Military Competency Training - Tuition Waived For Certified Practitioners!

MILITARY COMPETENCY TRAINING

WORKSHOP: Essentials of Trauma Competency Specific to the Military Population March 8, 2013 ∙ 8 am – Noon · Ft. Walton Beach, FL

This 4-hour workshop has been designed for mental health clinicians who are interested in treating the military population traumatized by war. The objectives for this comprehensive workshop include:

• Demonstrate the core competencies of providing trauma-informed care specific to members of the military community to include the troop, spouse and children.
• Define traumatic stress and how trauma affects the brain and body while in theater and upon their return home.
• Explain and apply strategies for identifying and treating military members suffering from Post Traumatic Stress.
• Explain and apply strategies for identifying and treating military
• members who have experienced Military Sexual Trauma.
• Explain and apply strategies for identifying and treating military members suffering from Frozen Grief. 
• Describe key elements of the military suicide prevention program.
• Learn the critically unique elements of a military culture to include military language/acronyms; military rank systems for enlisted troops and officers; differences between active duty and reserve troop environments; differences specific to the Services (Army Navy, Air Force and Marines); gender biases; differentiating the value of family ties versus unit ties and community resources on base and online.

TRAINERS
Dr. Sharon Richie-Melvan (Colonel, US Army retired) and author of the book Angel Walk; Dr. Elizabeth Michas; Melinda Paige, Ed., S., LMHC, LPC; Molly Sanford, MSW, LCSW; and Courtney Armstrong, M. Ed., LPC, author of the Ebook Transforming Traumatic Grief.

COST
Tuition is $99.99 for the workshop.
Early Registration: For those who register before February 22, the tuition has been discounted to $79.99.
Space is limited, so sign up early!

REGISTRATION / LOCATION
The workshop will be held at The Breakers of Ft. Walton, Ft. Walton Beach, FL, prior to the Heal The Healer Retreat.

To register for the Military Competency Training, please click here or visit http://www.thehealerretreat.com/register/. 

Crossroads Care, LLC

www.thehealerretreat.com/contact 

How To Help Military Clients

The IRRT has partnered with "Not Alone, Inc.," a non-profit organization which pays licensed therapists to provide confidential, anonymous PTSD treatment for active duty military members and their family members. To be eligible to provide this service, a certified RRT therapist must be a military veteran, the spouse of a military veteran or have at least 3-5 years of experience treating veterans. To learn more about this organization, see their website at www.notalone.com. If you would like to be one of their providers email Jennifer Andrews, their program director (jenny@notalone.com).

 

I introduced RRT to their spouse and significant other online support group called "Trench Talk." In the coming weeks, I will offer another online support group targeted for female veterans. Thank you to certified practitioner Courtney Armstrong who helped me to welcome home, back to Fort Campbell, KY the 86th Combat Support Hospital from their overseas deployment. We learned about their sexual assault prevention program and we shared the effectiveness and timeliness of clearing traumas with RRT. We are on a mission to ensure that every soldier who is a victim of Military Sexual Trauma (MST) has the opportunity to be healed with RRT.

 

 

Article courtesy of Dr. Sharon Richie-Melvan, Ph.D., Certified Rapid Resolution Therapist. Dr. Sharon also co-authored the book, "Angel Walk: Nurses at War in Iraq and Afghanistan," with Dr. Diane Vines, Ph.D, Certified Rapid Resolution Therapist. Within the book, Dr. Sharon recommends Rapid Resolution Therapy as a PTSD treatment approach (p. 97). To purchase your copy today, please click here.

IRRT Research, Military Outreach and Book Update

By Dr. Sharon Richie-Melvan

Certified Practitioner, Rapid Resolution Therapy

We are closing in on the February 1 start date of our 2012 IRRT Study 2 with the identification of two new measures we will use in addition to the Study 1 Pre and Post treatment measure the PCL-C (17 item PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version). The second measure is the Life Events Checklist (LEC), a one page self-report measure designed to screen for 16 events known to potentially result in PTSD or distress in a client's lifetime. The client checks whether the stressful event (a) happened to them personally, (b) they witnessed the event, (c) they learned about the event, (d) they are not sure if the item applies to them, or (e) the item does not apply to them. Developed by Blake, Weathers, Nagy, Kaloupek, Charney & Keane in 1995 and available from the National Center for PTSD, the LEC has demonstrated adequate psychometric properties as a stand-alone assessment of traumatic exposure. Our third proposed measure, the 12 item Working Alliance Inventory will be filled out by both the therapist and the client following the first (and only for some) RRT session.

