Seeking the Military Suicide Solution

About Today’s Guest:

Mark Divine is a retired Navy SEAL Commander, New York Times Best-Selling Author, Founder / CEO of SEALFIT and Unbeatable Mind, founder of multiple million-dollar businesses, lifetime Martial Artist, Ashtanga Yoga teacher, and host of the Unbeatable Mind podcast

At twenty-six he graduated as Honor Man (#1-ranked trainee) of SEAL BUD/S class number 170. Mark served for nine years total on active duty and eleven as a Reserve SEAL, retiring as Commander in 2011.  His leadership of teams was so effective the government tasked him with creating a nationwide mentoring program for SEAL trainees.  Not only did it increase the quality of SEAL candidates, it reduced BUD/S attrition rate up to five percent.

Through Mark’s teaching, entrepreneurial endeavors and travel to foreign countries, he noticed the power of mental toughness, emotional resilience, intuitive leadership and a healthy spirit for anyone wanting breakthrough performance.  They weren’t solely for combat or restricted to the business world or one culture.  He’d watch them transform lives in people from every background, nation and belief system.  So he wrote and self-published his first book, Unbeatable Mind, in 2011 and launched its at-home study program.

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Unbeatable Mind Podacast

Commander Divine's Author Page on Amazon

Courage Foundation Web site

Join our Facebook Group:

Seeking the Military Suicide Solution on Facebook

Episode Sponsor:

milMedia Group

Shauna's latest book: Beyond the Military: A Leader's Handbook for Warrior Reintegration

Duane's latest book: Military in the Rear View Mirror: Mental Health and Wellness in Post-Military Life

How to Leave a Podcast Review

Leaving a podcast review at iTunes isn't intuitive. But positive ratings are hugely important: they help the podcast get discovered by new people. Please spend 5 minutes of your time to leave a review using one of the methods below.

How to leave a podcast review using Apple’s Podcast app

1. Navigate to Seeking the Military Suicide Solution on Apple Podcasts on your iPhone or iPad.

2. Click "Listen on Apple Podcasts"

3. Scroll down and click or tap "Write a Review." Enter your iTunes password to login.

4. Rate the podcast using 1 to 5 stars.

5. Submit a brief honest review.

Bonus: get a thank-you note

Your feedback is greatly appreciated. When you leave a review, drop us a line at [email protected] and you'll get a message with the warmest appreciation, and a bonus gift!

For Android users, Google Podcasts does not allow for ratings or reviews, but you can certainly let us know how you think we're doing on Spotify, Stitcher, or iHeartRadio

Many thanks, 

Duane and Shauna 

About Today’s Guest:

Howard Somers, M.D., and Jean Somers, are the parents of CA Army National Guard SGT Daniel Somers.  Daniel took his life in June, 2013, after suffering for nearly a decade with Post Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injuries, and Gulf War Syndrome subsequent to serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Daniel’s condition was exacerbated by his experiences with the Phoenix VA Mental Health Department.  He left an eloquent and heart breaking suicide note.

Since Daniel’s death, Jean and Howard have dedicated themselves to improving the care that the VA provides to our Veterans, especially in the area of Mental Health. They have developed initiatives to improve the transition process and increase general awareness among our service members “support network.” The idea for Operation Engage America is based on their own experiences with locating resources to help themselves and Daniel through the military-to-civilian transition experience and realizing that many other veterans and their families had similar problems.  Howard and Jean have met with leaders in the VA, Executive Branch, Congress and the Department of Defense, and have testified before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.

Howard was born and raised in NYC, and practiced urology in Phoenix for 28 years.  Jean who is from Canton, Ohio, is a paralegal and worked in the financial side of healthcare for 30 years.  She was Howard’s practice manager for the last 12 years of their careers.  They currently reside in the San Diego area.

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Operation Engage America 

Howard and Jean on Twitter

Howard and Jean's testimony before the House Committee on Veterans Affairs

Join our Facebook Group:

Seeking the Military Suicide Solution on Facebook

Episode Sponsor:

milMedia Group

Shauna's latest book: Beyond the Military: A Leader's Handbook for Warrior Reintegration

Duane's latest book: Military in the Rear View Mirror: Mental Health and Wellness in Post-Military Life

How to Leave a Podcast Review

Leaving a podcast review at iTunes isn't intuitive. But positive ratings are hugely important: they help the podcast get discovered by new people. Please spend 5 minutes of your time to leave a review using one of the methods below.

How to leave a podcast review using Apple’s Podcast app

1. Navigate to Seeking the Military Suicide Solution on Apple Podcasts on your iPhone or iPad.

2. Click "Listen on Apple Podcasts"

3. Scroll down and click or tap "Write a Review." Enter your iTunes password to login.

4. Rate the podcast using 1 to 5 stars.

5. Submit a brief honest review.

Bonus: get a thank-you note

Your feedback is greatly appreciated. When you leave a review, drop us a line at [email protected] and you'll get a message with the warmest appreciation, and a bonus gift!

For Android users, Google Podcasts does not allow for ratings or reviews, but you can certainly let us know how you think we're doing on Spotify, Stitcher, or iHeartRadio

Many thanks, 

Duane and Shauna 

About Today’s Guest:

Rajeev Ramchand, PhD is the inaugural Craig Newmark Fellow at the Bob Woodruff Foundation. He comes to the Foundation after serving as Senior Vice President for Research at the Cohen Veterans Network where he established the organization’s research agenda and laid the foundation for conducting research within the network.

