Blog posts with the tag "Staff Perspective"

Staff Perspective: Celebrating & Caring for the Military Child: Honoring our Youngest Heroes Year-Round

By Kimberly Copeland  on 13.04.2016 1:20 pm

Thirty years ago, then Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger declared April the “Month of the Military Child.” This sentiment was later formalized with the passing of Senate Resolution 107 on April 23, 2013, which, in part, stated that “in honoring the children of members of the Armed Forces” we, the people, “recognize that those children also share in the burden of protecting the United States.”

Staff Perspective: Should I Be Teaching Veterans to Meditate?

By Andrew Santanello  on 06.04.2016 12:39 pm
Andrew Santanello, Psy.D.

It’s Wednesday afternoon, and I’m sitting, cross-legged, on a meditation cushion in the dayroom at a Veteran’s hospital. There are 13 Veterans sitting around the room; some of them are outpatients and some of them are participants in a residential PTSD program. Some of them are sitting on cushions, but most of them are in chairs. Another psychologist and a few psychology interns are there, too. We are all sitting in silence. About seven minutes into the final period of practice in our mindfulness group, the thought that I knew was coming finally presents itself, front and center, in my mind.

Staff Perspective: Male Military Spouses -“Invisible” Family Members?

By Marjorie Weinstock  on 30.03.2016 1:52 pm

Recently there was a big discussion in a military spouse Facebook group that I am a member of over a new series in the Military Times called the “Mom-to-Mom Guide for Military Families,” which is a collection of Q&A contributions from military moms.  I haven’t read the entire series, but the first entry incudes a spouse’s answers to questions about the challenges of maintaining her career as a military spouse, her children’s educational experiences, and the challenges of moving her children into new schools during a PCS move … none of which are experiences that are limited to military moms.  One of the few male spouses who is a part of the group expressed his frustration at the title of the series, noting that it is just one example of how male military spouses are often marginalized and can be invisible to many within the military community.

Staff Perspective: The Hilliest Course I’ve Ever Run - Coping with the Suicide of a Loved One

By Carin Lefkowitz  on 23.03.2016 11:23 am

My brother, Wayne, would have celebrated his 41st birthday this month, but he died by suicide 10 years ago.  If you’ve ever doubted that stigma surrounds this topic, consider that it has taken me (a psychologist who’s spent years working with trauma and empathizing with clients’ darkest moments) a decade to acknowledge his suicide in a public, uncensored venue.  My CDP colleagues have written powerful blogs about coping in survivors of suicide (see recent posts by Dr. Lisa French here and Dr. Regina Shillinglaw here) that inspired to me to reflect both on how I’ve coped with Wayne’s death, and how it has influenced my clinical work. 

Staff Perspective: What Does it Take to Work with Veterans and Military Families?

By Timothy Rogers  on 16.03.2016 4:44 pm

Review of Leppma et al (2016) article on assessment of professional competencies working with veterans and military families.

What does it take to work with Veterans and military families?
Leppma et al. (2016) conducted a study to examine professional competencies deemed most relevant for mental health providers working with Veterans and their families.  The study makes an important contribution to military psychology by taking the initial steps to define critical professional competencies utilizing evidence-based practices.

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