Private psychiatrists offer free service to troops

By PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer

Thousands of private counselors are offering free services to troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health problems, jumping in to help because the military is short on therapists.
On this Memorial Day, America's armed forces and its veterans are coping with depression, suicide, family, marital and job problems on a scale not seen since Vietnam. The government has been in beg-borrow-and-steal mode, trying to hire psychiatrists and other professionals, recruit them with incentives or borrow them from other agencies.
Among those volunteering an hour a week to help is Brenna Chirby, a psychologist with a private practice in McLean, Va.
"It's only an hour of your time," said Chirby, who counsels a family member of a man deployed multiple times. "How can you not give that to these men and women that ... are going oversees and fighting for us?"
There are only 1,431 mental health professionals among the nation's 1.4 million active-duty military personnel, said Terry Jones, a Pentagon spokesman on health issues.
About 20,000 more full- and part-time professionals provide health care services for the Veterans Administration and the Pentagon. They include psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, social workers and substance abuse counselors.
According to veterans groups and health care experts, that is not enough for a mental health crisis emerging among troops and their families.
"Honestly, much is being done by the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs," said retired Army Brig. Gen. Stephen Xenakis, a psychiatrist. "But the need to help these men and women goes far beyond whatever any government agency can do."
About 300,000 of those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are estimated to have anxiety or post-traumatic stress, a recent private study said. Add in spouses left home to manage families and households without their partner as well as children deprived of parents during long or repeated tours of duty, and the number with problems balloons to 1 million, Xenakis said.
The VA says it has seen 120,000 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who have symptoms of mental health problems, half with post-traumatic stress disorder. Although rates are high from those two wars, most of the 400,000 patients seen in VA last year for PTSD were Vietnam-era veterans, officials said.
Civilian groups are trying to step in for troops from the current conflicts.
"There are over 400,000 mental health professionals in our great country," said Barbara V. Romberg, a clinical psychologist who practices in Washington. "Clearly, we have the resources to meet this challenge."
Romberg founded Give An Hour, a group of 1,200 mental health professionals donating one hour of free care a week to troops, veterans or family members. They have to commit to doing it for a year.
Romberg, in cooperation with the American Psychiatric Foundation, hopes to find 40,000 volunteers over the next three years, or about 10 percent of available civilian professionals. The effort to get the word out to those who need the help and to recruit and train volunteers is being backed by a $1 million grant from the Lilly Foundation.
Romberg's group is the largest of a number across the nation.
Nearly 200 also have volunteered for the Soldiers Project, started by psychiatrists at the Ernest S. Lawrence Trauma Center of the Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic Studies — and now operating in Chicago, Seattle and New York.
The Coming Home Project in the San Francisco area has dozens of volunteers. A group of veterans, psychotherapists and interfaith leaders, it offers everything from retreats and workshops to yoga and other stress management programs as well as the counseling.
"Thousands of therapists across the country are donating their time to give vital treatment and support to our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, veterans and families," Xenakis said at a recent news conference announcing the Lilly grant. "These young men and women volunteered to defend our nation, and now our nation can volunteer to serve them."
The government acknowledges there might be a place for such groups.
"While the military health system does not endorse volunteer health care organizations, we recognize that groups such as this one offer more options for our warriors and their families," said the Pentagon's Jones.
"If these mental health caregivers are willing to give and learn about our warriors, they may be more willing to become TRICARE providers," he said, referring to the network of more than 300,000 physicians and specialists and 55,000 pharmacies that support the department's military medical facilities and uniformed medical corps.
The military health care system serves about 9.2 million people — active duty, and guard and reserve components for all the services, as well as their families and retirees and their families.
Jones said there are 3,000 mental health professionals available under TRICARE in addition to the 1,431 in uniform. The VA said it has 17,000 full- and part-time mental health workers, 3,800 of which it has hired in the past few years.
The services are trying to hire about 575 more. Also, about 200 mental health officers from the U.S. Public Health Service will be detailed temporarily to the Pentagon to work in military facilities, Jones said. An agreement between the Pentagon and the Health and Human Services Department is to be signed in the coming weeks to finalize the arrangement.
The Pentagon has made a special effort to hire since a yearlong task force last year found it had neither enough money nor staff to support the military and family mental health needs during peacetime, let along during war.
Staffing was not the only issue. Officials have worked to change the military culture in which there is a stigma in seeking help and a fear doing so will harm careers.
They have tried to make mental health care more accessible, embedding more workers with troops, offering suicide prevention training and advising troops how to recognize mental problems in themselves and others.
The military also is working to assess mental health among troops, screening them before and after deployments and sending mental health teams to the front each year to measure morale, the amount of mental health problems, availability of care and related matters.
Programs to help families with housing, child care and other issues have been bolstered. Troops get mental-health training in a program called "Battlemind" that teaches about common problems to expect at home as they readjust to domestic life.
Still, some emotional difficulties are a normal reaction to war.
"No one who goes to war comes home the same person," said Patrick Campbell, a medic for an infantry unit who served in Iraq in 2004-2005. "There are things you have to unlearn to emotionally feel again."
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Civility, an Emerging Area of Specialization in Emotional Intelligence Options

