Red Cross Offers Free Class to Help Military Families Cope With Stress of Deployments
  

In order to address the stress and strain of deployments on military family members, the Oregon Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross has launched a new course -- "Coping With Deployments: Psychological First Aid for Military Families." Offered free of charge, the course is open to military family members of active duty, Reserve and National Guard forces, as well as veterans and their families. Oregon is one of only sixteen states (and Washington, D.C.) that currently offer the course.

“The Red Cross has been providing support to service members, veterans and their families for more than 100 years, evolving to keep pace with the changing needs of the people we serve,” said Thomas Bruner, CEO of the Oregon Trail Chapter. “We are dedicated to Oregon and are proud to offer our support to our men and women who serve in the US military, their family members and veterans.”

The four-hour "Coping With Deployments" course is taught by actively licensed Red Cross mental health professionals and provides information on resiliency strategies for adults and children. The course also explains the easy steps involved in psychological first aid, providing immediate support to people in distress.  A significant resource and referral section is also included. The Red Cross worked closely with subject matter experts from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, to include active duty, National Guard and Reserve commands, in development of the final curriculum.

Interested families and individuals can sign up to take the "Coping With Deployments" course by contacting the Oregon Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross at 503-284-1234.

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In Oregon, the American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disaster every 36 hours; provides 97 percent of Oregon's blood supply; teaches thousands of Oregonians lifesaving skills; provides transportation to seniors and the disabled; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization – not a government agency – and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross-pdx.org or join the conversation on our blog at www.redcrosspdx.blogspot.com.