Prior to CVN, he worked for 12 years as a behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation. At RAND, he conducted research on an array of topics including military and veteran mental health, military and veteran caregivers, adolescent delinquency, the impact of disasters on community health, and violent extremism. He has also conducted many studies on suicide and suicide prevention in military, veteran, and civilian populations. This includes epidemiologic studies on risk factors for suicide, evaluations of suicide prevention programs, environmental scans of organizational responses to suicides, and has developed tools to help organizations to evaluate their own programs. While at RAND, he received two RAND Gold Medal Awards for his research on suicide prevention and one Presidential Award, RAND’s highest honor, for his work on military and veteran caregivers.

Dr. Ramchand has authored nearly 100 peer-reviewed publications. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Justice, Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, and private foundations. He has been interviewed by and published op-eds in various media outlets and has provided expert testimony before the United States Congress and California State Senate.

Dr. Ramchand received his B.A. in economics from the University of Chicago and his Ph.D. in psychiatric epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Bob Woodruff Foundation

Research articles published by Dr. Ramchand

Join our Facebook Group:

Seeking the Military Suicide Solution on Facebook

Episode Sponsor:

milMedia Group

Shauna's latest book: Beyond the Military: A Leader's Handbook for Warrior Reintegration

Duane's latest book: Military in the Rear View Mirror: Mental Health and Wellness in Post-Military Life

How to Leave a Podcast Review

Leaving a podcast review at iTunes isn't intuitive. But positive ratings are hugely important: they help the podcast get discovered by new people. Please spend 5 minutes of your time to leave a review using one of the methods below.

How to leave a podcast review using Apple’s Podcast app

1. Navigate to Seeking the Military Suicide Solution on Apple Podcasts on your iPhone or iPad.

2. Click "Listen on Apple Podcasts"

3. Scroll down and click or tap "Write a Review." Enter your iTunes password to login.

4. Rate the podcast using 1 to 5 stars.

5. Submit a brief honest review.

Bonus: get a thank-you note

Your feedback is greatly appreciated. When you leave a review, drop us a line at [email protected] and you'll get a message with the warmest appreciation, and a bonus gift!

For Android users, Google Podcasts does not allow for ratings or reviews, but you can certainly let us know how you think we're doing on Spotify, Stitcher, or iHeartRadio

Many thanks, 

Duane and Shauna 

About Today’s Guest:

Kacie Kelly oversees and manages policy, operational, and programmatic efforts on veteran health and well-being for the George W. Bush Institute Military Service Initiative, which includes the Warrior Wellness Alliance.  She manages strategic efforts to promote the partnerships, collaboration, and alignment among organizations that are so crucial to fostering the health and well-being of post-9/11 Veterans.

Prior to this role, Kacie served as the National Director for Public-Private Partnerships in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office for Suicide Prevention where she was responsible for developing a comprehensive and integrated public health approach to prevent suicide among the 14 million Veterans not engaged in VA healthcare. Throughout her 15-year career with VA, she led innovative programs to serve more Veterans and their families through strategic partnerships within government and across public and private sectors.  In addition, she has had leading roles to promote military culture competence in the community, outreach efforts to reduce stigma associated with seeking mental healthcare, and to enhance provider proficiency in evidence-based mental health care.  She earned her Master of Health Sciences (MHS) at Louisiana State University and has a Graduate Certificate in Women in Public Policy and Politics from the University of Massachusetts - Boston. Kacie has also been an active volunteer in the New Orleans community where she served as a Commissioner on the BioDistrict Board of New Orleans and on the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross.

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Warrior Wellness Alliance

Beyond war and PTSD: The crucial role of transition stress in the lives of military veterans

Kacie Kelly on Twitter

Join our Facebook Group:

Seeking the Military Suicide Solution on Facebook

Episode Sponsor:

milMedia Group

Shauna's latest book: Beyond the Military: A Leader's Handbook for Warrior Reintegration

Duane's latest book: Military in the Rear View Mirror: Mental Health and Wellness in Post-Military Life

How to Leave a Podcast Review

Leaving a podcast review at iTunes isn't intuitive. But positive ratings are hugely important: they help the podcast get discovered by new people. Please spend 5 minutes of your time to leave a review using one of the methods below.

How to leave a podcast review using Apple’s Podcast app

1. Navigate to Seeking the Military Suicide Solution on Apple Podcasts on your iPhone or iPad.

2. Click "Listen on Apple Podcasts"

3. Scroll down and click or tap "Write a Review." Enter your iTunes password to login.

4. Rate the podcast using 1 to 5 stars.

5. Submit a brief honest review.

Bonus: get a thank-you note

Your feedback is greatly appreciated. When you leave a review, drop us a line at [email protected] and you'll get a message with the warmest appreciation, and a bonus gift!

For Android users, Google Podcasts does not allow for ratings or reviews, but you can certainly let us know how you think we're doing on Spotify, Stitcher, or iHeartRadio

Many thanks, 

Duane and Shauna 

Episode Transcript:

Duane France (00:00):

Welcome to episode eight of the Seeking the Military Suicide Solution podcast brought to you by the military times. I'm Duane France.

