Publishing January 27, 2026 | Paperback | 306 pages
In Counseling Special Operations Forces, seasoned therapist Wes Easley aims to bridge the gap in misunderstanding between the behavioral health community and those who served in our nation’s most elite units.
SEALs, Green Berets, Night Stalkers, and CIA operatives spend their careers constantly training and operating in the world’s most hostile environments, mostly in secret. Due to the exclusive nature of special operations forces (SOF), little is known about what these elite warriors go through and the struggles they face when integrating into civilian and family life after years of continuously working at the highest levels of the military and dealing with life and death situations on an almost daily basis.
Unfortunately, because SOF members are conditioned to never be the weak link, they rarely ask for the help they desperately need. When they do, they’re usually at their breaking point—and one bad therapy session can prevent them from ever seeking help again. Yet all too often, mental health therapists are unable to help because they just don’t know how.
Counseling Special Operations Forces: What Clinicians Need to Know About SOF Operators, Veterans, and Their Families fills these gaps of cultural misunderstanding. Based on his experience working with SOF personnel, author Wes Easley explains the SOF lifestyle and culture, the different issues SOF members and their families most commonly face, and the various treatment methods clinicians can use and recommend to best help their SOF clients. Whether you’re a mental health clinician, student, SOF servicemember, veteran, or a loved one of a SOF servicemember, Counseling Special Operations Forces is an accessible guide that will arm you with vital information that will allow you to better care for our nation’s—and the world’s—most elite warriors.
Wes Easley has never taken the easy path—unless you count jumping out of airplanes with the 82nd Airborne Division an easy path. After his military service, he became a law enforcement officer in high-stakes roles until a medical retirement led him to a new mission: helping those on the front lines heal. Now a clinician specializing in trauma among first responders and the Special Operations Forces community, Wes serves as the embedded therapist for the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office and leads Peer Support Team International, a nonprofit supporting first responders worldwide. A DAAETS diplomate certified in war trauma, he also teaches at the university level and leads workshops on trauma and mental health first aid. He is currently developing a curriculum to build a culturally competent mental health workforce in the state of Nevada. When he’s not working, Wes is a devoted husband and father—and now, a first-time author.