Sgt. Richard Kauth of 540th Quartermaster Company, his son, Richard Jr., and his wife, Cynthia join for one last tearful good-bye before deployment. Photo courtesy of the 25th Infantry Division.

The U.S. Army is adopting resiliency training to help soldiers and their families cope with repeated, long-term deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, according to this article in the Bellingham Herald. The plan could also help stem suicides, which have reached record levels in the military.

The reporter interviewed social worker and National Association of Workers member Alexa Smith-Osborne. Smith-Osborne, who has studied troops’ ability to withstand stress, praised the Army initiative. However, she said more should be done:

“The Army needs to spend just as much energy on solving the problems of not having enough combat troops, of overcommitting them, of repeated cycles of deployment,” she said. “They also need to make sure they don’t appear to be blaming the victim for not being ‘hardy enough,’ particularly within a culture that prizes stoicism and toughness and courage.”

For more information on how social workers help active duty servicemembers and veterans, visit the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Veterans Affairs Web page by clicking here.