FORT BRAGG, N.C. - The Family Advocacy Program has options for Soldiers and their Families who may deal with anger management or Family violence issues.
FAP offers Marching to Change a treatment program facilitated by the Department of Social Work at Womack Army Medical Center. In addition to Marching to Change, FAP offers an anger management class through Army Community Service.
Clients of Marching to Change may be referred by military police officers, commanders, emergency room personnel, law enforcement or they may simply walk into the DSW offices on the third floor of WAMC, said Herman Martin, DSW marriage and Family counselor.
Marching to Change was started in 2003 as a result of the 2002 homicides of spouses at Fort Bragg.
The treatment program is based on a "trans-theoretical model," Martin said. "We start where the person is in changing his or her behavior."
Marching to Change is open not only to Soldiers, but to their spouses as well.
"If it's (the relationship) mutually abusive, we'll take them both into the program. We make sure that the victim, whoever is labeled that, is protected," Martin said.
If spouses are taken into the program, they are placed in different classes, said Capt. Fe Nall, WAMC social work officer.
Fort Bragg policy stipulates that a 72-hour separation is required in any domestic violence case involving a Soldier and his or her Family member(s). DSW determines whether a couple can be safely reunited.
According to Martin, clients who have violent tendencies wrestle with issues of power and control. In Marching to Change's group therapy sessions, clients receive feedback from others dealing with those issues.
The five different stages of Marching to Change are: introduction, precontemplation, contemplation, preparation and action.
During the introduction phase, an interview and evaluation is done to determine where a client may be sent. Some clients, for instance, are referred to the anger management class at ACS, which focuses more on prevention and education.
Precontemplation is for those who do not take responsibility for their actions; while contemplation is placement for those who recognize that there is a problem, Nall said.
Preparation, the fourth stage, pertains to those who admit that there is a problem and who are working toward a plan to get beyond the problem or are working to make a change in behavior.
Action is the last stage of the Marching to Change treatment program and focuses on skill-building techniques to stop Family violence such as anger and stress management, resolving trust issues, improving communication and thinking of a relationship as a team effort rather than as an adversarial out, Martin said.
Fifty-six percent of Soldiers who are supported by their commanders complete the treatment program, said Martin. Others usually permanently change duty stations or are chaptered out of the Army.
The typical time frame for Marching to Change can last for six months, though it is a self-paced program.
In addition, although deployments may interrupt the treatment program, help is readily available upon return, Martin said.
"We'll pick you up on the flip," he said.
Upon graduation, clients convey in writing the treatment methods they have learned in Marching to Change.
"Soldiers should have a plan of action if an argument happens in the future," Nall said for those facing Family violence issues,.
There are 12 licensed social workers for Marching to Change, which is only one component of the many treatment programs available through DSW, she said.
Soldiers or Family members interested in consulting with a DSW social worker should call 907-7869 or visit its offices on the third floor of WAMC.
"We want them to get through what life gives them. We want them to come out on the other side and thrive, not just survive," Martin said.
"We want the graduate from our program to be doing optimal mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually."
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