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Saturday, January 29, 2011

5 Student Chaplains make the news on PTSD?

While this sounds like it could be a good idea, there is a problem with this. Why is a program that graduated ONE student last year and only has four more making so much news? Is this a PR move by the Air Force or by Iliff School? This has already been covered on this blog but has been picked up by many more as if it is a huge story but when we're talking about a total of 5 students, it shouldn't be getting nearly as much attention as it is. Even the Huffington Post picked this up from AP

Air Force chaplains enlist theology school in effort to help service members with PTSD
DAN ELLIOTT
Associated Press
January 29, 2011, 4:06 p.m.
"If they were leading worship where people have come to a Christian service of worship, of course they would lead out of their own tradition," she said of the chaplains. "Or if they're leading a prayer before troops go on a mission and the troops have volunteered to come to that prayer, they would use their own traditions."

But when people go to a chaplain for help with post-traumatic stress or other issues, they want someone who respects their views and won't try to impose other beliefs on them, she said. (Chaplain Matt Boarts)
DENVER (AP) — A Colorado theology school is teaching Air Force chaplains to consider the religious beliefs of servicemen and women to better help them cope with post-traumatic stress.

The goal is to build trust so a chaplain can encourage service members to draw on their individual concepts of God and spirituality, said Carrie Doehring, an associate professor of pastoral care at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver.

Doehring helped develop the one-year program for the Air Force, which wanted another way for its chaplains to respond to the stress of deployments amid two protracted wars.

Doehring said she believes it's the only program of its kind in the country.

One student graduated last year and four are enrolled this year.

read more here
Air Force chaplains enlist theology school

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