Christopher Slavens discovered that before he could help others, he needed to help himself.
Slavens is a licensed clinical social worker and Gulf War veteran.
“But many military veterans are reluctant to get therapy,” he says. “Back then, we were expected to keep quiet and not complain. Just shake it off and continue working.”
Slavens, a combat veteran with the Hawaii Army National Guard, returned home in 2006 from an 18-month deployment in Iraq. His transition back to civilian life was challenging. Slavens found himself navigating a narrow emotional spectrum between intense frustration, a sense of disconnection, and numbness.
He had no direction or motivation. He had a hard time sleeping because of the physical and emotional traumas of war. He was haunted by images of constant mortar attacks, plagued with the sadness of losing fellow service members, and burdened with the weight of survival. He had little patience and would often lash out at those he loved.
He didn’t realize the toll his behavior was having on his family until they intervened. His family recognized that the weight of his experiences was changing him. Their support helped him to seek a path toward healing.
Slavens (left) during Operation Iraqi Freedom in Kuwait (2005). Photo courtesy Christopher Slavens
Slavens’s saving grace was his job at the Department of Veterans Affairs, where he helped Gulf War veterans like himself put their lives back on track. But he realized that before he could truly help others, he needed to get his own life in order. That’s when he found a therapist to work on his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“I didn’t think it would be possible ever to experience joy again,” he says. “Laughing, smiling, and feeling good was so foreign to me because it was a long time since I felt that way.”
Realizing how therapy helped give him a second chance in life, Slavens used his GI Bill to earn a Master of Social Work degree at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He eventually established a specialized private practice dedicated to providing trauma-informed care for veterans and active duty service members navigating the complexities of PTSD.
“I can now hold the flashlight for other veterans dealing with the same trauma I went through,” he says. “Help them see the light that others shone on me.”
Christopher Slavens helps veterans and civilians navigate trauma, grief, and life transitions.
Slavens credits his mentors and therapists for helping him achieve his goals. By teaching social work graduate courses at UH Manoa, Slavens is now shaping the next generation of clinicians with the same compassion and expertise that guided his own recovery.
For Slavens, therapy is a lifelong project. He checks in with himself regularly to recognize and deal with life’s emotional ups and downs. “Even therapists need to work on their own mental health,” he says.
He recommends people practice self-care by doing things for themselves that they enjoy. He practices yoga and meditates for mental peace and solace, embracing these mindfulness practices as important components of a holistic approach to mental health and resilience. He also earned a black belt in jujitsu. His daily self-care morning routine includes stretching, walking, and working on a to-do list.
Slavens at his graduation from UH’s MSW program in 2015 with sons Connor (left) and Cullen (right). Photo courtesy Connor Slavens
His life’s focus now is maintaining a strong relationship with his two sons, one at Yale Law School and the other an incoming medical student at the Yale School of Medicine. Slavens is pleased that there’s a greater awareness about PTSD, so veterans don’t have to feel ashamed to seek help.
“There’s more acceptance and normalization now,” he says. “You don’t have to wait for a crisis to prioritize your mental health.”
Even 20 years after his deployment, Slavens still finds it difficult to talk about his war experience. “War is never a good answer,” he says. But with a renewed purpose and support from his family, every day gets a lot easier.
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