Our Defence force personnel and their families in the upper Kedron Brook valley have some special needs.
BattleSMART resilience training is given to troops to improve their mental toughness. It is thought to reduce rates of post-traumatic stress disorder depression anger and sleep problems. The number of recruits referred for psychological treatment more than halved after it was introduced.
Similar training – FamilySMART – will be offered next year to their families to help them cope with separation anxiety and the fear of losing their loved ones in Afghanistan or having them seriously wounded. The training will be voluntary.
SMART stands for self-management and resilience training.
Defence will also extend the SMART program to personnel at other stages of their career and retirement.
Middle East deployees say relationship problems have a big influence on their mental health and they feel the Defence Community Organisation has failed their families.
Defence recently ordered a review of DCO operations and the development of new strategies to assist families of deployed personnel. Programs tailored to local needs will be trialled next year.