VISN 6 > Clinical > Resources for Providers
jump to: Clinical Home | Getting Ready to Deploy | After Deployment
Opportunities to support veterans and their families occur in varied settings. We have partnered with local, state and national agencies and systems of care to engage veterans and their families in an effort to provide assistance with post-deployment readjustment and access to health care. By creating a "No Wrong Door" public health approach, educational materials are disseminated and access to informed clinical care is enhanced.
Reports & Web Sites
Web Courses
Slide & Video
PTSD Recovery Group
*New A Product from the VA TBI Special Committee:
Guide for Accessing Mental Health Care Services for Patients with TBI updated-2018
Serving Those Who Have Served: Educational Needs of Health Care Providers Working with Military Members, Veterans, and Their Families
Report of a web-based survey of Mental Health and Primary Care professionals. Full Report
Useful Web Sites
Center for Deployment Psychology
Specialized training for military psychologists and other behavioral health specialists working with war zone veterans and deployed military personnel
Web Based Continuing Education
This series of free web courses is designed to familiarize healthcare providers with some of the unique issues of Veterans and their families.
Treating the Invisible Wounds of War (TTIWW)(English and Spanish editions) - This course is designed to help behavioral health providers and clinicians in all disciplines who may see a Veteran or family member on an unrelated issue develop a better understanding of the culture in which Veterans and their families live and work, and provide best practices for identifying, assessing and treating mental health disorders that result from the trauma of war.
TTIWW: A Primary Care Approach - This course is designed from a primary care perspective to help busy providers recognize, diagnose, treat or refer post-deployment mental health issues in military service members and their families.
TTIWW: Issues of Women Returning from Combat - Women military service members returning from deployment to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan face gender-specific readjustment issues as they transition back to their local communities. This workshop will provide an overview of the health/mental health concerns of women veterans within the context of military culture, gender-specific roles, available support resources and effective treatments.
TTIWW: Recognizing the Signs of mTBI During Routine Eye Examinations - This course will help providers to screen for head trauma signs and includes resources to help providers better serve their military patients.
TTIWW: Taking a Military History: Four Critical Questions - This course has been created to help physicians and other health providers taking a medical history to ensure that they ask four critical questions to help them identify a veteran, or a member of a veteran’s family, that may be having issues related to deployment. It was developed by the AAMC Military History Initiative (MHX) Project Team called Ask, Document, Care.
TTIWW: Understanding Military Family Issues - This course will address common issues of military families and provide resources to support military families and maximize their resiliency.
To attend any of these free web courses on Post Deployment Issues, follow this link - http://www.aheconnect.com/citizensoldier/
Register, then select the course you want to view.
Podcasts - To listen to our podcasts on Post Deployment Issues, follow this link: http://www.arealahec.org select Podcasts from the QUICK LINKS list at left, then select Citizen Soldier Support Program from the Podcasts list
There are also many online courses available to VA providers through the VA Learning University (VALU). These can be found by searching the catalog. Useful search terms include 'oef/oif', 'national guard' and 'new veterans', as well as specific conditions.
Slide & Video Presentations
Treatment of Substance Use Disorders in Veterans with PTSD - by John P. Allen, PhD, PPA - A downloadable PowerPoint presentation that addresses treatment of substance use disorder in Veterans who are also diagnosed as having PTSD. It reviews research on how deployment and war zone stressors contribute to development of each of the two the two conditions separately and their co-occurrence; evidence-based treatments for substance use disorder and PTSD; epidemiological findings on the dual diagnosis, dynamic interactions of the two conditions. It also provides recommendations for treatment. To assist community health care providers, the presentation also comments on issues of military culture; VA resources for OEF-OIF Veterans; and criteria for eligibility of care. Treatment of Substance Use Disorders in Veterans with PTSD
Face of the New Veteran - An instructional video program designed to introduce clinicians and staff to the newest generation of combat veterans and to guide staff in providing the best quality service and care. The material is appropriate to use for new employee orientation and for outreach. The guides were developed to accompany the video.
Face of the New Veteran Video
Veterans and Families Resource Guide
VA Staff Resource Guide
Supporting Information Guide
Painting a Moving Train - A day-long training program for health professionals, pastoral counselors and community shareholders. Developed in partnership with the Citizen Soldier Support Project, its purpose is to share practical information about military culture and the needs and concerns of new combat veterans and their families. Emphasis is placed on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and the respective issues facing Active Duty and Reserve Component members and their families in the course of the deployment cycle. 1 - Powerpoint presentation
Supporting materials:
2- Primary Care PTSD Screen
3 - PTSD CheckList - Civilian Version (PCL-C)
4 - Trauma Symptom Checklist
5 - Three Question TBI Screening Tool
6 - TBI - PTSD Comparison
7 - US Military Ranks and Units
8 - US Military Unit Size
9 - Military Speak
10 - Becoming a Couple Again
11 - Helping National Guard and Reserve Reenter the Workplace
12 - OEF Timeline / Significant Events
13 - Resources
PTSD Recovery Group Description & Manuals
Impulse Control in PTSD Treatment - The goal of this MIRECC-funded clinical education proposal was manualization and dissemination of a PTSD treatment model emphasizing functional and adaptive coping skills. Both the Therapist and Client manuals for group treatment of PTSD have been completed. These manuals are now available to other facilities to implement or adapt as needed. The PTSD recovery Group described in these manuals has been demonstrated to result in positive improvements in adaptive and symptomatic outcomes. Veterans who completed the 10 week PTSD Recovery Program had significantly reduced PTSD symptom severity (PCL-M, total score and scaled scores [re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing, hyper arousal], p < .001) and significantly improved psychosocial adjustment (self-efficacy, psychosocial adaptive behavior, p < .001). These results support the PTSD Recovery Program as an effective and efficient stand-alone PTSD treatment or as a preliminary step to trauma-focused treatment. Dissemination of both the program itself and the new psychosocial adaptive behavior assessment measure (McGuire Adaptive PTSD Scale-Revised, MAPS-R) that has been developed is underway. For more information, contact Dr. Lynch: John.Lynch2@va.gov
PTSD Recovery Group-Therapist Manual 3rd Edition
PTSD Recovery Group-Client Manual 3rd Edition
