follow format and the acknowledgment that our veterans have made a tremendous sacrifice in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. A necessary addition to all public libraries and a suggested purchase for behavioral science collections and special collections with a focus on the military.-Melody Ballard, Washoe Cty. Lib. Syst., Reno, NV Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.