vean UMass services center to aid military families The support groups will run for 12 weeks and are free to families. By DIANE LEDERMAN dederman@repub.com AMHERST - The Psycholo- gical Services Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is offering two free Support groups for families who have a spouse or parent serving in Iraq or Afghani- stan. One group is for the hus- band or wife at home whose spouse is at war. The other is for the children of those fami- lies: No specific opening date hhas been set. “Families are a facing a real- ly challenging task,” said Hol- ly A. Parker, a clinical postdoctoral fellow who has Fesearched post-traumatic stress interventions for return- ing veterans, ‘These families are “a sup- port system” for the parent at ‘war but “they also need sup- ‘Deployments in the past were shorter, she said, and there would typically be one ‘or two tours. Now, she said tours last 15 months and sol diers or other support person- nel are returning a third and fourthtime “it's increasing the amount of time family members are rated from loved ones,” shesald ‘While one is on the war front, the partner at home is taking care of the children and ‘working and trying to man the family alone and at the same time “they are worried about their loved one at war and. wondering what's hap- Prine tows reais, © the stay-at-home spouse won? ders what they Shalt spouse wi 5 orate ty ncaa “What if the car gets towed, do you talk to the family mem: ber about that? What do" I “ee, Parker sid “Everyone needs support,” and “there's some ithe very powertal abou ie ‘group process. They get ad- ‘ice from each other.” men aes seo Ct i ee ae, from a discussion with gradu- Sage eeaoa ts were “talking about different Saeco aro a “We were trying to think ees hee i aad ermal se ea cetera Ee 's group offered at the same time as the eee ente Se are eae ages they will run two groups, feane And he said if they get calls pees pe reine ober lated to war, they'll consider are ora ‘The support groups will run 12 ae For more information, con- tact the Psychological Serv- {ces Center at (113) 545-0041, by e-mail at pse@psych.umas- s.edu or online ‘www.umass.eduipse.