Practical for Your Practice

By The Consortium for Defense PsychologyHealth & Fitness Mental Health

Practical for Your Practice episodes

January 16, 2024MATCHing Treatment to Kids’ and Teens’ Needs
In this episode, we discuss MATCH-ADTC, an evidence-based psychotherapy for young people struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma exposure, and/or conduct disorders. Our guest, Khristine Heflin, introduces us to this modular treatment that enables providers to meet each child’s unique needs. We discuss how this applies to the needs of military children, in particular, and wrap up with actionable intel on how to obtain training in this effective treatment.
Resources:
Clinicians working in military treatment facilities can reach out to Program Lead, Dr. Jennifer Ulrich, to inquire about the MATCH-ADTC pilot training program. She can be reached at: [email protected]
Non-military providers can pursue training in MATCH on the PracticeWise website: https://www.practicewise.com/

Calls-to-action:

Follow up on training resources if you are working with children and teens (or you want to start).
Subscribe to the Practical for Your Practice Podcast
Subscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email
Share your EBP fears with us on www.speakpipe.com/cdpp4p
34 min
January 02, 2024Massed Treatments for PTSD: The Quickest Way Through the Fog?
What if you could successfully treat PTSD in 2 weeks instead of 12? Massed delivery of PTSD treatments such as Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure are gaining empirical support. But how does it work and could you offer it to your patients? Our guest in this episode is at the forefront of research answering these questions. We’re joined by Dr. Cynthia Yamokoski, the Associate Director of the PTSD Mentoring Program at the National Center for PTSD. She shares the benefits and challenges of massed treatment for PTSD and provides suggestions for how to get started in your clinical practice. Of course, she also shares her “EBP Confession,” describing how she let her EBP pendulum swing too far. Listen in as Dr. Yamokoski leads us “through the fog.”
Cynthia Yamokoski, PhD is a clinical psychologist and the Associate Director of the PTSD Mentoring Program at the National Center for PTSD. She is a Senior Clinical Instructor at the Case Western Reserve University. She earned her doctorate from the University of Akron.
Dr. Yamokoski and her colleagues in Cleveland have developed and implemented an intensive 2- and 4-week PTSD program utilizing massed delivery of evidenced-based psychotherapy for PTSD, and she is facilitating the implementation of this model in additional PTSD programs within the VA system.
Resources:
This American Life “Ten Sessions”: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/682/ten-sessions
The PTSD Consultation Program at the National Center for PTSD: https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/consult/index.asp
This article provides a good summary of the massed treatment research to date: Wachen, J.S., Dondanville, K., Evans, W., Morris, K., & Cole, A. (2019). Adjusting the Timeframe of Evidence-Based Therapies for PTSD-Massed Treatments. Current Treatment Options in Psych. DOI 10.1007/s40501-019-00169-9

Calls-to-action: For example:
Learn more about massed treatments by listening to the “Ten Sessions” episode of This American Life and reading relevant research.
Utilize consultation as you start implementing massed treatment.

Subscribe to the Practical for Your Practice Podcast
Subscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email
Share your EBP fears with us on www.speakpipe.com/cdpp4p
36 min
December 18, 2023Be PreparED to Treat Eating Disorders
For many providers, the term “eating disorders” suggests a couple of somewhat familiar disorders like bulimia or anorexia. But, like with many things, the category is more complex and varied than that, not only in the types of disordered eating that can happen, but also the complex contributions from environment, social influences, physiology, crises such as the pandemic, and many other influences. So many providers, especially those of us that specialize in other things or are more generalist in approach, feel ill-prepared to assess or even ask about eating disorders in their clients, much less how to address these issues. And yet, eating disorders can be very disruptive to military readiness, ability to accomplish the mission, and function effectively in various domains of their lives. Fortunately, Dr. Deborah Glasofer shares with our hosts information about training opportunities being developed to help fill some of these skills gaps. Join us for a fascinating discussion about eating disorders, leveling the playing field, and increasing access to care for clients with ED challenges. Get PreparED with us!
Dr. Glasofer is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medical Psychology (in psychiatry) at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and clinical psychologist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. She has been involved in a variety of psychotherapy development studies for eating disorders in adults, and has an interest in enhancing the training of healthcare providers and trainees in principles of eating disorders assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. Within Columbia's Department of Psychiatry, she provides instruction to residents in cognitive behavioral therapy (for mood, anxiety, and eating disorders) and serves as a team member of CopeColumbia, a multidisciplinary group that formed during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide peer support and enhance wellbeing among healthcare providers and hospital staff. Dr. Glasofer enjoys writing for the popular press on topics related to mental health and has authored several books on eating disorders for clinicians, academics, and the general public.
Resources:
https://prepared.nyspi.org/ - PreparED Eating Disorders Education website (32:05)
https://nceedus.org/ - National Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders (32:12)
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org - National Eating Disorders Association (32:20)
Overcoming Binge Eating by Christopher Fairburn (32:46)
Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder, 2 Ed by James Lock and Daniel Le Grange (33:04)
Eating Disorders: What Everyone Needs to Know by B. Timothy Walsh, Evelyn Attia, and Deborah R. Glasofer (33:22)
CDP Presents - Eating Disorders - General and Military-Relevant Considerations: https://deploymentpsych.org/Eating-Disorders-Archive

