Even though it is rare that I have the opportunity to directly interact with the majority of our CDP training participants, I would wager that I probably am not one of their favorite people. That’s because as the Program Evaluator at CDP, I’m the person behind all of the surveys and feedback forms that we ask each of our training participants to complete
While working with clients, it can be all too easy to give into the desire to avoid our own discomfort. We buy into our own emotional reasoning and rob our clients of the opportunity to discover their ability to be resilient. When we are staring suffering in the face, our clients need us to put aside our own fears. We cannot cater to the irrational thoughts and emotions that would have us take a “safer” and “more supportive” approach. We need to trust in our training and the principles that operate behind the drama. Our clients need us to help them to discover these principles in action so that they can begin to understand the way to recovery for themselves.
I recently attended the annual meeting of the American Pain Society, in Pittsburgh, PA. Aside from eating at “Primanti Bros,” where they put the fries and coleslaw inside each and every delicious sandwich, I also learned a few things about chronic pain.
June is National PTSD Awareness month. While increasing education regarding PTSD is a year-round effort, this month finds many organizations, including the Center for Deployment Psychology, making an increased effort to spotlight PTSD and some of the resources available to aid those suffering from it. There has been significant advancement in raising awareness, treating PTSD, and reducing the stigma associated with it, but there is still no shortage of work to be done.
Drs. Kevin Holloway and Jenna Ermold discuss the history, strengths, and philosophy behind the Center for Deployment Psychology's use of virtual training in Second Life in this enlightening and entertaining video interview.