Here is our list of some of the best and most helpful resources for both active members of the military and veterans, and their families.
For Active Military Members and Vets
Kyle Prellberg’s Story—A Veteran’s Struggle with PTSD (from CNN).
Love After War–An Award-Winning Documentary Over 600,000 men and women who have served our country since 9/11 are living with post-traumatic stress and/or traumatic brain injury. Thousands of others have sustained catastrophic physical disabilities. Veterans and their partners candidly share how they won the battle to restore emotional closeness and physical intimacy after surviving catastrophic combat-related injuries. The inspiring film also features insights from experts in the field of sexuality and disability.
Combat Medicine by Doc Todd Highlights important transitional truths all former military service members face when they hang up their boots.
Struggle Well: Thriving in the Aftermath of Trauma The authors of this book, Ken Falke and Josh Goldberg, train combat veterans battling PTSD. This book provides actionable strategies for making peace with past experiences, living in the present, and planning for the future.
Invisible Storm: A Soldier’s Memoir of Politics and PTSD A book by Jason Kandor, a former army intelligence officer. Kandor was running for mayor of Kansas City and was headed for a landslide victory. But after 11 years of battling PTSD from his service in Afghanistan, he was seized by depression and suicidal thoughts. He dropped out of the mayor’s race and out of public life. Finally, he sought help. He ended up writing this book, which is the book he needed in the most painful moments of his PTSD.
Sex and Intimacy for Wounded Veterans: A Guide to Embracing Change An excellent position and device resource, especially for vets who have experienced limb loss or serious genital injury.
Vet Resources Newsletter Resources for Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors. Sign up for the weekly newsletter.
Veterans Crisis Line If you’re a Veteran in crisis or concerned about one, crisis chat is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You don’t have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to call or chat. (800) 273-8255
VA Adaptive Sports and Arts Including the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, National Veterans Creative Arts Festival, and much more.
Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress An incredible source of information about military-related and disaster-related psychiatry and psychology. From the latest research on the treatment of combat-related PTST and nightmares to dozens of wonderfully helpful fact sheets such as this one for family members on how to encourage a vet who is struggling to get help, and this one on how the invisible injuries of war can impact military families and children.
Purpose Built Families Provides relationship skills training to strengthen connections with family, friends and social support networks, and comprehensive supportive services for Veteran Families and military veterans who have fallen into homelessness or are at imminent risk of homelessness.
SPARTA For transgender people who currently serve or have served in the military. Membership is open to transgender (to include non-binary and gender-nonconforming) individuals currently serving in the United States Armed Forces. They also offer smaller groups for families of transgender service members, veterans, and allies. Their goal is to advocate for inclusive military policy, provide peer support, and develop transgender military service educational resources on behalf of currently serving transgender military members.
Sex After Service: A Guide for Military Service Members, Veterans, and the People Who Love Them by Drew Helmer.
Why Good Sex Matters by Nan Wise. Not about the military per se, but has a lot of helpful information about PTSD and its impact on sex. Nan Wise has done way more research on the brain and sex than most people in any field, and she explains it in a way that is engaging and helpful.
For Veterans, Trauma Of War Can Persist In Struggles With Sexual Intimacy by NPR.
Sexuality and Intimacy Rehabilitation for the Military Population: Case Series. This article, in the journal Sexuality and Disability, describes the Occupational Therapy Sexuality and Intimacy program at a Military Treatment Facility (MTF)
The Private Worry of US Marines in Afghanistan An article from 2011 about one of America’s former wars, but now still very relevant.
Modern Military Association of America. The nation’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to advancing fairness and equality for the LGBTQ+ military and veteran community.
The Military Religious Freedom Foundation. Founded by a former member of the Reagan Administration to help expose and stop religious bullying by some members of the military who don’t like the religious beliefs and backgrounds of other members of the military.
Pointman International Ministries. A Christian Organization for combat veterans. “When I came home from Iraq in November of 2003 I did not know anything about PTSD. I definitely did not think I was affected by it, but others around me could see that something was very different about me. I struggled and things didn’t feel quite real… After I got out of the military, I became friends with several leaders through Point Man that were also veterans of other conflicts but they had all been down the path that I was winding my way through, and I realized that we had a common bond that transcended my time in Iraq. They were my friends, brothers, mentors, and they helped me to forge my way through the chaos that was all around me that I was not able to comprehend on my own.”
Sex after Traumatic Brain Injury
Sex with a Brain Injury: On Concussion and Recovery by Annie Liontas, who suffered multiple concussions in her thirties, which left her mind drastically changed and required her to re-learn how to think and relate to others.
Sex After Traumatic Brain Injury – How frontal lobe damage can change your sex drive. From Dr. Amee Baird from Psychology Today, describes changes from constantly wanting sex, to avoiding sex altogether.
Sexuality After Traumatic Brain Injury from the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC)
For Military Spouses and Families
FOCUS: Resilience Training for Military Families FOCUS (Families OverComing Under Stress) provides resilience training to military children, families, and couples. It teaches practical skills to help families and couples overcome common challenges related to a military life. It helps build on current strengths and teach new strategies to enhance communication and problem solving, goal setting and creating a shared family story.
Make The Connection Veterans and their families share their stories and experiences. Includes resources for everything from Traumatic Brain Injury, Nightmares and Substance Abuse to Suicide, Reckless Behavior, Relationship Problems, and Military Sexual Trauma.
Trauma and Resiliency in Military Families A podcast with Dr. Stephen Cozza
Sesame Street for Military Families
Blue Star Families This organization was founded by military spouses to help strengthen military families by connecting them with their neighbors and to help them negotiate the unique challenges of military family life. One of their goals is to help overcome the isolation and alienation of frequent moves, deployments, and reduced support from the government.
Military OneSource A large list of resources for military families including tax services, spouse employment help, webinars and online training, relocation and deployment tools, and a wide range of individualized consultations, coaching and non-medical counseling for many aspects of military life.
Tudor.com For Military Families Provides free on-demand, online tutoring and homework help at to eligible service members, civilian personnel, and their dependents.
Operation Code A nonprofit organization that provides training for veterans, military spouses, and transitioning servicemembers to enter into the tech industry.
National Military Family Association (NMFA) Scholarships for Military Spouses Provides scholarships to help pay for everything from GED’s to PhD’s, professional licenses and certifications, including re-licensure, business and entrepreneurial expenses, supervised clinical hours, continuing education courses, and more.
Our Military Kids Provides extracurricular activity grants for the children of deployed National Guard, deployed Reserve, or post 9/11 combat-injured service members. The goal is to help build the child’s self-confidence, enhance family wellness, and strengthen a shared sense of community.
Amazon Jobs and Scholarships for Military Spouses Want to work for Amazon? Here’s the site for you.
United Through Reading A free program that provides military service members with the opportunity to record and save storytime moments for their families to enjoy, no matter the distance. They also provide reading resources with tips and tricks to start a daily reading routine at home. It is available to all branches of the military, regardless of duty status, including Veterans.
Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress A great resources for members of the military and for their families. Check out some of these wonderfully helpful fact sheets such as this one for family members on how to encourage a vet who is struggling to get help, and tjos one on how the invisible injuries of war can impact military families and children.