Deployment Psychology Blog

Staff Perspective: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Military

By Paula Domenici  on 10.02.2021 9:46 am

Providing therapy to military-connected clients with PTSD during the pandemic has raised my awareness about the intersection between trauma symptoms, COVID-19-related anxiety and distress, and military values that can help individuals cope with the outbreak like having good situational awareness, taking individual responsibility, applying discipline, and striving for the larger mission to maintain safety and protect others. My clinical work has also led me to think more about how the pandemic is impacting military members and their families overall.

By the Numbers: 8 February 2021

By Shirl Kennedy  on 08.02.2021 3:49 pm
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236

The number of stores operated by the Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) "worldwide, including in 13 countries and 2 U.S. territories," according to a recent Congressional Research Service Defense Primer -- Military Commissaries and Exchanges. The DeCA employs more than "12,000 civilian full-time equivalents (FTEs)."

 

Research Update: 4 February 2021

By Shirl Kennedy  on 04.02.2021 12:53 pm
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The weekly Research Update contains the latest news, journal articles, useful links from around the web. Some of this week's topics include: 
● Behind therapists’ emotional responses to suicidal patients: A study of the narrative crisis model of suicide and clinicians’ emotions.
● The Social Forces Healing Patients with Painful Conditions: What Happens After COVID-19? (editorial)
● Anxiety sensitivity and substance use: Differential levels across individuals primarily using opioids, cannabis, or stimulants.

Staff Perspective: Three Caskets - A Personal Story of Complicated Grief

By Erin Frick  on 03.02.2021 9:13 am
Dr. Erin Frick

It was odd that my brother was calling me. I hadn’t even unpacked after just returning home from visiting my family in Indiana for the Christmas holiday. He said, “Erin, Wendel and the kids were killed in a car accident on their way back home.” On 29 December 2005, the date of the accident, my journey through complicated grief began and continues to this day. Just as my grief process continues, I expect there are many who have been thrown into grief and will be attempting to find their way through this journey, especially due to the pandemic. As a devoted helper, I will share a few things that have guided me in my journey…

By the Numbers: 1 February 2021

By Shirl Kennedy  on 01.02.2021 12:36 pm

46%

The percentage of "COVID-19 cases diagnosed in active-duty military personnel through the end of fiscal 2020" that were concentrated in four military occupation fields -- repair, engineering, communications, and intelligence -- according to a recent article in Military Times reporting on an article in the December 2020 issue of the Defense Health Agency's Medical Surveillance Monthly Report.

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