Blog posts with the tag "Service Members"

Staff Perspective: Veterans and Surfing

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 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."

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

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. 

Staff Perspective: Current Data Regarding the Transition from Military to Civilian Life

Marjorie Weinstock, Ph.D.

My husband, an active duty Service member in the Navy, passed his 20-year mark earlier this year, which has led to multiple discussions in our household about potential next steps. So perhaps not surprisingly, when recently reading the 2016 Blue Star Families’ annual report, I was drawn to the content on the transition from military to civilian life. The Blue Star Families’ (BSF) annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey examines the experiences and challenges encountered by military connected families. 

Staff Perspective: Are we “Pushers”, or “Adaptive” with patient understanding?

Deb Nofziger, Psy.D.

I catch myself in a trap every so often, as my colleagues have, getting so caught up in selling the phases outlined in a treatment modality that I haven’t taken the time to hear the words from the patients’ perspective. And, working with an all military culture, I’ve found that when this happens I’ve usually lost the patient. I’ve used terms that simply don’t resonate with them and they are less willing to engage in whatever awesome thing I’m trying to get them to try.

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