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The Veterans Mental Health Primary Care Training Initiative: Training a Healthcare Workforce to Meet the Mental Health Needs of Returning Veterans
The New York State Psychiatric Association (NYSPA) is taking a lead role in working to meet the mental health needs of veterans returning from combat duty through its Veterans Mental Health Primary Care Training Initiative (VMH-PCTI). The VMH-PCTI, which provides educational programs on mental...
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War Impacts Us All: Minding the Gap Among Veterans and Civilians
Much has been made of the many issues facing veterans in our country and the myriad of services and organizations addressing their needs. In fact, veterans returning from war have all faced similar issues through the centuries. These are the common dynamics of adjusting to civilian life, reengaging...
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What to Expect When Your Service Member Returns Home
It is incredibly important to discuss how family members can prepare themselves for the physical and emotional changes they may have to make when their spouse, partner, parent or child returns home from combat. Many service members experience intense stress reactions as they readjust to a very...
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When Mental Illness Enters a Family
Families notice when a loved begins to be different from the child, spouse, sibling or parent that they have known. Their loved one isolates him(or her)self from family and friends; shows persistent changes in sleep, eating and hygiene; says or does odd things that suggest their thinking is off,...
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A Bridge to Employment for Veterans
While SUS was recruiting for the pilot ‘Tug and Barge’ program run through SUNY Maritime College, John Lang was referred for screening as a candidate. Mr. Lang, a former Army Avionic Mechanic honorably discharged after 6 years of service, had fallen on difficult times which forced him to...
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Accepting Recovery and Coming Home: Integrated Practices for Addiction Treatment with Veterans
Since September 11th, 2001, about 2.5 million members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and related Reserve and National Guard units have been deployed in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Of those, more than a third were deployed more than once; nearly 37,000 Americans had been...
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Addressing Trauma and Substance Abuse with Peer-Led Programs
People who experience trauma, either as children or later in life as adults, are at a higher risk of developing mental health and substance use problems and chronic physical health conditions. Exposure to childhood trauma includes physical, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse; violence; neglect;...
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Creating Home in a Community-Based Art Therapy Program
Recently a veteran referred to our studio as a “second home.” He was referring to an art therapy program I had an opportunity to develop 4 years ago at a community-based organization for veterans in Rochester, NY, Veterans Outreach Center, Inc. During its first year the program more than...
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Elder Abuse: A Commitment to Awareness and Prevention
With an increasing life expectancy and an aging American society, the challenges of later life adulthood are becoming increasingly important. Therefore, it is essential that those who help manage and coordinate care for the elder population be attentive to both normal and problematic issues of...
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Does Medicaid Redesign Pay Enough Attention to Older Adults with Behavioral Health Needs?
Major changes to the behavioral health system in New York State are underway at the same time that there is rapid growth of the population of older adults. Will the transformation of the behavioral health system benefit older adults? It could, but it is not at all clear that it will because there...
