Deployment Psychology Blog

Staff Perspective: Veterans and Surfing

By Laura Cho-Stutler  on 04.10.2017 9:19 am
Laura Cho-Stutler, Psy.D.

Depledge & Bird (2009) described the “blue gym” as an approach to promote well-being through being active in water environments such as surfing, kayaking, swimming, or walking along the beach. Being active can be stimulated by being near natural water. Stronger communities, stress reduction, and increased physical activity are three benefits from regular contact with natural environments. The blue gym helps us to connect to each other and the value of nature and our aquatic environments. There are some recent reports looking at the positive impact of surfing on PTSD symptoms for Veterans.

By the Numbers: 2 October 2017

By Shirl Kennedy  on 02.10.2017 12:39 pm
By the Numbers Graphic

73%

The percentage of active duty Service men and women who reported experiencing a sexual assault in 2016 who said that the assault happened at a "military location," according to a new report from the Congressional Research Service, Military Sexual Assault: A Framework for Congressional Oversight. Additionally, 12% of women and 18% of men said the assault occurred "while at an official military function."

CDP News: 29 September 2017

By Christopher Adams  on 29.09.2017 12:31 am

Welcome to this week’s edition of CDP News! We like to use this space to review recent happenings in and around the Center for Deployment Psychology, while also looking ahead to upcoming events. September is just about over and fall is well underway, but a change of seasons isn't slowing us down.

Research Update: 28 September 2017

By Shirl Kennedy  on 28.09.2017 11:33 am

The weekly research update contains the latest news, journal articles and useful links from around the web. Some of this week's topics include: 

  • Resources for Managing Stress after Trauma (PTSD Monthly Update)
  • Epidemiology of Major Depressive Disorder Disability in the US Military: FY 2007-2012.
  • Role of Combat Exposure and Insomnia in Student Veterans’ Adaptation to College.

Staff Perspective: Preparing Spiritual Leaders to Provide Culturally-Informed Care

By Jenna Ermold  on 27.09.2017 10:41 am
Jenna Ermold, Ph.D.

While most of our CDP blogs focus on some aspect of military behavioral health to include understanding, evaluating and treating various psychological wounds of war and reintegration challenges, we don’t often consider and discuss the spiritual conflicts that arise for many of our military-connected clients. These spiritual wounds and needs can have a significant impact and often caring for those needs goes beyond the skillset of a behavioral health provider. A referral or concurrent care addressing both behavioral and spiritual health needs might be the best course of action. 

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