Shauna Springer (00:07):

And I'm Doc Shauna Springer.

Kacie Kelly (00:09):

And we'd like to thank you for taking the time to learn more about suicide in the military affiliated population. I'd also like to thank our sponsors, milMedia Group. milMedia Group is a proven web design and digital media agency specializing in supporting organizations focusing on the military population. Find more about them at www.milmediagroup.com.

Duane France (00:36):

Thanks again to everybody for joining us to listen to an honest conversation about service member veteran and military family suicide. Do you want more folks to find the show? Make sure to give us an honest rating and review on your podcast player of choice. We'd also like you to join our Facebook group moderated by fellow combat veteran Dee James. You can find the group and the show notes by searching for Seeking the Military Suicide Solution on Facebook. As we continue this series looking at suicide in the military affiliated population, we want to highlight a number of groups that are working to bring folks together in collaboration. That's what our guest today is talking about. Shauna, what can you tell us about today's guest?

Shauna Springer (01:11):

Yes, Kacie Kelly has spent 17 years working in the field of suicide prevention. While she was at the VA, she spearheaded efforts to disseminate cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure therapy throughout the VA system. Efforts which led to the training of 20,000 mental health professiona...

About Today’s Guest:

Kayla M. Williams is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Military, Veterans, and Society Program at Center for a New American Security. She previously served as Director of the Center for Women Veterans at the Department of Veterans Affairs, where she was primary adviser to the Secretary on department policies, programs, and legislation affecting women veterans. Kayla spent eight years at RAND researching servicemember and veteran health needs and benefits, international security, and intelligence policy. 

Ms. Williams was enlisted for five years as an Arabic linguist, serving in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). She authored the memoirs Love My Rifle More Than You: Young and Female in the U.S. Army and Plenty of Time When We Get Home: Love and Recovery in the Aftermath of War. Kayla graduated cum laude with a BA in Literature from Bowling Green State University and earned an MA in International Affairs from American University. She is a member of the Department of Labor Advisory Committee on Veterans’ Employment, Training, and Employer Outreach; a former member of the Army Education Advisory Committee and VA Advisory Committee on Women Veterans; and a 2013 White House Woman Veteran Champion of Change.

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

CNAS State Veteran Benefit Finder

VA Vet Center Locator

Join our Facebook Group:

Seeking the Military Suicide Solution on Facebook

Episode Sponsor:

milMedia Group

Shauna's latest book: Beyond the Military: A Leader's Handbook for Warrior Reintegration

Duane's latest book: Military in the Rear View Mirror: Mental Health and Wellness in Post-Military Life

How to Leave a Podcast Review

Leaving a podcast review at iTunes isn't intuitive. But positive ratings are hugely important: they help the podcast get discovered by new people. Please spend 5 minutes of your time to leave a review using one of the methods below.

How to leave a podcast review using Apple’s Podcast app

1. Navigate to Seeking the Military Suicide Solution on Apple Podcasts on your iPhone or iPad.

2. Click "Listen on Apple Podcasts"

3. Scroll down and click or tap "Write a Review." Enter your iTunes password to login.

4. Rate the podcast using 1 to 5 stars.

5. Submit a brief honest review.

Bonus: get a thank-you note

Your feedback is greatly appreciated. When you leave a review, drop us a line at [email protected] and you'll get a message with the warmest appreciation, and a bonus gift!

For Android users, Google Podcasts does not allow for ratings or reviews, but you can certainly let us know how you think we're doing on Spotify, Stitcher, or iHeartRadio

Many thanks, 

Duane and Shauna 

Episode Transcript:

Duane France (00:00):

Welcome to episode seven of the Seeking the Military Suicide Solution podcast brought to you by the Military Times. I'm Duane France.

Shauna Springer (00:07):

And I'm Doc Shauna Springer.

Duane France (00:09):

And we'd like to thank you for taking the time to learn more about suicide in the military affiliated population. I'd also like to thank our sponsors, milMedia Group. milMedia Group is a proven web design and digital media agency specializing in supporting organizations focusing on the military population. Find more about them at www.milmediagroup.com.

Duane France (00:37):

Thanks again to everybody for joining us to listen to a conversation about service member veteran and military family suicide. Really appreciate how people have started to find the show and share it. If you want more folks to find the show, make sure to give us an honest rating and review on your podcast player of choice. We'd also like you to join our Facebook group moderated by fellow combat veteran Dee James. You can find the group in the show notes or by searching, "Seeking the Military Suicide Solution" on Facebook. And one of the things that we've heard is that a lot of listeners don't just want to hear from mental health professionals and today's guest isn't, but she has a lot of expertise when it comes to this subject. Shauna, what can you tell us about today's guest?

Shauna Springer (01:14):

Yes, so Kayla Williams is an Iraq war veteran who serves as Director of the Military Veterans in Society program at Center for a New American Security. I asked Kayla why suicide matters to her on a personal level, and she said this: when she was in Iraq, a woman in her unit died by suicide. She and this soldier had just spoken a few days before the death. Like many leaders who care about their soldiers, Kayla spent a lot of time wondering whether she missed the signs or could have said or done anything different that might've encouraged her fellow soldier to get help. She also shared that she has struggled with suicidal ideation herself on more than one occasion and also with trying to find the right response when her husband, another veteran, has expressed similar feelings. Kayla is an elegant writer who has given deep thought to this topic. We're happy to host her on today's episode.

