by Rebecca E. Tonn

Spouse Battlemind Training was recently developed by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research to assist families during all the stages of deployment: before, during, reintegration and after.

Nate Nugin, mobilization and deployment program manager for Army Community Service, taught an SBT class July 24 at Fort Carson's ACS.

"Spouse Battlemind Training is designed to get you thinking about your strengths: independence and resiliency. During a deployment, Soldiers' roles are subtracted, but spouses' roles are added: coach, mentor, maintenance supervisor, sole disciplinarian, financial manager, activities director and gardener," Nugin said, during the class.

Soldiers may be concerned that they will be less important to the family while they are deployed. To ease the transition, couples should discuss beforehand how roles will change. When a Soldier is reluctant to relinquish certain roles - like paying the bills - the spouse may see it as the Soldier does not trust him or her. But the Soldier just wants to feel needed and part of the family, Nugin said.

Communication is key to exhibiting and receiving trust. For instance, couples need to discuss large purchases beforehand, to eliminate misunderstandings about who is spending what and when. Spouses can ask their Soldier for input or advice, to help them feel included in the family, as long as both know that the spouse back home has to make the decisions, he said.

Nugin also discussed how rumors negatively impact families and Soldiers.

"Lack of information causes stress, but rumors and misinformation can be devastating. Don't repeat rumors. It gives the rumor power and momentum," Nugin said.

Unconditional loyalty and commitment are necessary to ensure that a Soldier can go handle business and know he can come back to his partner, his children, his life and his home. Tell your Soldier how much you appreciate what he or she is doing and how you are looking forward to reuniting and getting reacquainted, Nugin said.

Spouses asked questions during the class, and those who had been through multiple deployments had advice for spouses who were on their first deployment.

"What do you do to maintain your own mental well-being during deployments?" Nugin asked the class.

"I keep busy," said a spouse whose husband is on his fourth deployment.

Nugin said that spouses who are successful during deployments are doing some of these activities: volunteering, training other spouses, working out, attending school, taking children to activities or getting involved in the community.

"They (spouses) maintain a routine and normalcy. It's counterproductive to just wait the deployment out and act as if the Soldier's returning will be a panacea to solve everything," he said.

"It's a sign of strength to ask for help when you need it. Find a battle buddy who will take the kids so you can go to the gym, pursue a hobby or take a day for yourself. 'Mental health' is a positive term - it's not like in the old days when it meant going crazy.

"A spouse can certainly experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, even though no bullets flew by her head. If you even suspect you are not in a good place emotionally, be willing to ask for help. All battle buddies cannot be all things to everyone; seek out friends in different places, at family readiness group meetings or by volunteering at ACS," Nugin said.

Liana Henkel is doing just that. She's in the middle of her husband's first deployment, and has already joined ACS as a volunteer and attended an SBT class. She said she has learned to survive deployment in a positive way by being open and communicative.

A military spouse for 11 years, Melissa Hermosillo also attended SBT July 24. She is one of the new family readiness support assistants. Her husband just returned from his third deployment.

"Each deployment cycle is different. Knowing the transition from deployment, to home, to redeployment is important. The cycle is continuous," Hermosillo said.

She appreciated the Battlemind acronym [ Bonds (Social Support), Adding/Subtracting Family Roles, Taking Control, Talking it Out, Loyalty and Commitment, Emotional Balance, Mental Health and Readiness, Independence, Navigating the Army System, and Denial of Self (Self-Sacrifice)] and Nugin's suggestion for spouses to verbalize their appreciation of each other.

For more information on Spouse Battlemind Training, go to www.battlemind.org.