Certified Practitioners (CP) may volunteer to participate in the study at the January 2012 retreat or via an email request to cleartrauma.com. The minimum qualifications are a professional degree and at least 100 RRT training hours. A detailed procedural guide for the study will be posted on the CP website and made available at the retreat. Once you receive your study documents (ie., a client welcome letters, consent forms, client data sheets, assessment tools and stamped/addressed envelopes) you may begin screening clients for the study. Our goal is to have at least 60 RRT clients who complete their RRT treatment and submit all of the pre and post treatment assessment measures.

There is still time to get your name on the list of certified RRT practitioners who volunteer to speak at local Military Officer Association of America (MOAA) chapter meetings. I will be presenting that list of CPs at the state convention of MOAA chapter presidents on January 14, 2012. Thanks to LTC Sandra McNaughton (see photos), I will have the opportunity to welcome home from their deployment and interview the nurses of the 86th Combat Support Hospital on February 4, 2011 at Fort Campbell, KY. LTC McNaughton is featured in the book Angel Walk: Nurses at War in Iraq and Afghanistan and serves as a soldier advocate for those currently serving and those medically retired. She like other Army nurses can serve as our "Town Criers" to remind veterans that we are here and ready to serve them.

Photo: Army nurse LTC Sandra McNaughton with the M240 machine gun preparing to leave for a mission.

The IRRT is one of several hypnotherapists asked to propose a smoking cessation and weight loss program for the civilian employees at the Tampa, FL VA Hospital. Given our group of certified practitioners, we are uniquely qualified to provide a standardized quality assured program to this large group of clients. Stay tuned for developments. Many thanks to Sue Morrow, a recent Level 2 student who provided RRT for an Army Surgeon who had served two tours of duty in Iraq and to the other CPs who have treated veterans. We hope to capture their stories and include their healing RRT work in a special military chapter in our upcoming book. Another addition to the book will be provided our Executive Director Melinda Paige. She will be combing the RRT video library for unique RRT cases and identifying miraculous healing stories of clients seen by Dr. Jon Connelly. Thanks to all who sending in their case studies; keep them coming!!

Article courtesy of Dr. Sharon Richie-Melvan, Ph.D., Certified Rapid Resolution Therapist. Dr. Sharon also co-authored the book, "Angel Walk: Nurses at War in Iraq and Afghanistan," with Dr. Diane Vines, Ph.D, Certified Rapid Resolution Therapist. Within the book, Dr. Sharon recommends Rapid Resolution Therapy as a PTSD treatment approach (p. 97). To purchase your copy today, please click here.

IRRT's Veteran Salute and Military Speaking Opportunities

The IRRT joined our nation in honoring our Veterans in November 2011 with participation in the Military Officers Association of America's (MOAA) salute to Veteran Caregivers in San Antonio, Texas. It is clear that more help is needed for our men and women returning from the today's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (and those who fought in previous wars).

Look for more timely information about our troops at our upcoming "Veteran Care" button at our cleartrauma.com website. This new button will serve as a resource for you and a central place for us to disseminate all new information coming out from the VA and the Department of Defense. It also has a recently published article about my military career and work with IRRT entitled "Leading from the Rear...A Retired Army Colonel Still Serves." There, you also will find a soon to be published case study about a Vietnam Helicopter Pilot treated by Dr. Jon Connelly.

Look to hear from various MOAA chapter presidents in January 2012 to request speakers for their upcoming monthly chapter meetings. I will be presenting the list of volunteer speakers from the IRRT Military Interest group at the Winter MOAA meeting on January 14th. If you have not signed up yet and want to be included in the list of potential RRT speakers please contact me at drsrichie@earthlink.net or at drrichiemelvan@gmail.com.

Article courtesy of Dr. Sharon Richie-Melvan, Ph.D., Certified Rapid Resolution Therapist. Dr. Sharon also co-authored the book, "Angel Walk: Nurses at War in Iraq and Afghanistan," with Dr. Diane Vines, Ph.D, Certified Rapid Resolution Therapist. Within the book, Dr. Sharon recommends Rapid Resolution Therapy as a PTSD treatment approach (p. 97). To purchase your copy today, please click here.

Become a Published Author!

Volunteer IRRT Book Contributors and Military Interest Groups

By Sharon Melvan-Richie, Ph.D.

Certified Practitioner, Rapid Resolution Therapy

"Book of Hope" Contributors:

For each of you who has a story to share please know that YES we can do this!! If that is intimidating for you, know that we will be building our book in bite size pieces. If you'd like to share a story, I would love to hear from you. Please let me know your intention of the types of stories you will be submitting.

· Changed Lives: client story by diagnosis such as depression, frozen grief, addictions/cravings, anxiety etc. and or your own personal story if you have been treated.

· Changes Clinical Practices: stories about specific practices such as in-patient facilities (ie., Beachcomber; Palm Partners); Child and Adolescent work

· Changed Education and Training Practices: we'll have a general description of the trainings but we need testimonials of how the training effected you personally from Level 1 and 2; Certification benefits with twice Monthly Case Studies and conference calls; Retreats, and Master Certified level benefits.