Duane France (02:09):

Yes, the lived experience. We've also often talked about the fact that those of us who served have a number and that number is the number that we have lost to suicide. And sometimes that number is bigger even than the number of people that we lost in combat. And that's going to continue to grow. So I really appreciate Kayla's transparency and vulnerability and we'll get into the conversation. We'll come back afterwards to pull out some of the key points.

Duane France (02:45):

As a combat veteran yourself as a veteran spouse, dual military and all the work that you've done really over the last 15 years, from your point of view, what have you seen that is effective when it comes to ending in the military population?

Kayla Willi...

About Today’s Guest:

Joseph R. Chenelly was appointed national executive director of the nation’s fourth largest veterans service organization in May 2016. In this capacity, he administers the policies of AMVETS, supervises its national headquarters operations and provides direction, as needed, to state and local components. Joe previously served as AMVETS’ national communications director.

Joe Chenelly is the first veteran of combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq to lead one of the nation’s four largest veterans service organizations’ staffs.

A native of Rochester, N.Y., Joe enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1998, serving with the 1st Marine Division, and was honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant in April 2006. He is a combat veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, having served in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Kuwait, East Timor and the Horn of Africa.

Joe became a veterans advocate, a journalist, and a political adviser after his time in uniform. He covered military and veterans matters on staff with Leatherneck magazine, the Military Times newspapers, USA TODAYand Gannet News, reporting on operations in the Middle East, Southwest Asia, Africa, as well as disaster relief in the United States.

Joe was named one of the 100 “most influential journalists covering armed violence” by Action on Armed Violence in 2013. He was the first U.S. Marine combat correspondent to step into enemy territory after September 11, 2001, as a military reporter in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He also reported from the front-lines with American and allied forces in Kuwait and Iraq as that war began. He was on the ground for the start of both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Joe served as AMVETS’ national communications director in 2005-2007, and for eight years as assistant national director for communications for the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) in Washington, D.C., leading grassroots efforts through social networking and new media.

He has also served as president of Social Communications, LLC, and as a public affairs officer director for the Department of Navy. Joe is an alumni of Syracuse University and Central Texas College. He resides in Fairport, N.Y., with his wife Dawn, a service-connected disabled Air Force veteran, and their five children.

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

AMVETS Web Site

The VET HEAL Suicide Prevention Training Course

Firearms Access: A Loaded Topic Part 1

Join our Facebook Group:

Seeking the Military Suicide Solution on Facebook

Episode Sponsor:

milMedia Group

Shauna's latest book: Beyond the Military: A Leader's Handbook for Warrior Reintegration

Duane's latest book: Military in the Rear View Mirror: Mental Health and Wellness in Post-Military Life

How to Leave a Podcast Review

Leaving a podcast review at iTunes isn't intuitive. But positive ratings are hugely important: they help the podcast get discovered by new people. Please spend 5 minutes of your time to leave a review using one of the methods below.

How to leave a podcast review using Apple’s Podcast app

1. Navigate to Seeking the Military Suicide Solution on Apple Podcasts on your iPhone or iPad.

2. Click "Listen on Apple Podcasts"

3. Scroll down and click or tap "Write a Review." Enter your iTunes password to login.

4. Rate the podcast using 1 to 5 stars.

5. Submit a brief honest review.

Bonus: get a thank-you note

Your feedback is greatly appreciated. When you leave a review, drop us a line at [email protected] and you'll get a message with the warmest appreciation, and a bonus gift!

For Android users, Google Podcasts does not allow for ratings or reviews, but you can certainly let us know how you think we're doing on Spotify, Stitcher, or iHeartRadio

Many thanks, 

Duane and Shauna 

Episode Transcript:

Duane France (00:00):

Welcome to episode six of the Seeking the Military Suicide Solution podcast brought to you by the military times. I'm Duane France.

Shauna Springer (00:07):

And I'm Doc Shauna Springer.

Duane France (00:09):

And we'd like to thank you for taking the time to learn more about suicide in the military affiliated population.I’d like to thank our sponsors, milMedia Group. milMedia Group is a proven web design and digital media agency specializing in supporting organizations focusing on the military population. Find more about them at www.milmediagroup.com.

Duane France (00:35):

Thanks again to everybody for joining us to listen to an honest conversation about service member veteran and military family suicide and thank you for the response to the show. We're getting a lot of great feedback. If you want to give us more feedback rate and review the show on your podcast player of choice, we'd also like you to join us on our Facebook group, moderated by fellow combat veteran Dee James. You can find the group on the show notes or searching seeking the military suicide solution on Facebook. I'm excited to bring today's guest on the show because I think it demonstrates the importance of this issue at the highest national level. Shauna, what can you tell us about today's guest?

Shauna Springer (01:10):

So Joe Chenelly, he is the executive director at AMVETS national headquarters, but behind his public role is a man who is a servant leader. Our first conversation could have gone on for hours. Joe is a Marine who served as a combat correspondent with several back to back deployments and Joe knows the pain of suicide loss all too well. He sustained multiple losses including eight Marines that he served with in Iraq and Afghanistan and his mother who died by suicide 10 years ago as well as many others in the vast network of veterans He serves his role at AMVETS. Joe and his team have taken the late night calls from veterans in crisis. They're doing in the trenches work to keep their brothers and sisters in the fight. ...

