Psychological and behavioral health services are as important for force readiness as physical health care after a traumatic brain injury (TBI). At the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE), social workers are often service members’ points of contact when it comes to behavioral health. Social workers assess and treat a variety of behavioral health symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, trauma, sleep issues and family relationships.
Service members complete an initial assessment with a TBI coordinator, a health care professional who assesses their health care needs. If the patient presents with behavioral health symptoms, the TBI coordinator refers them to the appropriate specialty provider(s), which often includes a social worker. NICoE patients meet with their social worker weekly or biweekly to work on cognitive behavioral therapy, supportive therapy, cognitive processing therapy, eye movement desensitization, reprocessing or cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, chosen specifically to treat the patient’s concerns.
“I think recovering mentally starts with acknowledging the mental impacts of extreme circumstances. It would be strange if we had exposure to difficult events and we didn’t have lingering effects of anxiety, hypervigilance, or have some low mood or be bummed out. How do we deal with that?” said NICoE social worker Adam Brown, LCSW-C. “If we can just simply acknowledge that we’re dealing with things. It doesn’t mean that we’re weak. It actually means that we’re strong, in that we’re dealing with the injuries that we have.”
According to NICoE social worker Robert Zelikoff, MSW, one of the key goals is to help service members work through their psychological pain so that they can return to active duty. Social workers help patients learn healthy ways to process and cope with their thoughts and feelings.
“One key area of the therapeutic process is to help the service member process trauma, grief and loss. In addition, we provide education on coping skills to address bothersome symptoms,” Zelikoff said. “Many [service members] compartmentalize their feelings and sometimes it can build, making it difficult to function at work and/or home…Talking and learning coping skills are pivotal to help the fighter remain productive in their roles.”
The NICoE strives to help service members recover from the physical and mental effects of TBI. Ensuring that U.S. service members are ready to return to military service is one of its top priorities. Social workers are key to that mission.
About the NICoE
The National Intrepid Center of Excellence provides world class medical, neurological, rehabilitative, behavioral health, advanced imaging and diagnostics, education and complementary services to service members to facilitate recovery and return to military service. As a center of excellence, the NICoE leads and innovates in the delivery of patient-centered care, conducts research to establish protocols for TBI treatment and shares staff expertise through professional training and education.
| Date Taken: | 04.30.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.30.2025 14:08 |
| Story ID: | 496602 |
| Location: | BETHESDA, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 13 |
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This work, NICoE social workers are key to recovery, by Ben Lasky, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
