Deployment Psychology Blog

Staff Voices: A Look at an Important Book for Therapists

By Augusto Ruiz  on 28.11.2012 1:46 pm

One of the greatest stigmas that I have witnessed in the military as well as in community mental health settings is the stigma surrounding death by suicide. Unlike other untoward events that therapists go through, this is one event that can be lonely, litigious, and career changing. “Therapist and Legal Issues for Therapists Who Have Survived a Client Suicide: Breaking the Silence” edited by Kayla Miriyam Weiner is a collection of 8 different articles on issues related to surviving the death of a patient.

November 26, 2012: By the Numbers

By Shirl Kennedy  on 26.11.2012 1:45 pm

27%

The percentage of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who are using community-based mental health care, according to a report issued earlier this month by the National Council for Behavioral Health, Meeting the Behavioral Health Needs of Veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.  In real numbers, that's about 657,000 vets. And by 2014, the report says, 40 percent (970,000 veterans) will be using community-based care.

November 23, 2012: CDP News

By Christopher Adams  on 23.11.2012 1:43 pm

We've almost reached the end of a holiday-shortened week, but we've still got time for a roundup of this week's happenings in our latest CDP news entry. This upcoming Monday, Nov. 26, is the final day to register for our last week-long training, Addressing the Psychological Health of Warriors and Their Families, of the year. The training is going to take place in Blacksburg, Va. from Dec. 3-7. If you're interested in attending, sign up quick!

Staff Voices: Life on the Other Side of Military Service

By Diana Dolan  on 21.11.2012 1:42 pm

The day after I separated from active duty service, I walked into a recruiter’s office. It was a completely unplanned visit that I later swore to my husband resulted from curiosity to see if there were any Reserve positions for my career field. Actually, it resulted from my initial difficulty accepting I was now “just” a civilian. Whether coming off of active-duty orders after deployment for Reservists and Guard members, retiring after hitting the 20-year mark, or simply separating after serving out a commitment, all military members will eventually transition out of their service. This transition inevitably means a shift in identity from being a part of a clearly defined community to having to develop a more individual self-definition.

November 19, 2012: By the Numbers

By Shirl Kennedy  on 19.11.2012 1:41 pm

3,192
and
19,000

The number of sexual assaults reported in the military last year, versus the number that actually take place each year, according to Pentagon estimates. These numbers appeared in a Bloomberg article about a new "wingman" rule adopted by the Air Force in the wake of a sex abuse scandal at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. The expanded wingman policy, which requires trainees to be accompanied whenever they are outside their dormitory, was criticized for placing a burden on the victims by Protector Our Defenders, an advocacy group for sexual assault victims in the military. 

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