Helping Airmen learn coping skills part of the job for Family Advocacy

  • Published
  • By Frank Carter
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  In an effort to help instill practical life skills in Airmen at an early stage in their career development, Family Advocacy, with the cooperation of the Chaplains Corps, has begun to train "Students Not in Training" (SNIT) in the practice of using coping skills and effective communication skills with real life situations.

The program, conducted at the Solid Rock Café in bldg. 450, is intended to help prepare them when they face those problems in their military career.

"We use different scenarios ranging from coming home from a deployment and learning about a partners infidelity to having issues with a dorm mate," said 1st Lt. Terricell Cromartie, 82nd Medical Operations Squadron Family Advocacy mental health nurse. "The briefs provide the Airmen with the preventive tools to manage their anger and use effective communication skills."

The Family Advocacy Program conducts three training days for the students to learn tools to help them with coping skills, helping them appropriately cope with stressors encountered while in the military.

Under the leadership of Maj. Michael McCarthy, 82nd MDOS, the Family Advocacy Program has implemented a comprehensive training curriculum to be applied to the students and the feedback from the students has been positive.

Students are broken up into groups and given cards with different scenarios. They act out different role playing scenarios, which covers anything from members reintegrating into daily life from deployments, dorm inspections and issues involving dorm roommates.

With the scenarios, students learn coping skills to deal with anger and how to turn a bad situation into a good one by using effective communication skills. What the students say and do during the role playing is unpredictable.

The training conducted by the Family Advocacy office is just one part of an overall training program designed to help the Airmen leave the technical training environment and head off to their first base armed with information to guide them in decision making down the road.

"So far the overall results of the training have been positive," said Chaplain (Capt.) Shane Moore, 82nd Training Wing. "The important thing is we take the time now to educate our Airmen so when they are faced with difficult life decisions and problems, they are better equipped to deal with those problems."