This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (100)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Specific Treatment Considerations of the Vietnam Veteran

Sarah A. Haley, MSW

Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1974;30(2):191-196.

Abstract
All wars are "hell." Certain aspects of the Vietnam War, however, differentiated it from World War II and the Korean Conflict: guerrilla tactics predominated; this war was undeclared and became increasingly unpopular; and for the first time the exposure of war atrocities committed by Americans became a national issue. Many Vietnam veterans reflect the impact of these differences in their conflictual attitudes toward their combat experiences and in their psychopathology.

The Vietnam combat veteran who reports atrocities presents a special therapeutic challenge. The therapist's countertransference and real, natural response to the realities of the patient's experience must be continually monitored and confronted. If the therapist is honest with him/herself, a therapeutic relationship becomes possible for men whom many therapists are, or would be, repulsed and frightened by and would never treat.

Author Affiliations
Boston

From the Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic, Mental Hygiene Service, Boston.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication Nov 3, 1973.

Reprint requests to VA Outpatient Clinic, Mental Hygiene Service, 17 Court St, Boston, MA 02108 (S. Haley).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Book Review: A Vietnam Trilogy: Veterans and Post Traumatic Stress, 1968, 1989, 2000
May
Traumatology 2005;11:205-206.
 

Healing in survivors of torture
Yawar
JRSM 2004;97:366-370.
FULL TEXT  

Fundamental Clinical Dilemmas in Contemporary Group Psychotherapy
Scaturo
Group Analysis 2004;37:201-217.
ABSTRACT  

Development and Validation of the Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale
Bride et al.
Research on Social Work Practice 2004;14:27-35.
ABSTRACT  

Exploring the Counselor's Experience of Working With Perpetrators and Survivors of Domestic Violence
ILIFFE and STEED
J Interpers Violence 2000;15:393-412.
ABSTRACT  

Trauma and Victimization: A Model of Psychological Adaptation
McCann et al.
The Counseling Psychologist 1988;16:531-594.
ABSTRACT  

The Physical and Psychological Sequelae of Torture: Symptomatology and Diagnosis
Goldfeld et al.
JAMA 1988;259:2725-2729.
ABSTRACT  

Some Problems Associated With War Experience in Men of the Vietnam Generation
Yager et al.
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1984;41:327-333.
ABSTRACT  

Personal Violence in Infantry Combat
Yager
Arch Gen Psychiatry 1975;32:257-261.
ABSTRACT