Fit's Psy. D Personal Statement

I. Introduction A. Attention Getter – Today, I am going to talk about something that is not talked about enough; Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. For those of you who do not know, PTSD is defined by the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs as “a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of a life-threatening event such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or physical or sexual assault in adult or childhood.” (“What is PTSD?”) B. Tie to the Audience – I am sure that there are a few people in this class that have had a family member or friend suffer from PTSD.

ABC Psychological Services is a Nacogdoches, TX based full service mental health clinic. It strives to provide the best mental health services possible to the residents of Nacogdoches and the surrounding rural areas. Recently the agency has made an effort to provide evidenced based treatments geared toward veterans. Veterans that are transitioning back to civilian life or any veteran going through the local Veteran Treatment Court are strongly encouraged to join our new Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Group Therapy Program for Rural Veterans. The purpose of the group is to help struggling veterans who are having trouble coping with PTSD or are facing incarceration due to mental health issues. The goal is to assist veterans with creating constructive coping skills for their mental health issues and also provide them with a safe and calm environment to talk with fellow veterans about their struggles.

I completed my internship at Saint Agnes Home, Inc (SAH) located in West Hartford Connecticut. I was assigned to single Teenage Mothers. The Saint Agnes is a non-profit program licensed group home run by the State of Connecticut Department of Children and Families for pregnant and/or parenting adolescents and their babies. The mission of the Saint Agnes program is to provide residential care and support services to single pregnant and parenting teen mothers and their babies. The Saint Agnes Home program emphasis values, respects life, and recognizes the unique dignity and optimum potential of each person served. The program is staffed by licensed clinical social workers, registered nurse, and other college prepares professionals.

In 2013, I graduated from Mount Olive College with a Bachelor of Science is Clinical Psychology. As an undergraduate I did my internship with the state of North Carolina – Vocational Rehabilitation at WorkSource East in Goldsboro, NC. I am currently in a counseling training program at East Carolina University where I am working on obtaining my Master’s in Substance Abuse and Clinical Counseling.

Evidence-based practices have been gaining a lot importance recently and it was so interesting to search the online libraries to actually see how many exist. It was stimulating to go onto the National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices websites and be in awe of abundance of programs. There were programs for almost every type of social work practice. While looking through the different databases in regards to evidence-based practice (EBP), one in particular really caught my attention. The particular EBP that will be discussed is known as Cognitive Processing Therapy for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I chose this specific one because I have a great interest in therapies with those suffering from PTSD.

P.T.S.D. a commonly known disorder, that has harmed soldiers in combat over the last century. A 2015 study by Ashley Hayes, found that PTSD it is not only affecting returning veterans. Further it is veterans, that are becoming a rising concern to society. Hayes implies, people who have served In the military and or Iraq, are “returning home changed men”. The exposure to trauma leading to these symptoms is no surprise, as much severity has proven ptsd when people come face to face with life altering events.

The mission statement of the VA Social Workers is to eliminate significant barriers to clients in need and offer interventions for veterans and families. It is accomplished by developing and maintaining integrated, in-depth programs in patient care, research, and education (Hoffer, Elizabeth. F., Dekle, Judith. Ward., & Sheets, Carol., 2014). Its proposed 11 percent to 20 percent of Iraq, Afghanistan veterans as well as 30 percent of Vietnam vets encounter (PTSD) posttraumatic stress disorder traumatic incidents like combat can lead to PTSD, military sexual trauma of military service member, and veterans may possibly deal with depression, anxiety in addition to other mental health concerns. Vets distress from these mental health and cognitive

Soldiers going into their 2nd tour/war enter into it with a at least 5% of them being depressed; leading symptoms in PTSD. With P.T.S.D coming up that is becoming very bad but it can be helping people at the same depending on what treatment that they take. P.T.S.D in veterans is very serious but it can also be cured by the multiple resources. The topic of P.T.S.D possesses a multitude of causes, which negatively impact the victim, his or her family and the society in which the victim lives; nevertheless, many treatments or solutions are provided for the victim to lessen that impact on the future of his or her life.

