Blog posts with the tag "Staff Perspective"

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

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

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?

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.

Staff Perspective: Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) has been called the signature injury of the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite the prevalence of this injury, it is still widely misunderstood by many people. To help spread information about this issue, March has been declared as Brain Injury Awareness month.

Staff Perspective: Homelessness - Why Are Female Veterans at Risk?

On a typical day driving in Washington, D.C., I spot two homeless men sleeping in tents beneath an underpass near the Kennedy Center and later see another disheveled man lying on a grate in front of a vacant storefront desperately trying to stay warm in Dupont Circle. The next day when I notice a person asking for change by the CVS near my apartment, I recognize his all too familiar face.  “He’s been there for weeks,” I think to myself.

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