Practical for Your Practice

By The Consortium for Defense PsychologyHealth & Fitness Mental Health

Practical for Your Practice episodes

June 26, 2023 Evolving Our Thinking about Thinking in Psychotherapy
From the time Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis recognized the importance of addressing unhelpful cognitions and cognitive processes in the treatment of depression in the 1960’s, cognitive behavioral therapy has become a driving force in the world of evidence-based practice. Initially, Drs. Beck and Ellis focused on the content of thoughts as the primary target for psychological interventions. Similarly, modern behavioral psychology has emphasized the importance of addressing cognition as a key aspect of successful psychotherapy. However, B.F. Skinner’s focus on verbal behavior as a generalized operant and modern contextual behavioral scientists’ work on Relational Frame Theory tend to emphasize the importance of addressing contextual factors that influence the function or impact of language over the content of thoughts. In this wide ranging episode, Drs. Jeff Mann, Andy Santanello, and Kevin Holloway discuss places of convergence between these two great traditions and look toward the future of process-based approaches to cognition. Make sure you grab some coffee and a snack: this is a LONG one!Jeffrey Mann, Psy.D., is a Military Behavioral Health Psychologist at the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) with the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Dr. Mann provides support Navy mental health training programs and is a Veteran of the United States Air Force (USAF) where he served as a psychologist from 2009 to 2013. In 2013, he deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.Dr. Mann received his bachelor’s degree in computer science from DePauw University and his master’s and doctorate degrees in clinical psychology from the Adler School of Professional Psychology, Chicago, with a specialization in primary care psychology. He is a 2010 graduate of the Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center Psychology Residency Program.Dr. Mann’s clinical work has focused on the assessment and treatment of trauma-related mental health conditions, anxiety disorders, insomnia and the use of Telebehavioral Health.Calls-to-action: Subscribe to the Practical for Your Practice PodcastSubscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email
52 min
June 12, 2023Sharpening our EBP Focus Through the Lens of Military Culture
Cultural competency training is an essential component of all behavioral health training curriculums and often a requirement for continuing education for licensed providers. But how often do those training opportunities include “military service” in the mix of cultural dimensions of identity that influence or shape an individual’s experience? Not often enough. In this episode we are joined by Dr. Shannon McCaslin as we explore the importance of keeping “eyes on” military culture to better understand how it can and should inform our EBP work. Come hear how military culture can influence your patients’ perspectives of their symptoms and treatment options level of, engagement, adherence, and treatment outcomes. Dr. Shannon McCaslin, is a Clinical Psychologist at the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Dissemination & Training Division, VA Palo Alto Health Care System. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of South Dakota in 2003 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Stress and Health at the University of California, San Francisco, and the San Francisco VA Medical Center. Dr. McCaslin’s work focuses on understanding factors impacting quality of life and functioning among those with PTSD and on the development and evaluation of educational and online products.Resources mentioned in this episode:
Community Provider Toolkit:https://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/communityproviders
https://deploymentpsych.org/military-culture
https://deploymentpsych.org/Military-Culture-Enhancing-Competence-Course-Description
https://vha.train.org/vha/welcome
Calls-to-action: Check out the resources on CDP’s Military Culture page on their websiteSubscribe to the Practical for Your Practice PodcastSubscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email
44 min
May 30, 2023 Shifting Perspectives Through Moral Injury to Posttraumatic Growth
Reactions to trauma vary from person to person. Although Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is often a main topic of conversation regarding trauma, two other important posttraumatic trajectories, Moral Injury and Posttraumatic Growth, are gaining recognition. In this episode, Marine Corps Veteran, Social Worker, and Zen priest Dave Dahl share his unique perspective on trauma recovery, modeling the importance of shared perspective-taking in helping service members in their journey to recovery.David Dahl is a Marine veteran who serves as a clinical social worker and therapist for military veterans with trauma, mood disorders, and severe mental illnesses. Before social work, David worked with disadvantaged and adjudicated youth in outdoor settings and as a social-emotional learning and restorative discipline trainer in various counties and states. He also serves as a Zen Priest and teaches meditation in his community. Calls-to-action: Subscribe to the Practical for Your Practice PodcastSubscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email
51 min
May 15, 2023Diamonds in the Rough: Finding and Integrating Evidence-based Apps Into Evidence-based Psychotherapies