Calls-to-action:
Consider adding eating disorders as a category to inquire about at intake.
Check out the resources above.

Subscribe to the Practical for Your Practice Podcast
Subscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email
Share your EBP fears with us on www.speakpipe.com/cdpp4p
38 min
November 27, 2023What Happened To You? Trauma-informed Care and Creating Healing Environments
Just about everyone in the world has experienced something that can be characterized as a trauma. Humans are resilient, and most people recover on their own and function well. Some continue to be affected by trauma long after the fact, and it is not always easy to identify who that may be and how a history of adversity may impact our interactions. There is a difference between trauma-specific care (such as Cognitive Processing Therapy or Prolonged Exposure therapy) and trauma-informed care. Join us and our amazing guest, Dr. Lydia Bartholow, as we discuss trauma-informed care and how we can reorient from a “What’s wrong with you?” to a “What happened to you?” approach and implement psychological “universal precautions” to transform our systems to acknowledge a history of adversity.
Lydia Bartholow, DNP, PMHNP, CARN-AP, is a doctorally prepared psychiatric nurse practitioner specializing in addiction medicine and trauma-informed care. She currently staffs and directs a trauma-informed urgent substance withdrawal management center. She is on faculty at UCSF, where she teaches in the psychiatric nurse practitioner program. She speaks nationally on topics such as co-occurring disorders, harm reduction, and substance use disorder care system improvement. She focuses all parts of her practice on radical public health, harm reduction, and anti-oppression work. Lydia lives in Portland, OR, on Chinook, Kathlamet, Clackamas, and Kalapuya land.
Resources:
Lydia Bartholow’s website: https://www.lydiabartholow.com/ (6:58)
Trauma-Informed Oregon: https://traumainformedoregon.org/ (33:08)
SAMHSA.gov Trauma-informed Care: https://www.traumapolicy.org/topics/trauma-informed-care (33:29)
Center for Healthcare Strategies’s Trauma-Informed Care Implementation Resource Center: https://www.traumainformedcare.chcs.org/

Calls-to-action: For example:
Trauma-Informed Psychoeducation skill: (from motivational interviewing) Elicit–Provide–Elicit: 1) elicit previous information/experience and ask permission to provide more information, 2) provide new information, 3) elicit their feedback about how they might apply/use/integrate the information provided
Check out the resources at Trauma-Informed Oregon and SAMHSA (links above).

