Veterans receive individual consultation and regular strength / cardiovascular training as a gateway to improved mental and physical health. Exercise and strengthening programs are tailored for both healthy and wounded warriors, with the aim of establishing the camaraderie, discipline, strength and readiness of military service.

This project aims to develop, implement and test an integrative-exercise protocol specifically designed for military servicemembers. The protocol will draw from the fundamentals of mindfulness, cardiovascular strengthening and controlled breathing and will be modified into a standardized, military-friendly treatment regimen. The pilot project will serve as starting point for the further development of low-cost, low-risk non-pharmacological treatments for combat-related stress.

New research and consensus amongst clinicians indicates that post-deployment eating disorders are a threat to the health of women who have engaged in combat due to insufficient screening, treatment and prevention techniques. Currently, few screening instruments exist to detect women who may be showing signs of early or advanced eating disorders, and VA resources for treatment are limited. This pilot will develop a new screening protocol and an intervention program for those who are showing early signs of an eating disorder.

In the weeks, months and years following deployment, cultural differences between combat and domestic environments often impede a successful return to civilian life. With high expectations of self-sufficiency, the diagnosis of mental health disorders can perpetuate stigma, shame and negative self-attribution. This protocol will develop techniques to re-cast conventional readjustment and therapeutic tools into a destigmatized, non-pathological framework, and further refine therapeutic tools for long term successful readjustment and reintegration among returning service members.