CIR News
Upcoming Conference: Wounded Warriors: Healing the Mind, Body, and Soul
14 Dec 2010 | posted by Center for Innovation and Research | in CIR News Archive, Past Events
On January 18, 2011, the USC School of Social Work will host a conference focused on exploring innovative approaches to wounded warrior care in the United States and Canada. The conference–entitled Wounded Warriors: Healing the Mind, Body, and Soul–will be a collaboration among CIR, the Canadian Forces, and the Canadian Consulate General of Los Angeles on best practices regarding the care of wounded warriors. Wounded Warriors will feature three panel presentations on the mind, body, and soul as they pertain to the care of wounded warriors.
Wounded Warriors: Healing the Mind, Body, and Soul
January 18, 2011
USC Davidson Conference Center
8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Admission to the conference is free, but an RSVP is required to attend. To register for this event, please RSVP to cir@usc.edu.
Upcoming Events: CIR at the SSWR Annual Conference 2011
14 Dec 2010 | posted by Center for Innovation and Research | in CIR News Archive, Past Events
On Saturday, January 15th, CIR will be participating in a series of Military Social Work-related meetings and events at the 2011 Society for Social Work Research (SSWR) Annual Conference.
Social Work Research in a Military Culture (CIR Sponsored Colloquium)
7:00AM – 8:00AM
Meeting Room 6
Speaker: LTC Anthony L. Cox, LCSW, DCSW (Deputy Chief, Behavioral Health Division, U.S. Army Medical Command)
Breakfast provided. Please RSVP to cir@usc.edu.
So You’re Interested In Doing Research with Service Members, Veterans or Military Families? (Symposia)
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Grand Salon B
Panel Speakers:
LTC Anthony L. Cox, LCSW, DCSW, U.S. Army Medical Command
Anthony Hassan, EdD, University of Southern California
Shelley M. MacDermid Wadsworth, PhD, MBA, Purdue University
Jan A. Nissly, PhD, University of Southern California
Joseph A. Pecko, PhD, LCSW,U.S. Army Public Health Command (USAPHC)
Research Initiatives in Social Work with Veterans and Their Families (Special Interest Group)
12:00PM – 1:00PM
Meeting Room 1, Level 2
Moderator: Anthony Hassan, EdD, LCSW (University of Southern California)
Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP to cir@usc.edu.
Intervention Science and Military Family Support (Symposia)
2:30 PM – 4:15 PM
Florida Ballroom I
Organizer: Ruth Paris, PhD, Boston University
Discussant: Anthony Hassan, EdD, University of Southern California
Panel Speakers:
Rachel Dekel, PhD, Bar Ilan University, in Ramat-Gan, Israel
Gary L. Bowen, PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Ruth Paris, PhD, Boston University
Upcoming Graduate School Consortium Work Group: Advanced Practice with Military Families Task Force
13 Dec 2010 | posted by Center for Innovation and Research | in CIR News Archive, Past Events
On January 5 – 6, CIR will be co-hosting a graduate school consortium workgroup with the Army Behavioral Health Division’s Marriage and Family Therapy Program. The two-day meetings will be focused on developing advanced practice military and veteran family counseling competencies for graduate school programs in Child, Marriage and Family Counseling, and in social work. The workgroup will be held in downtown Los Angeles at CIR, and will be attended by approximately 40 participants.
This initiative is a project of the Marriage and Family Counseling Collaborative – a multi-Service, military-community partnership group of providers and staff who support the psychological health and wellness of military and veteran families.
For further details about the Advanced Practice with Military Families Task Force workgroup, please contact cir@usc.edu.
USC Delegation Visits Decompression Site for Canadian Forces
10 Dec 2010 | posted by Center for Innovation and Research | in CIR News Archive
Dr. Jeffery Wilkins (Lincy Foundation), Dr. Anthony Hassan (USC), Dean Marilyn Flynn (USC), COL Darc Keller (California National Guard), and Dr. Carl McKnight (Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health)
From November 29th to December 3rd, a small delegation from USC’s School of Social Work traveled to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus at the invitation of Major P.J. Crow of the Canadian Forces, to observe the decompression program for Canadian servicemembers finishing their deployments. The USC delegation included Dean Marilyn Flynn and Dr. Anthony Hassan (USC School of Social Work), Dr. Jeffery Wilkins (Lincy Foundation), COL Darc Keller (California National Guard), and Dr. Carl McKnight (Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health).