Like we’ve heard hundreds of times, “there’s an app for that!” Mobile apps are ubiquitous in modern life. With the proliferation of mental health apps available in app stores, it can be difficult to determine which apps have been rigorously tested and validated. Additionally, the mental health app market is largely unregulated, meaning that many apps may make claims about their effectiveness without sufficient evidence to support them. This can be problematic, as using an app without evidence-based support may not only be a waste of time and money but also potentially harmful if it leads to delayed treatment or incorrect self-diagnosis. How is a mental health practitioner to find evidence-based apps to use in therapy? And what are the challenges to NOT considering utilizing mobile apps in clinical work? Join us in a fascinating discussion with Dr. Greg Reger about the current mental health mobile app landscape and you can integrate mobile app use in your clinical practice.Dr. Greg Reger is the Deputy Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He received his PhD in Clinical Psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary and completed his psychology internship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He served with the 98th Combat Stress Control Detachment at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and deployed to Iraq for a year prior to working for the Department of Defense National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2). Dr. Reger’s research is focused on the design, development, and evaluation of innovative technologies to support Service Member and Veteran psychological health.Resources mentioned in this episode:
M-Health Index and Navigation Database Mobile Health Index and Navigation Database, App Evaluation Resources from the Division of Digital Psychiatry at BIDMC (mindapps.org)
One Mind PsyberGuide One Mind PsyberGuide | A Mental Health App Guide
VA Mental Health Applications VA App Store | VA Mobile
No personal knowledge of accuracy but I am told this is the current library of DoD apps (including MH apps) DHA PWAs (health.mil)
Psychiatry.org - The App Evaluation Model
Calls-to-action: For example: Subscribe to the Practical for Your Practice PodcastSubscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email
35 min
May 01, 2023Is There an Elephant in Your Room? What to do When Sociocultural and Political Issues Stomp Into Your EBP
You can sense it coming, feel it before you see it and hear it. The small tremors in conversation that warn you the elephant is incoming. You brace, trying to keep the focus on your agenda, perhaps cling to the familiar safety of your EBP protocol. But the elephant is coming into your clinical space and now you have to decide what to do. In this episode of Practical for your Practice, we roll up our sleeves with Dr. Abigail Angkaw to address the topic of what clinicians can do when sociocultural and political issues stomp into their EBP. More specifically, what to do when we clinicians, as humans, have a strong reaction to those issues. THAT, is the elephant in the room. Tune in for some tips to tune up on areas like disclosure, self-reflection, microaggressions, finding empathy, context and case conceptualization, and what is best for your client and YOU when those elephants won’t leave your room. Abigail Angkaw is a Consultant with the PTSD Consultation Program through the National Center for PTSD, clinical psychologist, Section Chief at the VA San Diego, and an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California, San Diego. Her primary research interests include PTSD and co-occurring conditions as well as improving the delivery of mental health treatment. Coming from a military family, Dr. Angkaw is personally invested in helping providers through complex clinical and administrative challenges to provide high quality care for Veterans with PTSD. Dr. Angkaw received her PhD from the University of Cincinnati and completed her internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the UCSD and VA San Diego.Resources mentioned in this episode:
CDP Presents: Treating PTSD When Clinicians Have Negative Reactions to Patients' Sociocultural Views
Cultural Formulation Interview
National Center for PTSD Consultation Program
Center for Deployment Psychology Consultation Program
Calls-to-action: For example: View recording of webinar:CDP Presents: Treating PTSD When Clinicians Have Negative Reactions to Patients' Sociocultural ViewsSubscribe to the Practical for Your Practice PodcastSubscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email
31 min
April 17, 2023The Beginning of the Beginning: What Might be Promising about Psychedelic Assisted Therapy
Psychedelic Assisted Therapy. Perhaps reading that phrase brings about word associations like “mushrooms” “LSD” “Molly” “Mescaline” “altered state”, “euphoria” and even “the 60’s”. Or perhaps just seeing those words makes you curious enough to take a listen to this awesome podcast with Dr. Brian Pilecki, a clinician and researcher in the emerging field of integrating psychedelics into the treatment of behavioral health disorders. Listen in and learn as Dr. Pilecki explains some of the ins and outs of psychedelic assisted therapy to include what it is, who might benefit, types of psychedelics that have been most studied, where the research stands, as well as how to get more information about being trained to provide this type of treatment. You won’t be sorry. Dr. Brian Pilecki is a clinical psychologist at the Portland Psychotherapy Clinic specializing in treating anxiety disorders, trauma, and PTSD, and matters related to the use of psychedelics. He completed his doctorate at Fordham University in Bronx, NY, and completed his pre-doctoral internship at the Weill-Cornell Medical center at New York Presbyterian Hospital. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and practices from an orientation based in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Dr. Pilecki also received a master’s degree from the California Institute of Integral Studies in East-West Psychology where he studied psychedelic medicine, non-Western ways of knowing, and contemplative traditions such as Buddhism. He is an active researcher and has published on topics such as anxiety disorders, mindfulness, psychedelics, and the relationship between theory and practice in psychotherapy. At Portland Psychotherapy, Dr. Pilecki is involved in research on the positive benefits of psychedelics and provides clinical services in the preparation for or integration of psychedelic experiences.Resources mentioned in this episode:
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies https://maps.org/
Calls-to-action: Subscribe to the Practical for Your Practice PodcastSubscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email
29 min
April 03, 2023Is it Really Taboo? Inviting Spirituality into Evidence-Based Practices
