Blog posts with the tag "Staff Perspective"

Staff Perspective: Let’s talk about Melatonin!

By Jeffrey Mann  on 24.03.2021 9:36 am

Melatonin is a hormone that is naturally found in the body. It is produced synthetically in the laboratory and is available in pill form as well as forms that can be absorbed under the tongue or through the cheek. However, before we talk about the role of melatonin in sleep, let’s talk about what it’s NOT for. So many of the patients I work with on sleep issues describe taking melatonin on a regular basis, every night before bed. Melatonin is not a sedative. It is not sleep inducing and it does not share any of the properties of prescription or over-the-counter sleep aids

Staff Perspective: Are You A Short Sleeper – Or Just Sleep Deprived?

By Diana Dolan  on 17.03.2021 9:45 am

A number of my military patients – and likely your patients, too, judging by the consultation requests we see – seem to have gotten so used to the effects of getting insufficient sleep they wonder if they don’t really need much sleep. Maybe they’re just short sleepers, they wonder; maybe there’s no need to change their sleep habits

Staff Perspective: Sleep Can Put up a Good Fight and Not Improve Following a Trauma-Focused Treatment

By Paula Domenici  on 10.03.2021 9:42 am

After 14 sessions of an evidence-based psychotherapy (EBP) for PTSD, my patient’s improvement was undeniable. His score on the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) had decreased from 62 at baseline to 18 at our final session. He described that his trauma memories no longer had a hold over him, they were fading away in a healthy way. When I looked at his final PCL-5, I was pleased to see he had rated all of the items 0 or 1, except for item #20 (trouble falling or staying asleep), which he rated 4. I had hoped this symptom would have improved as treatment progressed, yet no matter how well our work was going, it hardly budged.

Staff Perspective: Engaging Military-Connected Couples in Treatment

By Christy Collette  on 03.03.2021 8:59 am

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

Staff Perspective: Intimate Partner Violence and The Power and Control Wheel - A Closer Look at the Impact of COVID-19

By Erin Frick  on 24.02.2021 10:43 am

Repeatedly on the news and in academic journals, I’ve been seeing reports about and concerns regarding rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) as our world is dealing with the continued effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the CDC (2021), intimate partner violence is defined as “physical violence, sexual violence, stalking, or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse. This type of violence can occur among heterosexual or same-sex couples and does not require sexual intimacy.” This blog will examine the dynamics present when men perpetrate intimate partner violence toward their female partners during a pandemic.

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