Military Psychology Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Do you have a hard time getting patients to stick with trauma-focused treatments? Do you or your patients ever wish you could escape reality and spend some time as someone new? In this episode, Dr. Jinkerson sits down with the Military Psychology Podcast’s own Dr. Brooke Long to discuss the use of the popular tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons as a treatment modality for PTSD. Outside of her roles in editing and producing for the podcast, Dr. Long is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, and Clinical Supervisor at the Road Home Program in Chicago, IL, where she developed and runs a novel D&D psychotherapy group dubbed “Roll for Healing” (a punny wordplay on the D&D phrase “roll for initiative”) focused on treating Veterans and Active Duty suffering from PTSD and other invisible wounds of service. From exposure therapy to social skills training, cognitive defusion to emotion regulation, and even empathy building, cultural humility, and therapist improv, D&D has shown tremendous efficacy in symptom improvement and psychosocial functioning. Want to hear more about this unique form of treatment or learn more about how to start a D&D therapy group yourself? This is the episode for you!

Dr. Long can be reached at our podcast email below, or by connecting to her on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/brookelongpsyd/

Want to get connected with our team or guests? Have feedback, suggestions, or recommendations? Send us an email at milpsychpodcast@gmail.com

In the age of social media and technological advancement, we are seeing more and more patients requesting the newest and most “trending” treatment methods for their physical and mental health concerns. Navigating this ever-evolving landscape can be tricky, particularly when these techniques do not align with the published Clinical Practice Guidelines for evidence-based care. In this episode, Dr. Jinkerson sits down with Dr. Emily O’Hara, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist based at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center, the only integrated Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs treatment site in the nation, where she currently serves as the Psychology Program Manager and Section Chief overseeing outpatient PTSD programming, Primary Care Mental Health Integration, and the Community Based Outpatient Clinics in McHenry, IL, Evanston, IL, and Kenosha, WI. In this episode, we discuss the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicines within Active Duty and Veteran populations and Dr. O’Hara shares her experience with research and implementation of these complementary approaches to treatment in this unique integrated setting. Ever wondered about the difference between an FDA-approved vs. FDA-cleared treatment? Have an interest in learning more about acupuncture, acupressure, yoga, mindfulness, and/or the FreeSpira device? This is the episode for you!

For additional questions or to connect with Dr. O’Hara, she can be reached at Emily.C.OHara@gmail.com

Want to get connected with our team or guests? Have feedback, suggestions, or recommendations? Send us an email at milpsychpodcast@gmail.com

Research psychologists are the backbone of psychological science, and many listeners have been asking to hear more about conducting research and applied work within the military. Join us for another exciting episode on the Intro to Military Psychology as we discuss a popular topic: conducting research with military populations! Listen in on our talk with Dr. Kristin Saboe, former Army psychologist who shares her experience working at the pentagon, deployed as a researcher on a Mental Health Advisory Team (MHAT) and discussing her current interests in veteran employment. We host an interesting discussion about the unique ways military psychologists wear many hats from deployed locations to congressional legislature. Dr. Saboe is the recipient of the 2019 Society for Military Psychology's Early Career Psychologist Award, the 2020 Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology's Early Career Practitioner Award, and in 2019, she was selected to participate as one of 43 national leaders in the highly competitive George W. Bush Institute's Veterans Leadership Program.

Want to reach Dr. Saboe or have feedback, suggestions, recommendations? Send us an email at div19studentrep@gmail.com or reach us on Facebook (fb.com/Div19Students ) or Twitter (@div19students).

Our inaugural episode for the LGBTQ Military series features a talk with Lt Col Bree Fram. She’s an astronautical engineer, published author, transgender advocate, and delightful person. We cover her impressive military career, including working at the Pentagon...twice(!), we talk 'misgendering,' 'passing,' and self-disclosure. Lt Col Fram also invites medical providers and mental health professionals to provide affirming care to LGBTQ patients...and tells us how. Acknowledging that we live in a unique historical time, one of open LGBTQ service, she provides a fresh perspective on how military leaders can harness the unique leadership skills that this community brings to the workplace.

Resources referenced in this episode:

-Disclosure documentary: https://www.netflix.com/title/81284247

-Lt Col Fram's forthcoming book: https://nyupress.org/9781479801053/with-honor-and-integrity/

-SPARTA: https://spartapride.org/

Beyond the conventional roles (Therapist, Researcher, Educator, Etc.), one hat psychologists wear is that of an advocate. In this episode, we examine how military psychologists can advocate and contribute to organizational and societal change for the betterment. We discuss with Dr. Nicholas Grant, recipient of multiple accolades for his research, leadership, and contribution in his service to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) communities. Dr. Grant currently serves as a Navy psychologist and is the President-Elect of the GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality. He has previously served alongside Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand as a Congressional Fellow with the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Through his past and current policy and legislative work, his advocacy efforts are directed toward LGBTQ equality, particularly on health care and military policies as they pertain to transgender service members. Additionally, he is an active volunteer, expert, and leader in LGBTQ communities as well as Division 19 and Division 44, The Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, of the APA, where he often lends his expertise to advocate for change. Dr. Grant shares his advocacy experience and how he applies his experience in military context to promote policy change.

