Blog posts with the tag "Staff Perspective"

Staff Perspective: Military Culture in Primary Care

I am Dr. Jenna Ermold from the Center for Deployment Psychology and I’m here today with Dr. Christopher Keonig, who is a health communications scientist with San Francisco State University and a health services researcher at the San Francisco VA healthcare system. Dr. Keonig is one of the panelists on our Military Culture in Primary Care Roundtable. I wanted to have an additional conversation with him today about some of the research that he does.

Staff Perspective: The Cognitive Processing Therapy Manual Gets an Update

Believe it or not, it’s been nearly 25 years since Patricia Resick and Monica Schnicke published their groundbreaking treatment manual, Cognitive Processing Therapy for Rape Victims (1993). Since that time, the efficacy of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) has been demonstrated time and time again in many high-quality studies.

Staff Perspective: “Complacency Kills”- The Link Between Combat Experiences and Safety Behaviors in War-Related PTSD

One of my first memories from my deployment to Fallujah, Iraq was seeing the phrase “Complacency Kills” spray-painted in red on large concrete barriers and signs around the base. This simple phrase was a sober reminder to all who read it to be on guard at all times and men and women in theater rapidly internalized and adapted their behaviors to accommodate its warning.  For many, it not only shaped their mindset and behaviors in theater, but continued to impact their post-deployment lives through the adoption of war-related safety behaviors. 

Staff Perspective: A Spotlight on Chronic Pain

Chronic Pain is a common complaint in Service members and Veterans. Indeed over half of the Veterans returning from service in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom report chronic pain. The harsh physical stresses of the military life can leave lasting effects. Soldiers are often required to carry extremely heavy loads of equipment and gear (which can approach or exceed 100 pounds) for long periods of time. Frequent physical training and exertion can take a toll on the body. Physical discomfort is often overlooked in favor of accomplishing the mission. All of these factors (and many more, common in military life) make it easy to see how Service member and Veterans can be at risk for issues with chronic pain.

Staff Perspective: A Quiz on Chronic Pain Research

I’ve always been interested in pain, even before completing the post-doc in Health Psych. Perhaps that’s because I’ve suffered an above-average number of injuries in my time: ulna fracture; concussion; compound bruise with threat of amputation mid-fibula/tibia; dislocated elbow; torn rotator cuff; knee hyperextension; metatarsal fracture; etc. Needless to say that these old injuries remind me they exist, dependent upon my level of exercise, sleep, stress, and diet, among other factors.

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