About Today’s Guest:

Dr. Eugene Lipov is board certified in Anesthesiology and Pain Management and has been practicing in the field of pain medicine since 1990. He completed Northwestern Medical School in 1984, Anesthesia Residency at University of Illinois in 1989, and Advanced Pain Training in 1990.

Dr. Lipov pioneered adaption of a sympathetic block in the neck called Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) for treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and hot flashes. Considering current efficacy of PTSD treatment is under 30 percent, using pharmaceuticals and psycho therapy, SGB’s success rate of 85 percent is a major game-changer.

So far, he and his team have treated over 200 veterans. Their foundation has covered the cost of treatment and travel of 100 veterans. They have also treated several hundred civilian patients with diagnosis of PTSD from all over the world. They have successfully treated military-related PTSD, Military Sexual Trauma (MST), PTSD due to being a first responder, non-military sexual trauma, pediatric sexual trauma, and PTSD from other traumatic events.

Additionally Dr. Lipov treats pain patients at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, and at his private practice, Advanced Pain Center.

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

List of Mayor's and Governor's Challenge Partners

Dr. Lipov's websites:

www.sgbptsd.com

Erase PTSD Now

Episode Sponsor:

milMedia Group

Shauna's latest book: Beyond the Military: A Leader's Handbook for Warrior Reintegration

Duane's latest book: Military in the Rear View Mirror: Mental Health and Wellness in Post-Military Life

How to Leave a Podcast Review

Leaving a podcast review at iTunes isn't intuitive. But positive ratings are hugely important: they help the podcast get discovered by new people. Please spend 5 minutes of your time to leave a review using one of the methods below.

How to leave a podcast review using Apple’s Podcast app

1. Navigate to Seeking the Military Suicide Solution on Apple Podcasts on your iPhone or iPad.

2. Click "Listen on Apple Podcasts"

3. Scroll down and click or tap "Write a Review." Enter your iTunes password to login.

4. Rate the podcast using 1 to 5 stars.

5. Submit a brief honest review.

Bonus: get a thank-you note

Your feedback is greatly appreciated. When you leave a review, drop us a line at [email protected] and you'll get a message with the warmest appreciation, and a bonus gift!

For Android users, Google Podcasts does not allow for ratings or reviews, but you can certainly let us know how you think we're doing on Spotify, Stitcher, or iHeartRadio

Many thanks, 

Duane and Shauna 

Episode Transcript:

Duane France (00:00):

Welcome to Episode Five of the Seeking the Military Suicide Solution podcast brought to you by the Military Times. I'm Duane France.

Shauna Springer (00:07):

And I'm Doc Shauna Springer.

New Speaker (00:08):

And we'd like to thank you for taking the time to learn more about suicide in the military affiliated population. I'd like to thank our sponsors, milMedia Group. milMedia Group is a proven web design and digital media agency specializing in supporting organizations focusing on the military population. Find more about them at www.milmediagroup.com.

New Speaker (00:34):

Thanks again to everybody for joining us to listen to the conversation about service member veteran and military family suicide. Our guest today is Dr. Eugene Lipov Shauna, what would you like to tell us about Gene?

Shauna Springer (00:45):

Yeah. So Dr. Eugene Lipov is a board certified physician in anesthesiology and pain management who's been practicing in the field of pain management since 1990. He's an assistant professor of surgery at University of Illinois, completing medical school at Northwestern in 1984, was an anesthesia residency at university of Illinois in 1989, and advanced pain training in 1990. But Dr. Lipov, more than anything is a pioneer and he's really pioneered the adaptation of a sympathetic block in the neck called stellate ganglion block, SGB, as it's known for treating post traumatic stress. In the book Outliers. Malcolm Gladwell talks about this idea of the 10,000 hour rule, and he says that the key to achieving world-class expertise in any skill is to a large extent, a matter of practicing the correct way for over around 10,000 hours. And by that definition, Dr. Lipov is a master three or four times over when it comes to this.

Shauna Springer (01:50):

So he's been doing SGB over the course of his 30 years in the field and since he adapted it for use with PTS, he's done hundreds of stellate ganglion block procedures over 14 years with those who have served in the military. So because of this, his methods and his understanding are really light years ahead of anyone else in the field. In the past year, I've personally referred about 20 patients to him. And as you know, Duane, I'm not really a true believer by nature, but I have to say what I've observed is really compelling. His treatment with stellate ganglion block has transformed the lives of everyone I've referred to him. And he's literally saved the lives of a few of my prior patients. There are several who have called me in a state of suicidal crisis who are now feeling lasting relief from their symptoms, who view the future in a totally different way, much more hopeful now. So this may be one of the most important conversations we host on this podcast. But I'm excited to get into it. And you know, I really like brave people and so I'm honored that Dr. Lipov Is joining us for this conversation.

