Blog posts with the tag "Staff Perspective"

Staff Perspective: The Protective Value of REM Sleep

By Christopher Adams  on 25.10.2017 1:40 pm
Chris Adams

We all know the benefits of a good night’s sleep. Most of us feel better, physically and emotionally with some solid sleep the night before. A recent study suggests that rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep may be even more important than that. It may function as a protective factor, reducing fear-related activity in the brain. This reduction in fear may help prevent the development of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Staff Perspective: Substance Use as a Suicide Warning Sign or Risk Factor

By Regina Shillinglaw  on 18.10.2017 10:40 am
Reginal Shillinglaw, Ph.D.

As a Deployment Behavioral Health Psychologist for the Center for Deployment Psychology and a faculty member in a pre-doctoral Air Force Psychology Internship Program, I have ample opportunity to teach about warning signs and risk factors for suicide. I also have had plenty of patients and oversight of interns’ patients with substance use disorders, in particular alcohol use disorders. So, it is of particular interest to me to understand more fully the relationship between alcohol use (and other substance use) and suicide attempts.

Staff Perspective: Are All Upsetting Experiences “Traumatic”?

By Andrew Santanello  on 11.10.2017 9:17 am
Andrew Santanello, Psy.D.

One of the things that I have noticed over the years is that most people (including many clinicians and Service members) are confused about the clinical definition of “trauma.” These days, the word “trauma” has become a buzzword in our culture to describe negative life experiences that continue to have an impact on one’s life after the fact. 

Staff Perspective: Veterans and Surfing

By Laura Cho-Stutler  on 04.10.2017 9:19 am
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.

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

By Jenna Ermold  on 27.09.2017 10:41 am
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. 

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