Whenever civilians enroll and are successfully recruited into the defense forces, they often do it willingly and there is always the American spirit and the zeal to defend the country at heart. Most of them do not consider the negative side that may come alongside it as anything to care about. Unfortunately once they are from the battle fields and at the end of their service there, they always suffer several illnesses associated with their being on the battle field and one of the most predominant condition is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

I am currently interning at Elwyn Children’s Behavioral Health’s Outpatient and Therapeutic After School Program at their campus located in Media, Pennsylvania. Elwyn is a non-profit agency that provides many different programs and services to its clients at various locations throughout the country. Some of these services include psychiatric evaluations, individual therapy, medication management, etc. We provide these services from birth up until the age of twenty-one to individuals that meet the necessary criteria.

If veterans do struggle with PTSD after they return from combat the Department of Veterans Affairs, a governmental agency that helps struggling veterans recover, offers two treatments. Studies have been done to see if one of the therapies is more effective than the other. There is not yet evidence that one therapy is better than the other. Cognitive processing therapy, CPT, helps by giving the vet a new way to deal with the maladaptive thoughts that come with PTSD. It also comforts them in gaining a new understanding of the traumatic events that happened to them. One of the other benefits of CPT is that it assists the person in learning how these disturbing events change the way they look at everything in life and helps them cope with that (“PTSD: National”). The second newer option of the two is prolonged exposure therapy, which is repeated exposure to these thoughts, feelings, and situations (“Most PTSD”). This type of therapy is now a central piece in the VA’s war on PTSD. “The problem with prolonged exposure is that it also has made a number of veterans violent, suicidal, and depressed, and it has a dropout rate that some researchers put at more than 50 percent, the highest dropout rate of any PTSD therapy that has been widely studied so far,”(“Trauma Post”). Both of the therapies are proven to reduce the symptoms but both have extremely high drop out rates and low follow through. It

As the small group grew larger, I achieved great satisfaction in the effects that it had on the participating soldiers. This confirmed my thoughts that I had found my true calling. The second event that affected my decision was when I returned from my second combat deployment in Bagram, Afghanistan. Upon returning there were hundreds of soldiers who requested to seek mental health treatment for a variety of reasons, including loss of a loved one, night terrors, and suicidal thoughts. Although every soldier that requested mental health treatment was able to meet with a mental health professional, such as a licensed clinical mental health counselor (LCMHC), a licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT), and a licensed professional counselor (LPC), there were still dozens of soldiers that weren’t diagnosed for months because of the lack of clinical psychologists who was required for specific testing. Understanding that there was a need for something that I was passionate about ultimately made me decide to pursue a doctorate because I plan to conduct research during the program and after licensure. A Ph.D. is a research degree that requires conceptual and theoretical knowledge; it is not enough to regurgitate

The clinical problem I am most interested in addressing during the course of my program is the effective application of therapeutic treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on the military population. When you look at this issue from a military perspective, it becomes clear that our understanding and treatment of the issue is still in its infancy.

The agency where I am completing my internship is called Center for Family Services. This organization provides a wide range of services. I am working in their Family First program. This program is a substance abuse program just for mothers who must attend drug court or have an open case with the Division of Child Protection and Permanency. These women are ordered to complete a substance abuse program. This program serves a diverse cultural and ethnic population who may have experienced trauma in their life. Many times, trauma and post traumatic stress can lead to substance abuse.

As a clinical social worker, I believe my previous employment have prepared me as a clinician. My ability to listen and advocate on behalf of the clients empowers them to use strength-based methods to positively change their outlook for their future. My passion to work with children and veterans of the Armed Forces is also demonstrated in my overall work performance. In addition, I am currently working with Give an Hour as a mental health provider to elicit resources for veterans and their family/friends within the community.