Any guide to “small talk” will tell you that there are just some topics that you shouldn’t broach in most social situations. One of those topics is spirituality. But should spirituality be taboo in psychotherapy? Does the direct discussion of spirituality have a place inside evidence-based practice? In this episode, Andy, Kevin, and Jenna chat about some practical ways to answer these questions and offer ideas for “going there” when spirituality might be a useful domain to explore with your clients. Andrew Santanello, Psy.D s a licensed, clinical psychologist. Dr. Santanello worked in the Department of Veterans Affairs as a PTSD specialist for over a decade before moving to his current position as a Military Behavioral Health Psychologist, PTSD subject matter expert, and National Cognitive Processing Therapy trainer at the Center for Deployment Psychology.Although Dr. Santanello has extensive expertise with "second-wave" CBT interventions such as CBT-D, Prolonged Exposure Therapy, and Cognitive Processing Therapy, his passion for "third-wave" behavioral interventions, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, is a common thread throughout his professional career. His professional interests include dissemination and practice of Evidence-Based Psychotherapy with an increasing focus on mechanisms of change and process-based psychotherapy, psychological resilience, and the intersection of behavioral science and mindfulness-based approaches to alleviating human suffering.In addition to his work with the CDP, Dr. Santanello is an active member in the Military Special Interest Group and Mid-Atlantic Chapter (MAC) of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) and maintains a small private practice in Baltimore, MD.Resources mentioned in this episode:
(Didn’t mention this specifically in the episode, but I think that it is worth including. This is one of Steven Hayes’ first every pubs)
Hayes, S. (1984). Making sense out of spirituality. Behaviorism, 12(2), 99-110.
Calls-to-action: For example: Subscribe to the Practical for Your Practice PodcastSubscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email
38 min
March 20, 2023 ACTing on Anger, But In a Good Way
Anger is something all humans experience. It can be uncomfortable for us as therapists when it shows up in therapy, whether it is the focus of intervention, or when expressed in session. Indeed, traditional clinical approaches have often focused on managing, preventing, or suppressing anger. But perhaps anger itself isn’t always the problem, but rather aggression or other values-inconsistent behavioral choices. Join us as we discuss being curious about anger and its function from an ACT-informed perspective with our guest, John Donahue, Psy.D.John Donahue, Psy.D., is an associate professor of psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Baltimore, where he directs their post-master's certificate program in professional counseling studies. He received a doctorate in clinical psychology from La Salle University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the NW Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center at the Portland VA Medical Center, where he specialized in posttraumatic stress disorder treatment and research. Dr. Donahue’s clinical and research interests relate to the cross-cutting role of psychological flexibility processes in the development and maintenance of psychological disorders, and more broadly, the development of empirically based dimensional models of psychopathology. Calls-to-action: For example: Subscribe to the Practical for Your Practice PodcastSubscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email
46 min
February 21, 2023 Practicing Being with Scary Things: Helping Clients Get Better at Being With Their Difficult Stuff
Exposure-based interventions are some of the most powerful tools that therapists can offer to their clients, especially those who struggle with anxiety. However, there are different models of exposure with different proposed mechanisms and different desired outcomes. In this episode, anxiety disorders and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy expert Mike Twohig exposes us to some useful ways to help clients get better at being with their difficult stuff.
Michael P. Twohig, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist in the state of Utah and a Professor of Psychology at Utah State University, where he co-runs the ACT Research Group (with Dr. Levin). He received his B.A. and M.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, his Ph.D. from the University of Nevada, Reno, and completed his clinical internship at the University of British Columbia Hospital. He is past-President of the Association of Contextual Behavioral Science, the organization most associated with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). His research focuses on the use of ACT across a variety of clinical presentations with an emphasis on obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. He has published over 200 scholarly works, including five books, with the most recent being Innovations in ACT (with Levin and Krafft) and ACT in Steps (with Levin and Ong). His research has been funded through multiple sources, including the National Institute of Mental Health.

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Subscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email
37 min
February 06, 2023 If We Say All the Right Things, Everyone Will Love This Episode: Talking about the Just World Belief
The Just World Belief (JWB), or the notion that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people, is a fundamental and often problematic assumption for both clients and therapists. Believing that doing all the “right things” will lead to the outcome we want doesn’t match up to the realities of life in many cases and can lead to stress and perfectionism. In this episode, Kevin and Andy chat with Senior Military Behavioral Health Psychologist Carin Lefkowitz about the impact of the JWB on clients and therapists and some practical ways to make all the right moves to address it.
Carin M. Lefkowitz, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist and Senior Military Behavioral Health Psychologist at the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Lefkowitz earned her M.A. and Psy.D. in clinical psychology at Widener University, with a concentration in cognitive-behavioral therapy.
38 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…