A wide range of organizations are beginning to address the increase of incivility that is becoming pervasive throughout American society. Hospital chains, State Bar Associations and local governments are some of the organizations taking the lead in providing basic training in “civility”.
What is civility?
Civility is behavior in public that demonstrates respect for others and that entails curtailing one’s own immediate self-interest, when appropriate. Civility is made up of three elements: Civility is the common language for communicating respect for others and their views (the importance is in the gestures of respect more than the outcome of the behavior); Civility toward strangers requires that we behave in certain ways toward people who may mean nothing to us, and whom we are unlikely ever to encounter again, in the interest of hearing their thoughts; and, Civility involves holding back in the pursuit of one’s own immediate self-interest – we desist from doing what would be most pleasing to us for the sake of harmonious civil discourse with others, even strangers.
Since no universally agreed training/curricula for “civility” currently exists, the range of interventions includes the following: ethics, spirituality, emotional intelligence, anger management and etiquette.
On April 29, 2008, Anderson & Anderson® presented a successful training in civility. This training included emotional intelligence, stress management, communication and anger management. This training was the first civility-based seminar approved for Attorneys in the State of Illinois. It was well received and highly rated by those in attendance.
Daniel Goleman, the preeminent expert on Emotional Intelligence, offers the following tips on civility: “Conduct yourself with integrity, courtesy, and respect toward fellow members of our community”; “Hold individuals accountable for their actions”; and “Promote an environment where individuals feel safe and supported.”
Emotional intelligence already contains all of the skill sets needed to increase civility in individuals, groups and organizations. Anderson & Anderson® has long addressed these same issues in our comprehensive organizational training in anger management and our Executive Coaching/Anger Management for Physicians.
George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CAMF, CEAP Diplomate, American Association of Anger Management Providers Anderson & Anderson®, The Trusted Name in Anger Management http://www.andersonservices.com/
http://www.aaamp.org
http://www.linkedin.com/in/geoanderson www.anger-management-resources.org

Positive Solutions is Part of the Tehachapi Collaborative

This article is in this weeks issue of the Tehachapi News, for more information please go to http://www.tehachapinews.com/

Positive Solutions is part of Tehachapi Collaborative
By: Terri Steinberg Family Nurse Practitioner

Need some help? The Tehachapi Collaborative is a non-profit organization whose members represent Tehachapi’s helping services. The mission of the Collaborative is to “unify area resources to build a better community.”
Meetings are held the 4th Thursday of each month at 7:30 AM at the West Park Activity Center, 490 West D Street, and are open to all community service organizations.
One of the service organizations in the Collaborative, Positive Solutions Anger Management and Executive Coaching, has been a member of the Tehachapi Collaborative for three years. Positive Solutions offers healthy alternatives for resolving conflict and expressing anger. Anger is a legitimate emotion aroused by a real or supposed wrong, but most of our responses to anger are learned at a young age. These responses can create self-destructive behavior patterns which can be damaging in our lives.
“Our classes help individuals understand their anger, identify triggers, and learn healthy ways to deal with their anger in a more productive and useful manner,” explains Karina Narduzzi, the Positive Solutions facilitator. “They also provide education and training for stress management and improving communication.” Evening, one-hour adolescent and adult anger management classes are held weekly. Ms. Narduzzi, who has extensive experience in Criminal Justice and conflict resolution, emphasizes that these classes are not counseling or therapy, but use cognitive style learning methods, through a nationally recognized program curriculum.
“Clients come to us for many reasons. Most are self-referred, but others are here through their businesses, and others are referred by the court. We also do staff workshops and executive coaching for businesses and corporations,” Narduzzi said.
Don’t let anger rule your life. Learn to have a stress-resistant personality! For more information, call (661) 303-5669, or visit their website at www.Positivesolutions.org.

