Operation Home & Healing

Veterans services at Council for Relationships are led by an esteemed group of individuals with experience in military culture and counseling.

Will Barnes, D.Min, MFT, Clinical Fellow and approved AAMFT supervisor, CH, COL, Ret.

Dr. Barnes is the Lead Military Consultant for the Council for Relationships. He served 23 years in the U.S. Army. He has over 40 years of professional service as Associate Professor at Eastern Baptist Seminary, Hood Theological Seminary, United Lutheran Seminary, Jamaica Theological Seminary, Kingston, Jamaica, and Universidad Peru Union, School of Graduate Studies, Lima, Peru. Dr. Barnes works in Mental Health Services as a Psychotherapist for Catawba County Mental Health, and Family Practice Associates. He is a consultant for the Defense Suicide Prevention Office under the Assistant Secretary of Defense of Reserve Affairs and Readiness, Washington, D.C. He is a Clinical Fellow and Supervisor [inactive] for the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy. Dr. Barnes has published several book chapters including: Handbook of Military Social Work (John Wiley & Sons); and Military Psychologists’ Desk Reference (Oxford Press).

William Brim, Psy.D. 
Dr. Brim is the Director of the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Prior to joining the CDP, Dr. Brim served on active duty as a psychologist in the United States Air Force from 1997 to 2007. The focus of Dr. Brim’s clinical work, supervision and training is on deployment and redeployment related mental health issues, specifically assessment and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder and insomnia. He has developed a Military Culture curriculum for healthcare providers and has published several book chapters and articles on the military culture and cultural awareness for providers.

Christina Barbara Harnett, Ph.D., MBA
Dr. Harnett is an Associate Professor/Psychologist, Department of Counseling and Human Development, School of Education, Johns Hopkins University.  She has worked with civilian, military and law enforcement populations around resilience and behavioral health issues at the state, national and international levels and provided training to such groups as the National Guard, local and state Law Enforcement organizations, Secret Service, Airport Chiefs of Police, the New York State Prosecutors Training Institute and the FBI National Training Academy. Her area of scholarship and particular interest is in resilience of military members, veterans and their families. She is a former member held the rank of Major in the Maryland Defense Force, 10th Medical Regiment. In 2009 Dr. Harnett received the Achievement Medal for Civilian Service from the U.S. Department of the Army. In 2011 she received the Maryland Meritorious Service Medal from the Maryland Department of the Military. She is the author of numerous publications.

Dr. Denise Horton, PhD, CEAP
Dr. Horton is a licensed psychologist and certified Employee Assistance Professional. She has worked for 38 years in a variety of positions to serve Soldiers, civilians, and families. She has been a member of Division 19 Military Psychology and the American Psychological Association since 2005. Publications include journal articles and book chapters on military topics related to stress, substance abuse, and family support in deployments. She has been a contributing faculty members for Walden University and Holy Family University.  Graduate teaching assignments include dissertation supervision, substance abuse, marriage and family, history/systems of psychology and internships.

James (Jim) Martin, Ph.D., ACSW, Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired)
Dr. Martin is Professor Emeritus of Social Work & Social Research at Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research and a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with more than 40 years of practice. He is recognized as a Social Work Pioneer by the National Association of Social Workers Foundation. Dr. Martin is a graduate of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Social Work Child and Family Studies Fellowship Program, the Army’s Command and General Staff College, and the Army Management Staff College. His scholarship, teaching, publications, and public service focus on behavioral health issues impacting individuals, families, and communities with a focus on military and veteran populations. In 2009 he was awarded the McPherson Fellowship for excellence in teaching, research, and community service. A retired Army Colonel, Dr. Martin’s 26-year career in the Army Medical Department included clinical, research, as well as senior management (command) and policy assignments. A combat veteran, he was the senior Social Work Officer in the Persian Gulf Theater of Operations during the first Gulf War.