Lizann Lightfoot of the Seasoned Spouse, talks with me about what it's like to get ready for a deployment. We discuss her how she prepares as a family, what to do to keep kids feeling involved, what she does to prepare if the service member dies and much more. Lizann discusses her masterclass and what she is doing to help other military spouses with deployments.
Today Kendel, a Navy spouse, and I discuss our experiences with deployment and how it differs between the Army and Navy. This is the first part in our Deployment Series, so listen in to get started.
Permanent Change of Station or PCS as we call it here in the U.S. is the military's fancy way of saying moving. This can be a very stressful time for people to upheave their life and move to a new location where you probably don't know anyone or where anything is at. This time doesn't have to be stressful! Leanne Wakeling and I discuss ways to help your entire family (kids included) make the transition easy(ier) and as painless as possible. Changing the way you view moving will help you change your mindset and reduce stress. We also discuss the difficulties of finding a job and some pitfalls that people fall into when looking for a new job. Towards the end, we transitioned to discussing deployment and deciding whether or not to stay where you are or to go home. You can hear more on this discussion during our deployment series.
Join us as we talk to Ryan Engelstad as we explore EMDR, the first part of our Treatment Demystification series. Learn what a session entails and the benefits that can come with it.
Today Stephanie L. Taylor talks with Esther Avant about the benefits of exercise. Esther Avant is a nutrition coach and personal trainer as well as a military spouse. In this episode, you will see how you can fit in exercise even with the crazy busy military lifestyle, learn about the importance of mindset that can be applied to other aspects of your life and how exercise isn't as scary as it seems.
Learn about service dogs and emotional support animals in this episode with Kyndyl Greyland. We talk about the benefits that come with these animals as well as some of the issues that can arise. If this episode interested you, then pick up the book Animals That Heal: The Role of Service Dogs and Emotional Support Animals in Mental Health Treatment for more information.
In today's episode, Stephanie L. Taylor interviews Jeremy Elledge LCSW, a trauma specialist who has completed over 3,000 trauma assessment and has 16 years in the mental health care field. They discuss the difference between trauma, complex trauma, and secondary trauma. Looking at trauma from a scientific and physical point of view, they look at how trauma shapes our brains and other parts of our limbic system. Stephanie and Jeremy discuss how trauma can happen to anyone, not just the so-called, "weak ones" and what symptoms to look for in yourself and the ones you care about. They even look at how unrealistic responsibility can cause trauma symptoms such as "I should have known..." or "If only I had done...". Once you've identified trauma symptoms then you'll learn about what you can do to get help. Jeremy also talks about how children show trauma symptoms and how to help them process their feelings.
Nikki Prins is a master's student studying Clinical Mental Health Counseling. We discuss how mythology has played a role in how people viewed mental health in the past and currently as well as how pop culture portrays mental health. We talked about the stigma that is even in the mental health field. Not everything about mental health is bad. We talk about the benefits of mental health symptoms and what it is like living with a variety of mental health disorders including PTSD, Anxiety, and paranoia. How culture plays a role in mental health symptoms as well as the different expressions of them. Lastly, we discuss the difference between the medical model and the wellness model of treatment.
Thomas Greenwood has been studying and practicing martial arts for many years. We discuss the benefits of martial arts, both mentally and physically, some things to consider when choosing an art and what to look for in a facility (also called a dojo or gym depending on the art).
In this episode, you will hear Stephanie and Dani Campbell discuss the challenges that new military spouses face. Dani Campbell is an Army spouse and has worked as a Clinical Social Worker for over 10 years. She has gone from the west coast to the east coast with multiple PCSs over the years. You will learn the importance of creating a tribe and self-care. They also discuss how the stigma of mental health care in spouses has changed as well as the different challenges reserve and active duty families face.
In this episode, you will learn how Wendi has been able to heal from a tragedy with exercise, gardening, eating healthier and other holistic methods. If you want to stay away from pills and other pharmaceutical solutions, then this episode is for you. Wendi Iacobello is a military spouse. She has her master's in Instructional Technology and runs the Strength 4 Spouses blog.
In this episode, you will learn who Stephanie L. Taylor is and what the Inner Phoenix is all about!