Duane France (03:00):

Well, I agree. As I often say to people is you know, suicide is not the problem to be solved. It's the symptom of an underlying issue. And for many veterans who are in a place of suicidal crisis, those underlying issues are suffering with things like post traumatic stress and the increased anxiety and the hypervigilance and things like that. And so Dr. Lipov is not someone who would normally be on a list of suicide prevention experts. He would be on this list of people that are treating one of the conditions that leads to suicide. This is what we wanted to do is bring somebody on the show that, look, this is a novel, unique intervention that is actually working that this can be one piece of the puzzle. So really appreciated my conversation with Gene. Let's get into that and we'll come back afterwards to pull out some of the key points.

Duane France (04:00):

<...

About Today’s Guest:

Cicely Burrows-McElwain is the Senior Public Health Advisor, Military and Veteran Affairs Liaison, National Policy Liaison Branch, Division of Regional and National Policy/ Office of Policy, Planning, and Innovation (OPPI), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Cicely currently works to advance veteran outcomes through government department collaboration to address the mental health and substance use needs of military members and veterans and their families.

She has over 18 years of experience working in rural behavioral health systems in local, state and federal programs. Now prior to joining the team at SAMHSA, she served as a clinical social worker for the VA in veterans integrated service network five in the VA Maryland healthcare system. Cecily is an adjunct lecture for Salisbury university social work department where she teaches courses on rural social work and disaster mental health.

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

List of Mayor's and Governor's Challenge Partners

Suicide Prevention Resource Center

CDC Resource: Preventing Suicide: A Technical Package of Policy, Programs, and Practices

Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Technical Assistance (SMVF TA) Center

Real Warriors Campaign

VA's S.A.V.E. Training (introduction to suicide prevention)

Episode Sponsor:

milMedia Group

Shauna's latest book: Beyond the Military: A Leader's Handbook for Warrior Reintegration

Duane's latest book: Military in the Rear View Mirror: Mental Health and Wellness in Post-Military Life

Using an app makes subscribing and listening to podcasts (both ours and others) so much simpler. Just subscribe to Seeking the Military Suicide Solutionwithin your app and it will automatically update every time a new episode is released. You can also find all of the podcast players here.

Episode Transcript:

Duane France: (00:00) Welcome to episode four of the Seeking The Military Suicide Solution Podcast brought to you by the Military Times. I'm Duane France.

Shauna Springer: (00:07) And I'm doc Shauna Springer.

Duane France: (00:09) And we'd like to thank you for taking the time to learn more about suicide in the military affiliated population. I'd like to thank our sponsors, milMedia Group. milMedia Group is a proven web design and digital media agency specializing in supporting organizations focusing on the military population. Find more about them at www.milmediagroup.com

Duane France: (00:35) Hey everybody. Welcome back to the show. Once again and as always, really appreciate you joining us to listen to an honest conversation about service member veteran and military family suicide. Our guest today is Cicely Burrows-McElwain. Shauna?

Shauna Springer: (00:49) So Cecily Burrows-McElwain serves as a military and veterans affairs liaison for SAMHSA where she focuses efforts on strengthening cross agency collaboration between organizations like the VA, the department of health and human services, and the department of defense in meeting the behavioral health needs of service members, veterans, and their families. She has over 18 years of experience working in rural behavioral health systems in local, state and federal programs. Now prior to joining the team at SAMHSA, she served as a clinical social worker for the VA in veterans integrated service network five in the VA Maryland healthcare system. Cecily is an adjunct lecture for Salisbury university social work department where she teaches courses on rural social work and disaster mental health.

Shauna Springer: (01:39) In speaking with Cecily, it's quickly evident that her work is not just a job. One sign of her dedication is that she engages in volunteer efforts that serve our nation's defenders, Cecily volunteers, for example, as a First Lieutenant in the Maryland military department's defense force as a clinical social worker with the 10th Medical Regiment. As we'll see in her interview, she's passionate about advancing collaborations that results in positive community level outcomes. It's a pleasure to have her join us as we kick off the initial episodes of seeking the military suicide solution.

Duane France: (02:15) It absolutely is. A Cicely as a friend, is a colleague, and I'm really excited to be able to bring this interview to the listeners. We'll get into the conversation and then we'll come back afterwards to pull out a few key points.

Duane France: (02:38) You're the VA/DOD liaison for SAMHSA. So you have a very sort of high level strategic view of suicide prevention. It's not the only part of your job, but, but that's a big part of it.

Cicely McElwain: (02:51) Yeah, you're absolutely right. What I get to do is really play a coordination role between the work that we do here at SAMHSA, the work that, kind of the larger partnership within all of the department of health and human services does around suicide prevention and bringing those resources, subject matter experts, et cetera to our partners at DOD and VA. And it's really a great kind of macro level viewpoint as you mentioned, but it allows for a perspective that really, for me, being a public servant, really reinforces my meaning as being in this kind of a role because we're able to kind of identify how these federal departments, these large organizations can really make a difference for communities. And so it's been a real honor to do this job.

Duane France: (03:40) I mean it's hard to balance sometimes because it is such a very personal and even local issue. The things that are gonna work in Colorado Springs aren't going to work in San Antonio and they're not going to work...Heck, even the things that work in Baltimore not going to work in DC. And so a, , talking about what works, what is working from your point of view, how do you balance that sort of macro level with the need for community involvement?

Cicely McElwain: (04:07) That's a great question Duane. And I think it's one thing that actually my agency at SAMHSA has done very well on a number of issues related to behavioral health. But in particular when it comes to suicides, there was this understanding that, because this is such a personal issue that touches so many lives, because we have a recognition that there's no community that's not impacted by this. The recognition has been the best way to go about getting action on this huge issue is to get communities involved at the grassroots level up....