Anger Management a Cognitive Learning Process

Anger is a learned behavior. As we grow up we watch our parents or caregivers deal with their anger and stress. We learn by watching what they do and model what we see. This means that the process can be relearned better in anger management cognitive based learning processes. We all know how to show compassion to some degree and how to act "appropriately" in different social situations as defined by that particular group. We also tend to get into "habits" of destructive communication skills when dealing with anger and stress. It can happen to all of us and is a constant daily awareness for many of us to "think before speaking" .

Anger Management classes can teach a person in improving their communications skills, how they deal with their anger better, stress management skills, and emotional intelligence. We ask all of our clients to keep a daily anger and stress journal. The journal keeps them aware of their interactions and encourages them to practice their newly learned skills. Each week we encourage them to talk about one of the journal entries in class. This gives the other members of the group a chance to learn from the other group member's experiences and how to apply the skills to everyday life.

A client will find their success if they are willing to continue to practice these skills on a daily basis. We offer a computerized assessment that maps out their skills in communication, stress, empathy, and anger. A pre and post assessment is done to show where the client's weaknesses and strengths are. Change is difficult and is a process that is different for each individual. If you have ever tried changing your eating habits, quit smoking, etc. The process is not always easy but it takes a concious effort.

For more information regarding our classes and workshops please check out our website at: http://www.positivesolutions.org/

Best Regards,
Karina Narduzzi B.A., C.A.M.F.
661-303-5669
info@positivesolutions.org

Destress in Mere Minutes

I'm not necessarily the meditating type — sitting still and doing absolutely nothing is a personal form of torture for me. (I find this out every time I'm on vacation!) But I know I need to reconsider: Studies have shown that aside from reducing stress and boosting mood, meditation can ease chronic pain and improve your immune system. You don't have to spend hours on end to become calmer, either. Try these simple, quick ways to savor the moment. No "Om" required!
In the showerFace the water, letting it cascade onto your head. Take three deep, slow breaths. Pay attention to the sensation of the spray, the smell of your soap and shampoo, and the sound of water hitting the tub. Imagine you're bringing your troubles to your skin's surface and washing them away. Close your eyes and slowly repeat, "I feel refreshed," aloud three times, focusing on each word and savoring your serene, clean feeling before stepping out.
At your deskClose your eyes and take five deep, relaxing breaths, emphasizing the exhale. Try this visualization technique, which I learned in sports: Consider the task you're about to tackle. Call to mind a talent of yours (creativity, diligence, enthusiasm) that will be key to succeeding at the task. Evaluating your resources will help you marshal your efforts and succeed. Before you open your eyes and get started, envision the assignment completed and done well. It will be soon!
While walkingBefore you set out (sans iPod and cell phone), straighten up and tuck your tummy and your rear end in to feel taller. Walk slowly, focusing on each body part in isolation. First tune in to your knees as each one bends and raises, then your hips as they shift and rotate, and next the heel and ball of your foot as it meets the ground. Then focus on your arms next as they pump, then your neck, which is elongated. Pay attention to your stride for at least 10 minutes. By reconnecting to your body, you'll arrive revived. Another great way to be mindful while you exercise is through yoga — take our "Find Your Yoga Style" quiz to figure out which kind compliments your lifestyle best.
On your commuteRaise your eyebrows and hold for a count of three. Let it go and take a deep breath. Do this twice. (Don't worry, the wrinkles won't stay!) Repeat with each body part, tensing and relaxing your shoulders, your arms, moving downward along your body. Sit quietly, noticing how relaxed your muscles — and mind — feel when you're through. Relaxed muscles require less oxygen, so your breathing will slow and your heart rate and blood pressure will also decline. As your body falls naturally into a state of calm, your mood will follow suit.
For more simple stress relievers you can do in a snap, check out SELF's book, 15 Minutes to Your Best Self.