The Institute for Disaster Mental Health and the Center for Deployment Psychology set to train clinicians to assist veterans and their families

NEW PALTZ- Recognizing the need to equip more mental health providers with the skills to assist military personnel and their families, the Institute for Disaster Mental Health (IDMH) at SUNY New Paltz is collaborating with the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) to host a two-day training in Prolonged Exposure Therapy. This training, which will be held on June 26 and 27, on the SUNY New Paltz Campus, will provide an important opportunity for licensed clinicians to gain skills to address Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and other reactions to trauma using one of the most effective treatments available.

“After more than a decade at war, our nation faces an unprecedented need to address mental health issues among our service people and their families,” said James Halpern, director of the Institute for Disaster Mental Health. “Fortunately there is more openness about this need than in previous conflicts; unfortunately the sheer numbers mean there is insufficient access to mental health professionals trained in treating members of this very specific culture. IDMH is proud to have this opportunity to host experts from the Center for Deployment Psychology, who specialize in training military and civilian mental health providers to deliver high quality deployment-related behavioral health services to military personnel and their families.”

The CDP offers education and training programs, as well as ongoing consultation to providers and supervision to trainees. Since 2007, the CDP has trained more than 20,000 professionals to assist service members, veterans and their families throughout the deployment cycle. The upcoming training will prepare practitioners to use Prolonged Exposure Therapy, an evidenced-based treatment with demonstrated efficacy in assisting people with multiple or prolonged exposure to trauma, including military personnel as well as disaster survivors. “We see this as a natural extension of the IDMH’s primary focus on assisting those impacted by disasters, as war is sometimes described as a ‘planned disaster’ and many of the consequences are shared,” commented Halpern. “The more well-trained practitioners we have available to respond to all types of trauma-related mental health needs, the stronger our communities will be.”

For more information about the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP), please visit www.deploymentpsych.org

For more information about the Institute for Disaster Mental Health, please visit www.newpaltz.edu/idmh