Deployment Psychology Blog

Practically Speaking: Behind the Episode: Don’t Attach Your Sleep Tracker to the Ceiling Fan (and Other Helpful Tips from Insomnia Experts)

By Carin Lefkowitz  on 22.01.2025 10:47 am

“Why do I need to fill out a sleep log? My FitBit/Apple Watch/Oura Ring already tells me everything about my sleep.”
Even if you are new to assessing and treating insomnia, you have probably already encountered a patient asking similar questions. A key component – possibly the most important component – of effective treatment is the subjective tracking of sleep using a sleep log or sleep diary. But it seems perfectly reasonable that a patient would prefer to give you the data that is already being collected by their favorite wearable technology. Do we really need the sleep log to provide good treatment?

Research Update: 16 January 2025

By Shirl Kennedy  on 16.01.2025 10:48 am

The weekly Research Update contains the latest news, journal articles, and useful links from around
● Randomized Controlled Comparative Effectiveness Trial of Risk Model-Guided Clinical Decision Support for Suicide Screening.
● The Promise and Perils of Using Peers and Other Paraprofessionals as Mental Health Service Professionals.
● Social Determinants of Health and Suicide-Related Outcomes: A Review of Meta-Analyses.

Staff Perspective: Overview of Military Readiness Assessments

By Amanda McCabe  on 15.01.2025 12:51 pm

Military readiness is a critical measure to ensure that service members are both physically and mentally prepared to carry out their duties. As was highlighted in last week’s blog, readiness assessments are vital for maintaining operational effectiveness and helping to ensure that the military is taking care of its service members by identifying problems early and ensuring access to treatment. These evaluations consider both physical and behavioral health; however, today’s post will focus on the behavioral health portion and what specific domains are assessed.

Staff Perspective: What is Readiness and Why is it so Important?

By Amanda McCabe  on 08.01.2025 1:25 pm
Dr. Amanda McCabe

As behavioral health providers who work with military service members, we hear the term ‘readiness’ often and may wonder what it means and how it could impact our work with our military clients. Generally speaking, readiness refers to the military’s capability to do its job, whether that’s during training, combat operations, or humanitarian missions. In order to ensure that the military can meet its missions, commanders need to know if their service members are able to deploy or work in an austere environment for an extended period of time.

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