Blog posts with the tag "Treatment"

Staff Perspective: Updated VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of PTSD (Part One)

By Andrew Santanello  on 04.06.2018 2:17 pm

In late 2017, the Department of Veterans Affairs in conjunction with the Department of Defense published an update to their practice guidelines for the management of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This two-part blog will highlight the major recommendations of the new practice guideline: part one will focus on recommendations for screening and assessment and part two will focus on treatment considerations. Although we hope that these blogs help to clarify the major elements of the new guideline, we strongly suggest that all clinicians review the guideline for themselves.

Staff Perspective: The Role of Primary Care Provider Attitudes in Disseminating Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)

By Diana Dolan  on 18.04.2018 9:02 am
Diana Dolan, Ph.D., CBSM

More is better right?  I have heard this often vis a vis treatment of sleep disorders, i.e. if only we had more providers trained in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), then we could reach more patients.  Today, I want to impart to you the idea that having greater numbers of trained CBT-I providers is insufficient without addressing attitudes of referring medical providers-particularly those primary care providers (PCPs) who are our patients’ point-of-contact with the medical system.

Staff Perspective: Sharing Combat Experiences – Why Veterans Struggle Opening Up to Loved Ones

By Debra Nofziger  on 21.02.2018 9:05 am
Deb Nofziger, Psy.D.

If you have ever worked with a combat Veteran, at some point you have heard frustration from both the Veteran and family members about their communication specific to details about combat experiences. I was recently listening to a patient of mine with this common problem, and he put it very well – “I should tell my wife everything. But I don’t…. I can’t. It is too much to pile on her, and it would hurt her. So I don’t. I push her away instead, block her questions out so my pain won’t be her pain.” Listening to him, and all the others with similar statements, always seems to take me back to the first time I explained this issue with a patient and his family.

Staff Perspective: Are All Upsetting Experiences “Traumatic”?

By Andrew Santanello  on 11.10.2017 9:17 am
Andrew Santanello, Psy.D.

One of the things that I have noticed over the years is that most people (including many clinicians and Service members) are confused about the clinical definition of “trauma.” These days, the word “trauma” has become a buzzword in our culture to describe negative life experiences that continue to have an impact on one’s life after the fact. 

Staff Perspective: Veterans and Surfing

By Laura Cho-Stutler  on 04.10.2017 9:19 am
Laura Cho-Stutler, Psy.D.

Depledge & Bird (2009) described the “blue gym” as an approach to promote well-being through being active in water environments such as surfing, kayaking, swimming, or walking along the beach. Being active can be stimulated by being near natural water. Stronger communities, stress reduction, and increased physical activity are three benefits from regular contact with natural environments. The blue gym helps us to connect to each other and the value of nature and our aquatic environments. There are some recent reports looking at the positive impact of surfing on PTSD symptoms for Veterans.

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