Subscribe to the Practical for Your Practice Podcast
Subscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email
Share your EBP fears with us at www.speakpipe.com/cdpp4p
36 min
November 13, 2023“WETting” Our Toes in Trauma Treatment Options
One of the issues that providers may face in their clinical practice is deciding what treatment options might fit best for a client who has PTSD. While our brains often go to the first line treatments like PE, CPT and EMDR, sometimes a 10 - 12 session protocol isn't the best fit for the client in front of us who can’t commit to that treatment length or has other reasons that drive a different approach. To truly provide patient-driven care, we, as clinicians, need to have other EBP options at-the-ready to meet our clients where they are. In this episode CDP’s own Dr. Paula Domenici joins us to talk about her experience with using Written Exposure Therapy (WET) and how it has enhanced her clinical practice. Come dip your toes with us as we explore how WET might be a useful protocol to add to your clinical toolbox. You won’t want to miss Paula’s “EBP Confession” so stay tuned until the end!
Resources:
Sloan, D. M., & Marx, B. P. (2019). Written exposure therapy for PTSD: A brief treatment approach for mental health professionals. American Psychological Association.
CDP Presents Webinar: An Introduction to Written Exposure Therapy (WET) for PTSD
NCPTSD on demand course: Written Exposure Therapy: A Brief PTSD Treatment
RCT’s References:
Exposure‐based writing therapies for subthreshold and clinical posttraumatic stress disorder: A systematic review and meta‐analysis.
Effectiveness of written exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system.
Written exposure therapy vs prolonged exposure therapy in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized clinical trial.
A brief exposure-based treatment vs cognitive processing therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized noninferiority clinical trial.
Effect of written exposure therapy vs cognitive processing therapy on increasing treatment efficiency among military service members with posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized noninferiority trial.