Your intention can just be a statement, an outline or a first draft depending on how fast you work. The subsequent updates from you will flush out your first thoughts so that soon we will have a working draft of your contribution. We always have time to edit and refine it later, so just get the words down on paper. You can also change your mind, add or delete as you are comfortable. If this is your first time writing, remember that the first hour you wake up is the golden creative time so heed that call when your eyes open. If you get stuck, try using sticky notes with ideas and then move them around until you know the order in which to write something.

Welcome to our IRRT Book Team! Remember that we are on a mission to change lives by giving them hope for a better tomorrow. Know that you can always contact me at 352-476-5599 or drsrichie@earthlink.com if you are stuck!

IRRT Military Interest Group:

I am looking to hear from two groups focused on our active duty military and veterans; those who want to volunteer pro bono hours to see military clients and those want to speak to military groups (potential clients). Once I know your intention, I can help get you to the next step. For the pro bono therapists, I will send you info about the "Give an Hour" program and info about these special clients. For the military speakers' program, I will provide you with the contact information for your local chapter of your Military Officers' Association of American. If you are interested, please contact me at drsrichie@earthlink.net or on my cell at 352-476-5599.

Dr. Sharon Richie-Melvan, Ph.D., is a Certified Rapid Resolution Therapist. Dr. Sharon also co-authored the book, "Angel Walk: Nurses at War in Iraq and Afghanistan," with Dr. Diane Vines, Ph.D, Certified Rapid Resolution Therapist. Within the book, Dr. Sharon recommends Rapid Resolution Therapy as a PTSD treatment approach (p. 97). To purchase your copy today, please click here.

Rapid Resolution Therapy Client Spotlight:

Active Duty, Reserves, Former and Retired Military Members
By Sharon Melvan-Richie, Ph.D.
Certified Practitioner, Rapid Resolution Therapy

"The return of our men and women in uniform serving in Iraq and Afghanistan will rival the scale of World War II demobilizations in some communities." This is the opening statement of the informative booklet Engaging Veterans and Families to Enhance Service Delivery. Electronic copies of this booklet and other free publications about veterans, trauma informed care, self care for providers, homelessness and organizational development are available here.

The National Center for PTSD estimates that about 30 percent of troops who served in Vietnam experienced PTSD and an additional 20 to 25 percent have had PTSD at some point in their lives. A recent Rand Corporation Study sets this number at 22 percent for those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and notes that only one-third of veterans in need of mental health care actually receive it. However, given a new VA regulation (July 2010) that allows any veteran who has served in a war zone to receive compensation for PTSD without having to prove that he/she was exposed to a triggering event, we can expect more veterans to step forward. Some veterans only want the proper diagnosis and financial compensation from the VA system. Others want a better understanding of PTSD; help for themselves, their family members and friends; and/or personal relief from nightmares, numbness, anxiety, guilt, avoidance and frozen grief.

Rapid Resolution Therapy Certified Practitioner Susan Wolfson, LCSW, recently met such a group of veterans (a local chapter of Florida Veterans for Common Sense) when they asked her to speak at their meeting. She shares her experience below:

The talk was good. There were about 40 people there, most of whom were vets, but not all. Some were interested people from the community who heard about the talk through the grapevine. They asked a lot of good questions (mostly in trying to understand how we do what we do and how it works), but they also asked a few specifics like how to reach vets who won't accept any help or intervention. Afterwards I joined them at a local restaurant. One of the vets on the group's board [of directors] asked me to call him to see how he might be able to use my services for the vets in the community. Another guy asked me to expand on a pamphlet I had made for the talk, to explain more about what I do (how, in three hours, I can eliminate emotional pain from traumatic events). . . I didn't talk so much about Rapid Resolution Therapy as I did about the psychology and neurobiology of trauma, but I guess they were more interested in the therapy. It would be great if we all had something specific for vets that we could distribute in our local communities.

Susan's pamphlet is a great start to producing an informative brochure about PTSD and TBI (see attached) that also can serve as a marketing tool for you in your local area. Thank you Susan for sharing your first draft of this brochure and making it available to our CP community!! In upcoming RRT newsletters (and on our website) we will be identifying other military/veteran venues where you can offer to provide talks and references and resources to help enhance your military competency skills.

*Article courtesy of Dr. Sharon Richie-Melvan, Ph.D., Certified Rapid Resolution Therapist. Dr. Sharon also co-authored the book, "Angel Walk: Nurses at War in Iraq and Afghanistan," with Dr. Diane Vines, Ph.D, Certified Rapid Resolution Therapist. Within the book, Dr. Sharon recommends Rapid Resolution Therapy as a PTSD treatment approach (p. 97). To purchase your copy today, please click here.