Blog posts with the tag "Staff Perspective"

Staff Perspective: Old Wounds, New Insight - Helping our Vietnam Veterans Heal Now

By Kimberly Copeland  on 30.12.2015 12:20 pm

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Vietnam War. Although more than 40 years has passed since the end of that war, it has become evident that long-term psychological repercussions still linger, impacting both those who served and the nation that sent them. Collectively, the experiences of those who fought have touched our country and been well documented in postwar art, literature and film, yet questions still remain about the specific impact of that war on the individual warrior today.

Staff Perspective: Don’t we all just want to be safe?

By Sharon Birman  on 23.12.2015 11:10 am

If you would ask any stranger on the street if they like to feel safe, it is likely that they respond “Yes”.  This is nothing new or surprising.  In fact, most young children can articulate this concept.  It is clear that the need for safety is innate. It makes sense then that we all yearn for a sense of safety.  Every one of us has people, places, or things that contribute to our sense of safety. We see the need for safety all around us. We see it in the infant reaching out to his caretaker when feeling scared.  As early as infancy, safety signals can include a “blanky,” a stuffed animal, or any other transitional object.  In other words, we give ordinary objects, extraordinary power!

Staff Perspective: Suicide and Stigma: A Review of the Literature and Personal Reflections

By Regina Shillinglaw  on 16.12.2015 1:44 pm

Having recently participated in a local suicide prevention event in my local community, this article about suicide and stigma caught my eye.  I was invited by a group of individuals to help with a suicide awareness and prevention walk sponsored by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and to help with a community educational meeting about suicide about two weeks after the walk.  Most of the individuals who are a part of this group have had personal experience with suicide, losing one or more family members in this way.

Staff Perspective: Nepal Will Rise Again

By Laura Cho-Stutler  on 09.12.2015 12:31 pm

On April 25, 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake occurred nearly 80 kilometers northwest of Kathmandu, Nepal. I received the news update on my phone and understood that more pictures and video would soon tell more of the overwhelming story. For a moment, I remembered how terrified I was back in 2006, when Oahu experienced a 6.7M earthquake.

Staff Perspective: Military. Family. Stability!?!

By Caitlin Cook  on 02.12.2015 2:07 pm

As military spouse with three children and a clinical psychologist who works at a military hospital, military family issues are ever-present in my mind and on my heart. So, when I read about the Military Family Stability Act of 2015, my interest was naturally piqued.  The Military Family Stability Act of 2015 was introduced to Congress by Senators Blunt (Mo.), Gillibrand (NY), Hirono (HI), and Burr (NC) as a bill “…to provide a period for the relocation of spouses and dependents of certain members of the Armed Forces undergoing a permanent change of station in order to ease and facilitate the relocation of military families.” By adding greater flexibility in key aspects of permanent change of station (PCS) moves, changes introduced by the bill would ideally mitigate some of the negative effects of relocation on military families. While the fate of this bill remains unknown, the content provides excellent material for some important conversations about military family life.

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