Don't let stress "spill over" this holiday season. Learn coping skills and tools to manage stress in your relationships.
About this Event

Sometimes we know when stressful days are coming for our loved ones. It could be planning for the transition from military service, knowing an unpleasant anniversary is coming up for our loved one with PTSD, or jumping back into family drama during the holiday season. Sometimes thinking about these stressful periods can be a source of dread. We worry about what the stress will do to our families. We brace for the impact as our veteran loved ones become more withdrawn or more irritable. And let's not ignore the fact that managing this extra stress is hard on us too!

But stressful times can also be a chance for our relationships to grow and thrive. From our vantage points as partners, family, and friends, we have perspectives on our loved ones that nobody else can see. And when the source of stress is shared, we can come together as a team – even if we might deal with the shared stress in different ways. In this EmpowerEd discussion, we will discuss (1) research on how stress can “spill over” into how we treat each other, (2) what effective support and connecting looks like in stressful times, and (3) how we can prepare for stressful periods ahead of time to set ourselves, and our families up for success.

We exicited to welcome Dr. Dev Crasta, a Research Investigator at the VA Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention and a Senior Instructor (Psychology) at the University of Rochester Medical Center Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Crasta’s work takes a family approach to preventing Veteran suicide and works to turn distressed relationships into supportive partnerships. He recently received a VA Career Development Award on “Supporting Relationships to Reduce Suicide Risk,” where he explores ways to extend existing couple treatments to higher-risk couples. He also consults on family-focused suicide prevention efforts such as the Worried about a Veteran project, which empowers loved ones to prevent Veteran firearm suicide.

You are also invited to attend the follow-up peer support discussion about this seminar with VSN peer leader, Janie Smith on Dec 17, 2024 at 11:30 am CT. Register HERE.

The EmpowerEd trainings/seminars are open to the wider military-affiliated community and are offered Free of charge. Encouraged participants include the spouse or partner of an active duty service member or post-service veteran, a caregiver or divorced spouse from a veteran or active duty service member, or an active duty service member or veteran.

Once registered, you will be emailed a Zoom invite to join via computer, tablet, or phone. You will also be able to access the Zoom information by viewing the event's Online Event Page. The Online Event Page can be accessed by clicking the "View the event" button in your order confirmation email, OR by selecting the "Access this event" button on the right-hand side of this page. Please find a quiet, distraction-free place to attend the session. If no one attends the session after 15 minutes the leader has the option to cancel the meeting.

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