Staff Perspective: June Shines a Spotlight on PTSD Awareness

Staff Perspective: June Shines a Spotlight on PTSD Awareness

June is National PTSD Awareness month. While increasing education regarding PTSD is a year-round effort, this month finds many organizations, including the Center for Deployment Psychology, making an increased effort to spotlight PTSD and some of the resources available to aid those suffering from it. There has been significant advancement in raising awareness, treating PTSD, and reducing the stigma associated with it, but there is still no shortage of work to be done.

CDP will be holding a webinar entitled “Challenges to Evidence-Based Practice in Treating PTSD: Practical Solutions” on 29 June from noon to 1:30 p.m. This moderated panel discussion will identify common challenges that prevent EBP implementation with clients with PTSD and describe realistic and practical solutions to these issues. Those interested can find more information and register here. In addition to this live event, we also have several recorded webinars that focus on PTSD, including PTSD & Insomnia and the Clinician Administered PTSD Scare for DSM-5 (CAPS-5).

The CDP’s website also has numerous other resources available for those interested in learning more about PTSD and how to treat it. These include self-paced courses on the Epidemiology of PTSD in Military Personnel and Veterans, overviews of Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD in Veterans and military personnel. All of these courses can be taken for free, or for CE credits for a fee.

The PTSD section of CDP’s site has information and links to other resources including podcasts, videos, mobile apps for smartphones, and more. Don’t forget to check out our schedule of upcoming live training events as well.

There are several other organizations that have some great educational resources available on their sites as well. Here are a few notable ones.

The National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, continually promotes public awareness and understanding of PTSD.  They have a variety of tools and resources available to you throughout the year.  In addition, they also have promotional materials that focus on PTSD Awareness month.  They have flyers and posters you can print and post, public service announcements, and online learning courses.  They have information for the general public as well as clinician focused information. 

About Face: This is another resource from the Nation Center for PTSD. This website features video clips of Veterans sharing their own stories and talking about how PTSD affected them. These powerful videos can be helpful for both providers, as well as clients who may be experiencing symptoms.

The Defense Centers of Excellence (DCoE): has a page dedicated to providing information about PTSD, dispelling myths, resources, and treatment options.

National Child Traumatic Stress Network: One important fact of PTSD is that it is not just a military issue. NCTSN’s mission is to improve the standard of care and access to services for traumatized children, their families, and communities.  You can find a variety of resources for children and their families and communities on their website.

The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.​