Blog posts with the tag "Staff Perspective"

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

By Debra Nofziger  on 06.09.2017 10:50 am
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.

Staff Perspective: My client says marijuana helps with PTSD symptoms. That can’t be the case… right?

By Josh Gray  on 30.08.2017 9:28 am
Josh Gray, Ph.D.

If a client proclaimed during a session that drugs with abuse potential are beneficial in managing PTSD symptoms, most therapists would identify this as cause for concern. When drugs with abuse potential are used in response to PTSD symptoms, they generally maintain or exacerbate the condition. For example, the classic client with alcohol use disorder and PTSD drinks to avoid trauma-related thoughts and reduce heightened arousal symptoms (e.g., hypervigilance).

Staff Perspective: Lessons Learned from Examining Sleep Functioning of At-Home Partners Over the Course of Military Deployment

By Timothy Rogers  on 23.08.2017 10:50 am
Timothy Rogers, Ph.D.

Miller et al. (2017) conducted a study on the sleep functioning of at-home partners from the Readiness and Resilience in National Guard Soldiers (RINGS-2) project. The RINGS-2 project is a prospective longitudinal study of National Guard soldiers deployed to Iraq/Kuwait in 2011-2012. This is an important study because despite existing literature indicating deployments having negative effects on the health of military spouses, there has been limited research focused specifically on sleep functioning changes across the deployment cycle.

Staff Perspective: Cracking the Code of Sleep Log Scoring

By Diana Dolan  on 16.08.2017 11:34 am

Providers of behavioral treatment of sleep disorders, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) or Brief Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (BBTI), need to score sleep logs efficiently and accurately to implement strategies. Moreover, we must teach patients how to score their own logs so that they in turn can implement sleep schedule adjustments without our guidance. It’s not surprising, then, that a frequent topic that arises in consultations concerns the use of sleep logs, specifically, learning steps for how to score logs and getting experience doing so.

Staff Perspective: Advances in the Treatment of Combined Borderline Personality Disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

By Jeffrey Mann  on 09.08.2017 12:53 pm
Jeffery Mann, Psy.D.

There is a growing body of evidence that examines and attempts to address the challenges of working with a group of individuals presenting with a combination of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Suicidal/Non-Suicidal Self-directed Injury (NSSDI), and PTSD. These symptoms combine to create a cycle that is difficult to break. At a fundamental level, the individual struggles to manage their emotions effectively and can often be impulsive. Impulsive behavior is a reaction to overwhelming emotional experiences and the overwhelming emotion often elicits suicidal/NSSDI behaviors.

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