“College as an undergraduate is about finding yourself and discovering who you are,” says Samuel Odom, Associate Professor of Practice for the Simmons School of Social Work.
“When I graduated from high school, I recognized service to country was top of mind, and college was a subsequent endeavor,” says Odom. He joined the military, as many of his family members had done before him, realizing that he would attend college as a non-traditional student, four years later. He studied philosophy and religion as an undergraduate at Dillard University. While working towards a Master of Art in Religious Studies he was introduced to social work.
“I wasn’t fully aware of the scope of practice that social workers were engaged with in various communities,” Odom says. “The full discovery of this, and the connection of that work to veterans, happened during my tenure as a graduate student.” Working in a psychiatric hospital as a graduate student, “opened my eyes to the beauty of social work, as a profession,” he says.
In addition to teaching courses at the doctoral level at Simmons, Odom teaches MSW courses for the Master of Social Work (MSW) Clinical Practice with Active Service Members, Veterans, and Families certificate program, whereby he is the course designer and course manager. “That Simmons offers this military certificate is invaluable,” says Odom. “We ensure our students acquire academic experience and an in-depth understanding of social work in a military environment and in other environments that support Veterans and Active Duty Service Members.”
While the necessary skills of social workers employed with veterans are similar to those employed with civilians, Odom appreciates the focus of the Simmons military certificate program. “The number one skill [a social worker needs] is the ability and capacity to listen,” he says. “Listening to people remains imperative and essential, in order to understand, connect, and provide services and treatment that our Service Members and Veterans need. Demonstrating empathy, sympathy, cultural competence as well as cultural humility — these are part of the social work profession’s lexicon.”
As for specific issues for veterans, “it is important for [civilians] to understand the dynamic experience of what it means to deploy six months, a year, fifteen months or eighteen months. Separation from family and children places greater emphasis on teaching communication and relationship skills. Those are all part of course learning and they are enormously discussed, emphasized, and rooted in the MSW curriculum at Simmons.”
The reticence among the Active Duty Service Member and Veteran community toward acknowledging the challenges of mental health currently remains a prevalent issue today. “Senior leadership in the military continue to address the importance and endless need for support, which includes the consistent use of behavioral health services,” says Odom. “When a person breaks an arm or a leg, society doesn’t tell them to get over it, it’s going to be okay. They are sent to an ER, X-Rays are taken, the limb placed in a cast brace, they are given medication and told to take things easy. As behavioral health injuries are often invisible, Service Members are met with the concept of ‘get over it.’ When a Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airmen, Coast Guardsmen leave [military] service, those issues emerge onto life’s table and must be dealt with, and psychiatric issues are profoundly challenging because of the stigma associated with mental health,” says Odom. “We want our Service Members to be courageous when addressing their mental health — clearly, everything else is impacted when Service Members are not intentional about their mental well-being. If Service Members need to see a behavioral health officer, they should be able to do so without inhibiting their promotion potential, experiencing ambivalence about the decision to do so as career ending or simply being perceived as weak.”
Odom cites a quote from the 28th U.S. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin, III (2023), who stated: “Even one suicide is too many. We have much more work to do to reduce suicide across our Force and owe it to our service members and our military families to provide the best possible care; to identify risk factors and spot warning signs; and to eliminate the tired old stigmas around seeking help.”
For those of us without a direct connection to military life, what does Odom want civilians to understand about the veteran experience? “The [military] is a microcosm of life in America,” says Odom. “Everyone has a job, whether it is the field of nuclear (Chemical), communication (Signal), social work (Behavioral Health), artillery & infantry (Combat Arms), or law (Staff Judge Advocate). All the occupations we have in our civilian workforce, likewise, are also available within the U.S. Armed Forces. There are social workers, psychiatrists, lawyers, psychologists, judges, and engineers within the ranks of the Armed Forces. Many of the traumas, heartbreaks, and joyous moments that we experience as human persons also happen to veterans [while in service].”
Odom notes that military life is a controlled environment with a chain of command governed by the Uniformed Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Additionally, there are mental and physical fitness mandates for Service Members including the qualification of their military occupational specialty (job), training requirements as well as drill & ceremony. “Service Members are also relocating every two to three years, and according to multiple clinical research studies impact human growth and development, particularly for young children.” Moreover, the experience of combat — or even the awareness of future combat — is a daily reality. “We can find ourselves in a different part of the world within 24-72 hours’ notice, and in the most austere environments imaginable. That is the role and responsibility of membership in the greatest military force in the world; Service Members are obligated to respond to the call of duty, 365 days a year, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Therein lies an experience that civilians don’t have. In uniform, Service Members belong to Uncle Sam until they complete their military service obligation.”
This year, Odom plans to celebrate Veterans Day at Simmons at the Annual Veterans Day program on November 6, which will feature a keynote address by General Gary M. Brito, 18th Commanding General of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command.
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, do what you want to do in service of our Nation, however you can,” says Odom.