ABSTRACT
There is a growing body of research which indicates that a large number of Vietnam veterans are currently suffering from stress disorders (Frye & Stockton, 1982; Center for Policy Research, 1980). Frye and Stockton surveyed 88 veterans who had served in Vietnam as officers. Using a symptom checklist and DSM-III criteria of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Frye and Stockton found that 43% of the respondents had symptoms of PTSD. If these data could be generalized to the 2.6 million population of Vietnam veterans, then we would expect 1,118,000 veterans to be in need of professional assistance at some time following their discharge. The Veterans Administration has responded to this extensive need for readjustment counseling by starting Operation Outreach with 136 Vet Centers throughout the country (Blank, 1982). While the Vet Center program also attempts to meet the needs of women Vietnam veterans, this paper will focus only on PTSD and the male veteran and the effect on his family. The aim of this article is to detail some of the techniques that we in the Vet Center program have been using to work with this special population of clients.