Calls-to-action:
Sloan, D. M., & Marx, B. P. (2019). Written exposure therapy for PTSD: A brief treatment approach for mental health professionals. American Psychological Association.
CDP Presents Webinar: An Introduction to Written Exposure Therapy (WET) for PTSD
NCPTSD on demand course: Written Exposure Therapy: A Brief PTSD Treatment
Subscribe to the Practical for Your Practice Podcast
Subscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email
Share your EBP fears with us on www.speakpipe.com/cdpp4p
35 min
October 30, 2023 Answering Your Top Three Consultation Questions about Insomnia Treatment
Today we are joined by Dr. Tim Rogers, one of our Subject Matter Experts on sleep disorders. He’s been spearheading CDP’s insomnia consultation offerings and joins Jenna and Carin to share the top 3 questions that have been asked lately. Tim has suggestions for how to score sleep logs most efficiently, dealing with comorbidities, and when to start insomnia treatment. Tim also enters our EBP Confessional Booth while Carin ponders the agony of early morning rising and Jenna shares her worst sleep puns. If that doesn’t get you excited about treating insomnia, nothing will!Resources:1) https://deploymentpsych.org/blog/staff-perspective-cracking-code-sleep-log-scoring2) https://vimeo.com/4207289013) https://deploymentpsych.org/Sleep-Log-Scoring-Video Calls-to-action: Subscribe to the Practical for Your Practice PodcastSubscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email Share your EBP fears with us on www.speakpipe.com/cdpp4pRegister for a CBTI workshop: https://deploymentpsych.org/training
32 min
October 16, 2023The NEW VA/DoD CPG for PTSD: Giving Providers a Fighting Chance
As many of our listeners know, the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Defense (VA/DoD) Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acute stress disorder (ASD) was released in June of 2023. The CPG, designed to assist clinical decision-making, provides recommendations that, in essence, give a clinician a fighting chance of identifying treatments that the research suggests should help their clients. But for many busy providers, it is a lot to unpack and digest! Join us as our (fearless) Director, Dr. David Riggs, who served on the CPG workgroup, walks us through important aspects of the guideline. We’ll discuss the why behind first and second-line treatments, updates from the last CPG, and actionable intel to support you in treating trauma. As with every episode this season, we invited Dave into the EBP confessional, and you won’t want to miss his story of a time when things didn’t quite go according to plan with a client AND how he recovered. Buckle up. It’s a roller coaster of a tale! Resources:
VA/DoD CPG for PTSD (to include links to full CPG, Clinician Summary, Patient Summary, Quick Reference, and more): Click HERE
Webinar Recording “A Quick Walk Through the New VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for PTSD”: view HERE
Calls-to-action: Review the updated VA/DoD CPG for PTSD: Click HEREReview the recording of CDP’s webinar: “A Quick Walk Through the New VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for PTSD”: view HEREEnroll in an upcoming EBP for PTSD: https://deploymentpsych.org/trainingSubscribe to the Practical for Your Practice PodcastSubscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email Share your EBP fears with us on www.speakpipe.com/cdpp4p
32 min
October 02, 2023Group UP! Transdiagnostic Group Treatment Using Unified Protocol
In both the public and private sectors, demand for behavioral health care is outpacing availability and capacity. The pressure on the behavioral health system necessitates innovation with regards to the methods and models of therapeutic interventions. What can we do when there are just not enough therapy slots available on the calendar to accommodate the need? And how can these needs best be met when clinical presentations are becoming more diverse while evidence-based psychotherapies tend to be narrowly focused on specific diagnoses? Join us for a fascinating discussion with Drs. William Isler and Adam Hodge about an innovative transdiagnostic group therapy approach leveraging Unified Protocol to serve better those who serve–and beyond!William C. “Chuck” Isler, Ph.D.Dr Isler currently works as a civilian for the Air Force Counter-Insider Threat Hub. He served more than 20 years as an Active Duty Air Force Psychologist, completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Clinical Health Psychology, worked on the fellowship faculty, and later became the Fellowship Director. Dr. Isler held multiple additional roles, including Consultant for Clinical Psychology, Deputy for the Mental Health Division, Chief, Deployment Mental Health, Program Manager for Primary Care Behavioral Health and Squadron Commander. Adam S. Hodge, Ph.D.Dr. Hodge currently works as an Active-Duty Air Force Psychologist at Wright-Patterson AFB. His primary duties include working in an embedded role as part of the Operational Support Team at Wright-Patterson AFB, and he also serves as an adjunct faculty member for the APA-accredited Clinical Psychology Internship at Wright-Patterson. Dr. Hodge is actively involved in research, including research on Group Unified Protocol, and is collaborating on efforts to disseminate Group Unified Protocol training across the Department of Defense. Resources:
Unified Protocol Institute: unifiedprotocol.com
Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders: Therapist Guide (Treatments That Work), Barlow, D., Farchione, T., et al
More info about the DHA Targeted Team-Based Care pilot: https://health.mil/News/Dvids-Articles/2023/05/17/news444960
30 min
September 18, 2023 EBP Confessionals - We Messed Up and We Recovered From It
Clinicians new to EBPs and protocol-driven treatments understandably worry about what to do when something goes wrong. “What if I explain things wrong?” “What if my client gets worse?” Hiccups are the rule rather than the exception, especially when we’re new to a particular model or technique. Carin, Jenna, and Kevin have had their EBP fears come to fruition and are ready to “confess” their past struggles. Even more importantly, the team discusses how they recovered from their hiccups and what they learned from them. Note: We discuss potentially upsetting content, including suicide and violence toward children, in this episode. Please use discretion when listening. Calls-to-action: Subscribe to the Practical for Your Practice PodcastSubscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email Share your EBP fears with us at www.speakpipe.com/cdpp4p
33 min
September 05, 2023 But What if My Client Dissociates?! Practical Strategies From Our Experts
Welcome back for Season 4! Some big changes this season – we are sad to say goodbye to Dr. Andy Santanello who did a phenomenal job as co-host in seasons 1 - 3. Andy has pivoted to new opportunities and we wish him well! In his place, we are happy to introduce Dr. Carin Lefkowitz (long time guest, first time host) as our new Practical for your Practice co-host! Welcome, Carin! In our first episode of season 4, we tackle one of the top concerns we hear in our PTSD EBP workshops and consultation… “But what if my client dissociates?!”. If this has been on your list of clinical worries, worry no more! Take a listen as we discuss what is dissociation (and what isn’t)? What is its function? How can we best assess it? When is it likely to show up? AND most importantly, what providers can do to manage it in the context of their EBP work! Our very own Dr. Kelly Chrestman is back to share helpful actionable intel!
Calls-to-action:
Dissociative Subtype of PTSD-National center for PTSD
DES-II - Dissociative Experiences Scale
Target Behaviors & Behavior Chain Analysis - DBT Self Help
What is Dissociation and What to do About it?
Subscribe to the Practical for Your Practice Podcast
Subscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email
42 min

About Practical for Your Practice

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Three clinical psychologists and trainers at CDP come together to talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of actually implementing Evidence-Based Psychotherapies (EBP’s). Practical for your…