About Today’s Guest:

Dr. Matt Miller is currently the Acting Director for Suicide Prevention, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention for the Department of Veterans Affairs. He was appointed the permanent Director of the Veterans Crisis Line on July 23, 2017. Dr. Miller joined the VA in January of 2012 as the Chief of Mental Health at the Saginaw VAMC in Saginaw, Michigan.  He has been detailed to the national mental health office as a Technical Assistance Specialist and as Senior Consultant for National Mental Health Technical Assistance.  Before coming to VCL, Dr. Miller served as Deputy Chief of Staff for the Saginaw VAMC, with responsibility and oversight of facility-wide access and quality, assisting Saginaw with achieving and maintaining a 5-star ranking by facility complexity in the nation on SAIL.  Within his role as Director of the VCL, Dr. Miller has been privileged to be a part of a team that has created and implemented a third call center in Topeka, KS, has increased total staffing to 900+ FTE becoming the world’s largest crisis call center, has achieved a 96 percent reduction in Rollover calls to the backup call center, has developed an industry-leading Quality and Training program, has achieved certification via nationally-recognized oversight organizations, and has innovated cutting edge research projects in the field of suicide prevention.

Dr. Miller received his PhD from Michigan State University, East Lansing, and his MPH from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.  He completed a professional clinical psychology internship via the United States Air Force (USAF), Wright Patterson Medical Center, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.  Thereafter, he was assigned to Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Oklahoma, as Chief of Mental Health.  Miller was awarded “Officer of the Year” representing the 71st Medical Group in 2003; in the same year, he was awarded the USAF “Cutting Edge Award” for program development and outcomes addressing and treating Complicated Airsickness Management for Pilots.”

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

VA Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention

2019 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report 

Episode Sponsor:

milMedia Group

Shauna's latest book: Beyond the Military: A Leader's Handbook for Warrior Reintegration

Duane's latest book: Military in the Rear View Mirror: Mental Health and Wellness in Post-Military Life

Using an app makes subscribing and listening to podcasts (both ours and others) so much simpler. Just subscribe to Seeking the Military Suicide Solutionwithin your app and it will automatically update every time a new episode is released. You can also find all of the podcast players here.

Episode Transcript:

Duane France: (00:00) Welcome to episode three of the Seeking the Military Suicide Solution Podcast brought to you by the military times. I'm Duane France.

Shauna Springer: (00:07) and I'm doc Shauna Springer.

Duane France: (00:09) and we'd like to thank you for taking the time to learn more about suicide in the military affiliated population. I'd also like to thank our sponsors, milMedia group. Milmedia group is a proven web design and digital media agency specializing in supporting organizations focusing on the military population. Find out more about them at milmediagroup.com

Duane France: (00:38) Thanks again to everybody for joining us to listen to an honest conversation about service member veteran and military family suicide. The response to the concept of the show has been outstanding. It's generating a lot of conversation and that's what we're trying to do. Our guest today is Dr. Matt Miller, Acting Director for Suicide Prevention for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Shauna?

Shauna Springer: (01:00) Today we're pleased to bring Matt Miller onto the show. As Duane said, his official role as Acting Director for Suicide Prevention for the Department of Veterans Affairs, but like other guests, this is not a job. It's personal. The back story is this: many years ago, Matt Miller was the only psychologist on Vance air force base in Enid, Oklahoma. In this role, he was in charge of mental health for the entire base. He led all efforts related to suicide prevention, family advocacy, substance abuse treatment, and critical incident response services. He also became part of the inner circle of major John Ruocco. By all accounts, John was the kind of guy that lit up a room, a decorated Cobra pilot. He was someone who had more than 75 combat missions under his belt and John was a rock for many people, including Matt Miller. John was also someone that never fully revealed the depth of his hidden pain, even to those who love him most. When John died by suicide in February, 2005 the grief that initially engulfed those closest to him later fueled an explosion of posttraumatic growth. John's wife, Kim Ruocco, who will be featured on a future episode of Seeking the Military Suicide Solution, has led efforts to develop and refine what is now the leading postvention model in the country. And Matt Miller went on to become the director of the veteran's crisis line and is now the acting national director for suicide prevention for the department of veterans affairs.

Duane France: (02:32) Yeah, it's really great to hear Matt's background and like we've talked about even in the introductory episode, you know, the reasons why people come to this work are often very personal and that's definitely the way it was with Matt. So let's get into the conversation and we'll come back afterwards to pull out some of the key points.

Duane France: (03:01) The work that you're doing now and the work that you've done before focusing on suicide in the veteran population with the VA. What do we know that works with preventing suicide in the veteran population?

Dr. Matt Miller: (03:16) Hmm. We know...that's a question that we all are constantly asking in the context of such an important issue where lives are truly on the line on a daily basis. In terms of what we know works. We know that a public health approach to suicide prevention is evidence-based and work. A public health approach means that...kinda consider it like an equation, where you have an equal sign and on the right hand side of the equal sign you have public health approach. So really then what's on the left hand side of the equal sign, there's two things. Number one, there's clinically based interventions and then number two, there's community based intervention. And they, those two clinically based interventions and community bas...