Canada’s Third-Location Decompression (TLD) model is based on the understanding that all servicemembers have directly or indirectly shared painful or distressing experiences during their deployment, and that spending some time in a location that is neither a military base nor home will help them prepare themselves both mentally and emotionally for their return to life at home base and in the community. The program is held at the Azia Resort and Spa near Paphos, and offers groups of approximately 150 servicemembers five days to unwind and re-acclimate to civilian life before finishing their journey home.
Azia Resort and Spa, near Paphos, Cyprus
Canadian servicemembers attend a mental health briefing
During their stay at the resort, they are required to attend four hours of mental readiness training. Afternoons and evenings are left free, so that servicemembers can use the hotel’s spa or explore the island’s historical sites, restaurants, and beaches. Upon their return home, these servicemembers receive additional training and a follow-up meeting 60 days later to evaluate their transition back into their communities.
The USC delegation had the opportunity to observe, interact, and interview staff and returning servicemembers participating in the TLD program, and discovered a high level of satisfaction among the program’s participants. According to evaluations conducted by the Canadian Forces, there is consensus that the TLD program is valuable as both a component of the decompression process and as a phase of the transition process, which begins prior to deployment and continues after the servicemembers’ return home. Although a family component has not yet been incorporated into the program, the Canadian Forces recognize the need to include family members in the process and plan to introduce this component into the program.
An Evening with the Filmmakers of RESTREPO
10 Dec 2010 | posted by Center for Innovation and Research | in CIR News Archive, Past Events
- Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington answer questions from the audience
On December 1st, CIR presented a special screening of the acclaimed documentary RESTREPO, followed by a Q & A session with the filmmakers Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington. The event was held at The Forum, a beautiful screening room in the newly opened Ronald Tutor Campus Center, and drew a crowd of over 70 individuals. Attendees included students and faculty from USC, as well as veterans, students from other local colleges, and other community members.
The Q & A was moderated by Murray Fromson, a Professor Emeritus at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. Before coming to USC, Murray Fromson had a 35 year career in journalism. He was an Associated Press and CBS News Correspondent and Producer who covered both the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the former Soviet Union, two US presidential campaigns, and the civil rights movement in the southern US.
Audience at the screening of RESTREPO
During their talk, Junger and Hetherington shared their personal experiences of making the film in the Korengal Valley. Following the Q & A, many audience members stayed to chat with the filmmakers, and receive autographed copies of books by the two filmmakers – WAR, by Sebastian Junger and Infidel, by Tim Hetherington.
To see video clips from Q & A, click on the following links:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
New Book Release – Primer for Counseling Veterans
1 Dec 2010 | posted by Center for Innovation and Research | in CIR News Archive
Linus publications recently released the 2nd edition of A Civilian Counselor’s Primer for Counseling Veterans.
Co-authored by Drs. Jose Coll and Eugenia Weiss, two lead faculty of the USC Military Social Work program, A Civilian Counselor’s Primer For Counseling Veterans is based on the notion that the training, socialization and indoctrination into the U.S. armed forces create belief systems, values and a lifestyle among service members (and their dependents) that are different from those of the civilian world.
The purpose of this book is to provide professionals (as well as interns) the fundamental information they need to work successfully with veterans and their families. The reader will learn about military training and culture, the types of stressors service members confront, the psychological disorders they are likely to present with, the impact of these disorders and stressors on the family, and the various treatment options currently available.
A Civilian Counselor’s Primer For Counseling Veterans is currently available through Amazon.com.
Secretary of the Air Force Visits CIR
23 Nov 2010 | posted by Center for Innovation and Research | in CIR News Archive, Past Events
On Friday, November 19, 2010, the USC School of Social Work hosted a visit from Michael B. Donley, Secretary of the U.S. Air Force. Secretary Donley, who earned both a B.A. and M.A. degree in International Relations from the University of Southern California, was sworn in as the Secretary of the Air Force on October 17, 2008.
Secretary Donley’s visit was largely focused on the work being done through the School of Social Work’s Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans and Military Families (CIR). The meeting, which was held in the School of Social Work, was attended by Secretary Donley, Provost Elizabeth Garrett, Dean Marilyn Flynn, Dr. Anthony Hassan, and Dr. Eric Rice.
(left to right) Dean Marilyn Flynn, Secretary Donley, Provost Elizabeth Garrett, Dr. Anthony Hassan
The conversation centered around bringing together capacity for innovative technology development, university research leadership, strong linkages with the military and the school’s long experience in professional training and credentialization of mental health professionals, especially social workers. The group also discussed a community capacity building model to prevent military suicides and the use of social networking.