RN wants to help military families dealing with PTSD

Nurse, Child Offer Hope Through Book

February 21, 2011 - Deborah Yohn, RN, never expected her then-9-year-old son’s journaling to be anything more than a way to help him express himself as he dealt with his father’s post-traumatic stress disorder upon returning from military service in Iraq.

Instead, the writings of Isaac Yohn, now 11, have become what his mother considers one of the few useful resources available to children of families dealing with PTSD.

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Last year, Deborah and Isaac Yohn’s book, “Never Lose Your Hope,” became a reality and is available through PublishAmerica.com {js - or click on graphic or link}. Money from sales of the book is being filtered through the Community Foundation of Carroll County in Westminster, Md., to help pay for counseling for a Maryland family that includes a nurse who had three sons serve in Iraq and a fourth son who committed suicide last year.

Deborah Yohn’s hope is that increased book sales will help many more military families.

“There’s very little work that the military does with family counseling,” she says. “The dynamics of the family change so much, but they’ve really turned a blind eye to it.”

She also hopes the book can be used as a tool for fellow nurses with a spouse in the military or those who have patients who are part of military families. {continued}