Want to reach Dr. Grant or have feedback, suggestions, recommendations? Send us an email at div19studentrep@gmail.com or reach us on Facebook (fb.com/Div19Students) or Twitter (@div19students).

What do COVID vaccine development and foreign language training have in common? Answer: they both involve psychological science. In this episode, we pivot to research and applied psychology, how they look in the military context and how they are used to solve "real world problems." We talk to the current and past president of Division 19, Drs. Maurice Sipos and Eric Surface, about their perspectives on the topic. Dr. Sipos is an Active Duty Army psychologist with a PhD in Experimental Psychology, with an emphasis on behavioral neuroscience. He is a Professor and the Director of Strategic Leadership Course in the Department of Command, Management, and Leadership at the US Army War College. His research focus is wide ranging, including impact of biological agents on human, behavioral health and well-being, leadership, mindfulness and moral courage. Dr. Surface is a civilian I/O psychologist who founded ALPS InsightsTM, a Raleigh-based company that provides research and consulting services for learning and development evaluation and analytics. Dr. Surface contributed to the success of US Special Operations by serving as a consultant and applied researcher, leading projects such as foreign language training effectiveness and training needs assessment studies. Drs. Sipos and Surface share with us their personal and professional experiences as military psychologists, how they became military psychologists, and their thoughts and recommendations to students interested in being a research/applied military psychologist.

Want to reach Drs. Sipos and Surface? Have feedback, suggestions, recommendations? Send us an email at div19studentrep@gmail.com or reach us on Facebook (fb.com/Div19Students ) or Twitter (@div19students). 

Intro to Military Psychology: Becoming an Active Duty Psychologist with CAPT John Ralph (Ret.), USN

You might be curious about military psychology as a career. You might also be wondering, how does one become a military psychologist? Many students are unsure where to start! If this resonates with you, this is just the episode you need to hear! In this episode, we collaborate with retired Navy psychologist and the National Director of Navy Psychology Training Programs CAPT (Ret.) Dr. John Ralph. We discuss the different training pathways to becoming a military psychologist in all service branches. Dr. Ralph also shares his journey into military psychology as well as a glimpse of his extensive experience as a military psychologist, such as being the first ship psychologist aboard USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) to leading the midshipmen development center at US Naval Academy to becoming the training director of Navy psychology.

Want to reach Dr. Ralph or have feedback, suggestions, recommendations? Send us an email at div19studentrep@gmail.com or reach us on Facebook (fb.com/Div19Students ) or Twitter (@div19students).

Are you curious what it is like serving as a military psychologist in operational settings? Wondering what is life like as an active duty psychologist? In our inaugural episode, we learn just that from retired (Col) Dr. Mark Staal. Dr. Staal has worked as licensed psychologist for 25 years, serving 20+ years as an active-duty military psychologist with the US Air Force and is an expert in the field of operational psychological, ethics, and the psychological science pertaining to national security. He is an esteemed authored to multiple articles, chapters and books on these topics and he continues to push the literary needle forward in these specialty areas. On this episode we discuss his career and experience as a military psychologist, from being a NASA Aerospace Psychology Fellow to a senior Air Force operational psychologist across the world. Join us for an exciting review of what it’s like to serve as a military psychologist in active duty settings. Dr. Staal shares multiple tips for anyone considering this as a potential career path!

He most recently co-authored a book “Operational Psychology: A New Field to Support National Security and Public Safety,” which digs deep into the ethical issues surrounding the work of operational military psychology practitioners. Dr. Staal is an avid participant in Division 19, the Society for Military Psychology and is currently operating his own consulting firm - http://www.ossconsultation.com/index.html 

Want to reach Dr. Staal or have feedback, suggestions, recommendations? Send us an email at div19studentrep@gmail.com or reach us on Facebook (fb.com/Div19Students ) or Twitter (@div19students).

Welcome to our new Series, Introduction to Military Psychology! Subscribe to the Military Psychology Podcast Network feed for free access, and follow the Society for Military Psychology at www.militarypsych.org and on social media at @APADIV19. Div19studentrep@gmail.com is a good way to get in touch with us.

A growing body of research has shown significant disparities in health delivery among minority patients, negatively impacting health care outcomes. Understanding implicit bias within the Military Medical System is crucial for leaders to understand barriers to care for both active-duty Military Members and Veterans. The impact of limited representation of minority providers on Service Members of Color to seek medical care can have a profound impact on health care outcomes, both long and short term. To ensure the highest caliber of care is given to all Service Members, leaders must be willing to look at health care outcomes and assess for the possible impact of implicit biases to improve deficits within the findings. MAJ Joseph Gomez, a Physician Assistant in the United States Army, shares his personal experiences as both a patient and provider of navigating biases in the military medical system and how he advocates for change through education and mentorship.

MAJ Joseph Gomez has served in the United States Army for 22 years, with 10 years of service as a laboratory technician while an Enlisted Soldier. MAJ Gomez went on to graduate from the Interservice Physician Assistants Program and continues to serve as a Physician Assistant. He has been deployed multiple times, provided medical services in a forward deployed environment, with Infantry and Aviation units, and has served as a clinic chief.