Psychology And The Department Of Veterans Affairs

This history of psychological care through the VA tells how VA psychologists pioneered research in such areas as pyschopharmacology, care of elderly people, and psychological care aspects in treatment of tuberculosis, and how they helped establish a number of trends for such mental health services as group therapy, compensated work therapy, and other rehabilitation programs.

Psychological assessment is practiced in wide-ranging settings to address the varied clinical and administrative needs of veteran populations. Such assessment blends record review, clinical interviews of the veteran and collateral sources of information, behavioral observations, and psychological testing. This book promotes the care and well-being of veterans by bringing together knowledgeable and experienced psychologists to discuss a range of psychological assessment methods and procedures. It aims to help patients and their families, healthcare providers, and concerned citizens gain an improved understanding of veterans' cognitive functioning, emotional states, personality traits, behavioral patterns, and daily functioning. The book begins with a history of the psychological assessment of veterans and investigates its efficacy in different settings, including outpatient mental health, long-term care, primary care, home-based primary care, and telemental health. Later chapters address assessment of a variety of disorders or presenting problems, including substance use disorders, psychotic disorders, mood disorders and suicidal thoughts and behavior, PTSD and other anxiety disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, dementia, pain and pain-related disorders, and polytrauma. The book concludes with important special considerations, including assessment of symptom and performance validity, assessment of homeless veterans and health-related quality of life, and ethical, legal, and professional issues. Psychological Assessment of Veterans provides an essential reference and guide for clinical psychologists, including those working in the subspecialties, and psychology trainees who work with veterans.

Approximately 4 million U.S. service members took part in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Shortly after troops started returning from their deployments, some active-duty service members and veterans began experiencing mental health problems. Given the stressors associated with war, it is not surprising that some service members developed such mental health conditions as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, and substance use disorder. Subsequent epidemiologic studies conducted on military and veteran populations that served in the operations in Afghanistan and Iraq provided scientific evidence that those who fought were in fact being diagnosed with mental illnesses and experiencing mental healthâ€"related outcomesâ€"in particular, suicideâ€"at a higher rate than the general population. This report provides a comprehensive assessment of the quality, capacity, and access to mental health care services for veterans who served in the Armed Forces in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn. It includes an analysis of not only the quality and capacity of mental health care services within the Department of Veterans Affairs, but also barriers faced by patients in utilizing those services.

More Stories From VA Psychology follows the format of the first stories book, Stories From VA Psychology (see Amazon.com, Authorhouse.com, and other online bookstores). Twelve former and current psychology leaders in the Veterans Administration/Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) describe their leadership careers and the people and events that shaped their career decisions in working with veterans. In doing so, their stories expand the understanding of the formal history of the role of VA psychologists in helping veterans over the years.The careers of the chapter authors and their stories collectively span 61 of the 66 years of VA psychology history that began in 1946. Some of the careers include descriptions of experiences as a trainee in the early and later years of the VA psychology training program. Some contain stories about research projects, treatment programs, and advocacy efforts as these leaders worked with colleagues they admired and respected in serving veterans. A brief description of the VA careers of chapter authors and the editor completes the book.The chapter authors include Georgette Bellucci, Matthew J. Blusewicz, Patrick A. Boudewyns, Jeffrey Burk, Stephen Cavicchia, Terence M. Keane, Richard A. McCormick, Kathleen M. McNamara, Edmund J. Nightingale, Joseph C. Rickard, Antonette N. Zeiss, and Robert A. Zeiss. The editor, Rodney R. Baker, writes a concluding chapter adding historical information about VA psychologists serving in non-traditional management positions over the years and the role of women in management in the early years of VA psychology.

The United States is in the midst of the largest military demobilization in its history. This is leading to an increase in the demand for mental health clinicians who can provide services to hundreds of thousands of military veterans and members of the military. Nearly two million Americans have been deployed to the wars in the Middle East, and thousands of them have been deeply affected, either psychologically, physically, or both. Projections suggest that 300,000 are returning with symptoms of PTSD or major Depression; 320,000 have been exposed to probable Traumatic Brain Injuries; and hundreds of thousands are dealing with psychological effects of physical injuries. Other veterans and members of the military without injuries will seek treatment to help them with the psychological impact of serving in the military, being deployed, or transitioning and reintegrating back into the civilian world. As an example, hundreds of thousands of service members are also leaving the armed forces earlier than they anticipated and will need to quickly adjust to life as civilians after assuming that they would have many more years in the military. Many will be leaving the military because of demobilizations and downsizing due to budget cuts. Current proposed cuts will shrink the military force to the same size it was in 1940. The Pew Center reports that 44% of veterans from the current wars are describing their readjustment to civilian life as difficult, and many of them are and will be turning to civilian mental health and primary care clinicians for assistance. The Handbook of Psychosocial Interventions for Veterans and Service Members is a one stop handbook for non-military clinicians working with service members, veterans, and their families. It brings together experts from the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, veteran service organizations, and academia to create the first comprehensive guidebook for civilian clinicians. In addition to covering psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD, this book also offers information about psychosocial topics that impact military personnel and their loved ones and can become part of treatment (e.g., employment or education options, financial matters, and parenting concerns), providing the most recent and cutting-edge research on the topics. Chapters are concise and practical, delivering the key information necessary to orient clinicians to the special needs of veterans and their families. The Handbook of Psychosocial Interventions for Veterans and Service Members is an essential resource for private practice mental health clinicians and primary care physicians, as well as a useful adjunct for VA and DOD psychologists and staff.

"Even More Stories From VA Psychology" follows the format of the first and second book of stories from VA psychology. Former and current psychology leaders in the Veterans Administration/Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) describe their leadership careers and the people and events that shaped their career decisions in working with veterans. In doing so, the stories expand the understanding of the formal history of the role of VA psychologists in helping veterans since 1946.Career authors include Kenneth M. Adams, Loretta E. Braxton, Dale S. Cannon, David Carroll, Robert W. Goldberg, Robert C. Gresen, Steve Holliday, Robert D. Kerns, Peggy H. (Cantrell) Krieshok, Russell B. Lemle, Kathleen Lysell, and Wayne G. Siegel.

More Stories From VA Psychology follows the format of the first stories book, Stories From VA Psychology (see Amazon.com, Authorhouse.com, and other online bookstores). Twelve former and current psychology leaders in the Veterans Administration/Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) describe their leadership careers and the people and events that shaped their career decisions in working with veterans. In doing so, their stories expand the understanding of the formal history of the role of VA psychologists in helping veterans over the years.The careers of the chapter authors and their stories collectively span 61 of the 66 years of VA psychology history that began in 1946. Some of the careers include descriptions of experiences as a trainee in the early and later years of the VA psychology training program. Some contain stories about research projects, treatment programs, and advocacy efforts as these leaders worked with colleagues they admired and respected in serving veterans. A brief description of the VA careers of chapter authors and the editor completes the book.The chapter authors include Georgette Bellucci, Matthew J. Blusewicz, Patrick A. Boudewyns, Jeffrey Burk, Stephen Cavicchia, Terence M. Keane, Richard A. McCormick, Kathleen M. McNamara, Edmund J. Nightingale, Joseph C. Rickard, Antonette N. Zeiss, and Robert A. Zeiss. The editor, Rodney R. Baker, writes a concluding chapter adding historical information about VA psychologists serving in non-traditional management positions over the years and the role of women in management in the early years of VA psychology.