Stay ConnectedOutdoor Recreation and Our Military Family - eBook
The contents of this book grew out of a three-day symposium, “Nature’s Grace: America’s Veterans and the Healing Power of Nature,” held on the campus of the University of Utah, November 13, 14, and 15, 2019. Attendees included university social scientists and their students; nature-based recreation service providers; representatives of various philanthropic, conservation, and governmental organizations; and a variety of health care professionals, including recreation therapists, rehabilitation counselors, social workers, nurses, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and an orthopedic surgeon.
The participants were united by their commitment to better serving Armed Forces personnel, veterans, and their families through health-promoting outdoor recreation activities. In addition to containing the symposium’s proceedings, the book includes complementary reading that puts a personal touch on the challenges facing our military family. This work is intended to bring the costs of war home to readers who otherwise might be distanced from its devastating effects. If, after reflecting on the content, readers are moved to come to the aid of our military family, the time and effort put into the writing will have been well worth our while. To that end, we invite readers to join us in paying our collective debt to those who have sacrificed so much in defense of our country.
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Preface
Foreword: Supporting the Next Greatest Generation
Major General Anthony L. Jackson, USMC (Ret)
Prelude: “Nature’s Grace: America’s Veterans and the Healing Power of Nature”
Part I: Setting the Agenda
1. Cry Me a River: The Healing Power of Moving Water
Daniel Dustin
2. Thanking Veterans for their Service Is Not Enough
Daniel Dustin, Kelly Bricker, Deborah Tysor, Matthew Brownlee
3. Military Veterans and Nature’s Therapeutic Value: Where Are We Now and Where Do We Need to Go?
Alan Ewert, Suzanne Bott, Aaron Leonard
Part II: Water-Based Outings
4. Reconstituting the “Tribe” through River Running
Deborah Tysor
5. Grand Canyon Warriors: A River Rafting Program for Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury
Henry “Hank” Detering
6. Understanding the Restorative Qualities of River Trips
Kelly Bricker, Deborah Tysor, Qwynne Lackey, Matthew Brownlee, Daniel Dustin
7. Rivers of Recovery: Fly-Fishing and Therapeutic Outcomes
Keith Tidball
8. “Diving into Possibilities”: SCUBA’s Contributions to Healing Veterans
Serena Barghahn
Part III: Land-Based Outings
9. Sierra Club Military Outdoors: A Nature-Based Intervention for Female Veterans
Aaron Leonard, Leslie Hoellger, Joanna Bettmann, Gabrielle Kouris, Kamala Ganesh
10. VA FARMS: Veteran Therapeutic Horticulture and Urban Agricultural Training – VA Portland, Oregon
Scott Hoffman, Carmen Caraballo, David Greaves
11. Combining an Arts-Informed Parent Education Program with a Family Nature Outing: Preliminary Findings from the Hill Air Force Base Initiative
Kevin Rathunde
12. Ancient Medicine and the Sacred Hunting Hoop: Intentionally Designed Therapeutic Hunting Experiences for Returning Warriors
Keith Tidball
13. How Can We Determine Whether Hiking Helps Veterans with PTSD and What Do We Know So Far?
Alyson Littman, Carolyn Klassen, Morgan Meadows, Charles Engel, Keren Lehavot, Joshua Brandon, Alex Jones, Howard Frumkin, Gregory Bratman
Part IV: Therapeutic to Therapy
14. Posttraumatic Growth and MetaHabilitation in Recreational Therapy Practice: A Strengths-Based Pathway to Recovery
Joyce Mikal-Flynn, Jennifer Gonzales-Shushereba
15. Posttraumatic Stress to Posttraumatic Growth: River Recreation’s Contributions to MetaHabilitation for Veterans Coping with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Deborah Tysor, Daniel Dustin, Kelly Bricker, Matthew Brownlee
16. Effectiveness of an Intensive, Two-Week Treatment Program for Military Personnel and Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Kelsi Rugo, Craig Bryan
17. Nature, Recreation, and Recreational Therapy Typology: Creating Distinctions, but Working Together to Support our Veterans and their Families
Brent Hawkins, Jasmine Townsend
Part V: Expanding Horizons
18. Homelessness, Military Veterans, and the Potential of Nature-based Recreation
Jeff Rose
19. Team Rubicon: Mobilizing Veterans to Continue their Service
Bob Toth
20. Quality of Life Plus: America’s Veterans, Emerging Engineers, and the Healing Power of Nature
Charles Kolb, Barbara Springer
21. Outdoor Alliance for Veterans
Aaron Leonard, Robert Vessels
22. Moving Forward Together
Stacy Bare
Part VI: Addendum
23. Suicide Prevention among Veterans: What Can We Do?
Fredrick Solheim, Karen House, Kristi Ruben, Cristal McGill, David Joslin, Luke Bushatz
About the Contributors
Notes