USC CIR – News

Community-based approach necessary to preventing suicides among military families

Op-ed by Ron Avi Astor

The well-being of our servicemen and women–and their families–is a concern not only for the military, but for civilian society as well. Supporting those who have served in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as they transition into our workplaces and neighborhoods is our duty as Americans, makes our communities stronger, and builds a solid foundation for our ability to face future challenges as one nation.

That’s why recent reports on poor mental health outcomes and thoughts of suicide among military family members are extremely troubling. And with Congress now considering a bill that would track these deaths […]

Retired Air Force officer honored for her new classroom role

by Claudia Bustamante

If you ask Kimberly Finney to list her accomplishments, you’d be hard-pressed to get a response—not because there haven’t been noteworthy moments in the retired U.S. Air Force officer’s career, but because that’s not her style.

“It’s just part of my training. If there’s something to be done, you just do it,” said Finney, a clinical psychologist and clinical associate professor with the USC School of Social Work. “I very rarely take time to pause to look at what I’m doing or what I’ve done until someone points it out to me.”

Luckily, someone has pointed it out.

Most recently, Finney […]