Veterans cope, move forward through GCSU research partnership

By Cindy O'Donnell

S tacks of pill bottles, a father and daughter, paratroopers jumping from planes - these are some of the pictures on exhibit this week giving campus and community a glimpse into the lives of veterans.

Professor Laurie Peebles and Dr. Stephanie Jett, font center, speak to the audience Tuesday night at the "Sights and Sounds" performance. (Photo by Savannah Greene.)

The immersive gallery and live-music performance Nov. 12 at Blackbird Coffee in Milledgeville was the result of more than a year of collaborative research between Georgia College & State University students and four members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

"Sights and Sounds of Veteran Identity" gave vets an equal stake in academic research.

"Most of these veterans just want to be a part of the community again. They want to feel like we're listening," said Dr. Stephanie Jett, associate professor of psychology. "For some of them, there's been an uncorking. This research partnership allowed them to express things in a safe way that they haven't been able to express before."

A graduate student mastering in music therapy and a dozen psychology students used qualitative methods - Photo Voice and Lyric Analysis - to help former soldiers open up about their military experiences.

The "community-based participatory-action" veteran project was a first for music therapy research, according to associate professor Dr. Laurie Peebles.

"Music therapy is based on scientific evidence, and while lyric analysis is a typical intervention used in treatment, it's not generally used in research," she said. "One of the things I really like about Georgia College is our undergraduate research focus, so I'm excited to continue this partnership between psychology and music therapy. While music can be therapeutic, this was a vital opportunity to collaborate and connect music therapy to this type of research."

Pictures and song lyrics helped veterans pinpoint feelings, analyze memories and deal with their emotions in a way that was meaningful to them. Students helped create the study's original framework. They interviewed veterans, evaluated data, wrote story summaries and coordinated music routines.

Students and faculty rehearsed for the "Sights and Sounds" event last week. (Photo by Savannah Greene.) Songs were performed by Peebles; Sara Carr, '23, of Augusta, Georgia, who is getting her master's in music therapy; and other music therapists from the local area.

Selections included "It's Called: Freefall" by Rainbow Kitten Surprise and "Get Up" by Shinedown. Another song, "Dragonfly" by Shaman's Harvest, is about rebirth and reclaiming joy. The vet who chose it also shared a picture of him and his daughter. She's the reason he keeps going.

This experience showed Carr the importance of participant-based research and moving beyond statistics to include the human element.

Carr sang and played instruments in several performances. Her father, one of the veterans, connected her with his chosen song "Ashokan Farewell" by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason. Carr used to play this song as a violinist in a youth orchestra. Tuesday night was the first time he'd heard the song performed with lyrics, and his daughter played the electric violin.

Carr also supported a woman veteran onstage who sang "A Broken Wing" by Martina McBride.

"Our vet chose this song because - despite all of the abuse, trauma and hurt she's experienced throughout her life, in and out of service - she continues to fight back and thrive as she moves forward," Carr said.

"It felt so uplifting to be beside her while she told her story," she added. "Music has the capability to express emotions that can be hard to put into words, and lyrics can poetically embody someone's experiences in a way they can personally relate to."

Original and faculty-mentored research like this is "vital to psychological science" and contributes to the success of Georgia College's highly rated psychology program, said chair Dr. Lee Gillis. In its 2025 rankings, U.S. News & World Report named the Georgia College psychology major No. 1 in the regional South for public state universities and No. 293 nationally.

"Dr. Jett's work highlights how faculty engage students with social issues, connecting classroom concepts to real-world problems," Gillis said. "Our labs are directly supervised by doctoral-level faculty unlike other institutions, where graduate assistants take the lead. Students in this environment develop valuable skills for the workplace or to further their education."

Senior psychology major Trenholm Fahy of Marietta, Georgia, learned a great deal from this research. He's applying for graduate school and wants to continue focusing on programs that prioritize a diverse clientele.

Although Photo Voice and Lyric Analysis have both been used with marginalized populations, Fahy doesn't think they've ever been used together.

"We have pretty solid foundations for treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder when it comes to modern psychiatry and mental health care," Fahy said. "Those foundations are enhanced by these alternative treatments we have."

"A lot of researchers come into these communities, and vets don't ever see any benefit from that," he said. "For some of these veterans, this is their first time talking with anybody else. That can be a very freeing thing and at the same time, it can also be very emotional."

The project already changed the worldview of senior psychology major Lauren Ernst-Fortin of Duluth, Georgia. She became more empathetic, an important skill in her chosen profession of counseling.

A simple picture or song can break down stereotypes, she said, underscoring the individuality and distinctness of each story.

"A lot of times, veterans come out of the military and there's no immediate support. They don't transition back into civilian life," Ernst-Fortin said. "For a long time, to get through, they've been pushing down this concept of emotions. So, when given an easier task like choosing photos or songs, you begin to see patterns, and they're able to talk."

Students presented their findings at multiple conferences in the spring. These included the Georgia Academy of Science and National Council on Undergraduate Research. In April, they'll provide results at the Southeastern Psychological Association conference in Atlanta.

"The end goal is that we're not the experts in the room," Jett said. "They are. We learn from them, and we are stewards of that knowledge. We share that knowledge with the community to amplify and empower their voices."

"We want to be a bridge and build back trust," she added, "because trust in exploited communities - who've been used as research subjects for a long time - needs to be earned. Now, they're participating in the process. They're not a nameless number. Their voices matter."

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