You have probably heard of motivational interviewing (MI), a therapeutic approach to working with patients who are considering making a behavior change. Initially developed with alcohol use disorders, it has spread to other types of behavior change, including health-related behaviors. The goals is to help patients generate change from within, arguably making it more lasting.
The percent increase of telemental health appointments in the VA Health Care System from January to April of 2020. Although this level has likely fallen off as in-person appointments become more available, it’s clear that telemental health will be a much larger part of mental health care than it has been. In a recent study consumer openness to telehealth jumped from 11% pre-COIVD to 76% post-COVID.
Race was not on my radar growing up because I was surrounded by people who mostly looked just like me. As a White female growing up in a place so small it was technically a village, the most salient aspects of identity for me were around gender and socioeconomic status (SES). In my family, traditional gender roles prescribed the expectations of me and what I could do.
The number of veterans that have returned to and reside in rural areas. The rates of PTSD for veterans from the OIF/OEF, Gulf War and Vietnam era range from 11-20% and just over 50% of rural veterans are connected with the VA Health Care System, making community mental health resources a critical need for rural veterans.
During my 20+ years working in the mental health field, I have worked with multiple military-connected couples. Often, the entry point for couples’ work was a spouse who had been given an ultimatum about working on resolving marital conflict or face separation/divorce. In one study by Pflieger et al. (2018), researchers found that while military couples face additional stressors, the majority of marital dissatisfaction can be explained by stressors not unique to the military service. In my work with couples, I found this to be true. While many of the stressors may have surfaced during their military service (i.e., conflict regarding parental responsibilities during the deployment cycle), the stressors themselves are also found in civilian couples