Joan worked with the women for a total of five sessions.

She was amazed at the work they were able to do in that short a period of time.  Many of them began the healing process, which is commendable since the group was the first time the women had the opportunity to open up and share their feelings with anyone.

Joan Rubin-Deutsch, Licensed Social Worker, writer, speaker and Give an Hour Provider lives and works in Acton, Massachusetts. She is the author of Why Can’t I Ever be Good Enough? and has thirty years of experience as a facilitator of women’s support groups.

For years Joan has run empowerment groups for women as a volunteer for the Domestic Violence Services Network in Concord. After connecting with Give an Hour, Joan was asked to run an empowerment group at Hanscom Air Force Base fifteen miles from  Boston.

It soon became clear to Joan that one of the women in her group needed individual help, and Joan took her on as a Give An Hour client.  The woman had grown up with an abusive and alcoholic father.  Now in her forties, Joan’s client was an eighteen year veteran of the Air Force Reserves. She was determined to stay in the service, but was struggling with the face that five of her close friends had died in Iraq and she felt guilty not having served there.  Her personal life was marked by loss and sorrow.

Working with the nine women who joined Joan’s support group was inspring for all the participants. Some were active duty, others civilian employees or reserve military. The group provided these woman the opportunity to learn the skills and tools to deal with relationship issues and address past traumas in order to live full and active lives.

To Joan, volunteering her talent for others is an honor.  She says, “Military groups are the most powerful groups I have ever run, and it has meant a lot to me to be a part of this.”