About Today’s Guest:

Dr. Craig J. Bryan, PsyD, ABPP, is a board-certified clinical psychologist in cognitive behavioral psychology, and is currently the Executive Director of the National Center for Veterans Studies at The University of Utah. Dr. Bryan received his PsyD in clinical psychology in 2006 from Baylor University, and completed his clinical psychology residency at the Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, TX. He was retained as faculty in the Department of Psychology at Wilford Hall Medical Center, where he was Chief of the Primary Care Psychology Service, as well as the Suicide Prevention Program Manager for Lackland AFB. 

Dr. Bryan deployed to Balad, Iraq, in 2009, where he served as the Director of the Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic at the Air Force Theater Hospital. Dr. Bryan separated from active duty service shortly after his deployment, and currently researches suicidal behaviors and suicide prevention strategies, and psychological health and resiliency. He currently manages numerous federally-funded projects in excess of $10 million, to include studies testing cognitive behavioral treatments for suicidal service members, developing innovative methods to identify and detect high-risk military personnel and veterans, and disseminating effective treatments to health care providers and the public. 

Dr. Bryan has published over 120 scientific articles and several books including Managing Suicide Risk in Primary Care, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Preventing Suicide Attempts: A Guide to Brief Treatments Across Clinical Settings, and the Handbook of Psychosocial Interventions for Veterans and Service Members: A Guide for the Non-Military Mental Health Clinician. He is the lead risk management consultant for the $25 million STRONG STAR Research Consortium and the $45 million Consortium to Alleviate PTSD, which investigates treatments for combat-related PTSD among military personnel, and has served on the Board of Directors of the American Association for Suicidology. He is considered a leading national expert on military and veteran suicide. For his contributions to military mental health and suicide prevention, Dr. Bryan has received numerous awards and recognitions including the Arthur W. Melton Award for Early Career Achievement, the Peter J.N. Linnerooth National Service Award, and the Charles S. Gersoni Military Psychology Award from the American Psychological Association; and the Edwin S Shneidman Award for outstanding contributions to research in suicide from the American Association of Suicidology.

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

National Center for Veterans Studies

Dr. Bryan on Social Media

Twitter

LinkedIn

Episode Sponsor:

milMedia Group 

Shauna's latest book: Beyond the Military: A Leader's Handbook for Warrior Reintegration

Duane's latest book: Military in the Rear View Mirror: Mental Health and Wellness in Post-Military Life

Using an app makes subscribing and listening to podcasts (both ours and others) so much simpler. Just subscribe to Seeking the Military Suicide Solution within your app and it will automatically update every time a new episode is released. You can also find all of the podcast players here.

Episode Transcript:

Duane France: (00:00) Welcome to seeking the military suicide solution podcast brought to you by the military times. I'm Duane France

Shauna Springer: (00:06) And I'm doc Shauna Springer

Duane France: (00:08) And we'd like to thank you for taking the time to learn more about suicide in the military affiliated population. I'd like to thank our sponsors, milMedia group. milMedia group is a proven web design and digital media agency specializing in supporting organizations focusing on the military population. Find more about them at milmediagroup.com.

Duane France: (00:34) Thanks again to everybody who joined us to listen to an honest conversation about service member veteran and military family suicide. Our guest today is Dr. Craig Bryan from the University of Utah. Shauna, how about you tell us about our guest.

Shauna Springer: (00:47) Sure. Dr. Craig Bryan is an Air Force veteran, a board certified clinical psychologist and Executive Director of the National Center for Veteran Studies at the University of Utah. Greg and his wife Annabel met in Iraq in 2009 when both of them were engaged in military service roles. After separating from the military, at times, they've both considered going back in and their daughter posed this question to them: why would you think about going back to Iraq when you're both satisfied with your job, with your housing, with really just about everything else in your life? And so as Craig reflected on this question, he realized that the pull of returning to Iraq had a feeling of unfinished business and then he saw that this was actually an illusion. One that is maybe common to many who serve. As he put it, it's something we do to ourselves. Always thinking about what we've done and how it's not good enough even when we've done more than enough. Before we built a friendship, I admired Craig and AnnaBelle for their dedication to the mission of suicide prevention and their ability to engage in both in the trenches work with those who are suffering and their high level thought leadership. Craig and AnnaBelle are on mission to support fellow veterans. They are considered field leading experts on suicide and suicide prevention strategies. It's such a pleasure to have them on the podcast as one of our lead off interviews for Seeking the Military Suicide Solution.

Duane France: (02:07) I really appreciate that. You know, when we started putting this together, a lot of people, when I said, "who should we have on the show?" A lot of people said, Dr. Craig Bryan, he was usually top of the list. And so I'm really glad that we were able to have him on the show. Let's get into the conversation and we'll come back afterwards to pull out some of the key points.

Duane France: (02:35) From Your perspective, what is the thing that really works when it comes to preventing suicide in the military population?

Craig Bryan: (02:41) There's sort of two, I think, arms to thinking about what works in suicide prevention. One arm falls on the healthcare side of the house and then the other arm is outside of the healthcare system. And I point that out, because we know, you know, 70% of veterans who died by suicide are not actively seeking out of mental health care at the time of their death. And that seems to be true for both active duty currently serving military as well as those who are no longer in...