Serving families who have served: providing family therapy and support in interdisciplinary polytrauma rehabilitation.
Severe polytraumatic injuries sustained in combat operations require intensive rehabilitation and often result in complex, long-term disabilities. Understandably, these significant injuries have a substantial emotional impact on families. In this article, the authors discuss the importance of a family-centered care philosophy, the interdisciplinary team approach, the therapeutic milieu, and two family-systems treatments (medical family therapy and ambiguous loss theory). A case example illustrates the key processes of psychological support and therapy when treating polytrauma patients and their families.
Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55417, USA. Rose.Collins@va.gov
Rose C
RC
Collins
Maureen C
MC
Kennedy
D000328:Adult; D005196:Family Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008889:Military Personnel; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D014857:Warfare