Military Behavioral Health Continuing Education Courses at CIR

9 Mar 2011 | posted by Center for Innovation and Research | in CIR News Archive

CIR is pleased to announce the launch of our military behavioral health continuing education course series. The courses are currently being offered free of charge. These courses are intended for behavioral health professionals who are currently practicing.
Here are the upcoming courses:
CLINICAL PRACTICE WITH SERVICEMEMBERS AND VETERANS – March 25-26
This individual-level practice course considers the needs of active duty and reserve component servicemembers and veterans at different developmental phases of the military life course. The ways that these clients may cope with a range of physical health, mental health, and psychosocial issues are examined, with special attention given to stress reactions, including Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and co-occurring disorders such as depression, substance abuse, and intimate partner violence. Course content draws from recent research findings supporting key evidence-based treatment modalities (including Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Problem Solving Treatment, Stress Inoculation Training, and other cognitive behavioral therapies). Policy regarding treatment confidentiality issues will also be discussed. (15 CEU hours)
FAMILIES IMPACTED BY MILITARY SERVICE: UNDERSTANDING AND INTERVENING – April 29-30
This course focuses on practice within military family systems, with attention to diverse military family structures, family life cycle implications, common stressors, and relevant contextual issues. Topics include family resilience, military family violence, grief and loss, deployment, child and adolescent adaptation, caregiving, and associated policy issues. Theoretical and practical approaches to effective clinical practice with military families are provided through discussion of specific strategies for assessment (including Wertsch’s model, and Walsh’s resilience model) and evidence-based intervention (including Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies). Course content is based on current conceptual and empirical literature. (15 CEU hours)
HEALTH CHALLENGES FOR WOUNDED WARRIORS AND THEIR CAREGIVERS – May 20-21
As a result of advances in medicine and technology, servicemembers are surviving traumatic injuries at unprecedented rates, yet polytrauma injuries have increased dramatically. Additionally, chronic diseases are becoming increasingly problematic for servicemember and veteran populations. This course examines the challenges that wounded warriors face regarding health, illness, and disability issues as well as the impact that these issues and experiences have on their caregivers, families, workplaces, and communities. Topics include traumatic injuries (including TBI, traumatic amputation, and PTSD), stress and coping, health promotion and disease management, caregiver burden, and policy issues regarding wounded warriors. Assessment and intervention techniques are also discussed in the context of best practices and empirically-supported treatment.(15 CEU hours)
All Spring 2011 courses will be held at the USC School of Social Work University Park Campus or City Center. These courses will become available as online courses later this year.
We anticipate CEU approval for LCSWs and LMFTs and are pursuing CEU approval for other disciplines. Space is limited.
If you are interested in attending any of these courses, please contact cir@usc.edu as soon as possible.