Institute for Disaster Mental Health SUNY New Paltz: Conference

5th Annual IDMH Conference
Friday April 11, 2008

HEALING THE SCARS OF WAR:

A ONE-DAY CONFERENCE

Registration closed

All presentation materials can be accessed at the following site:
» Healing the Scars of War Materials & Resources

Most soldiers returning to civilian life will experience only brief periods of difficulty. Others, however, will demonstrate high rates of emotional distress both immediately and even long after their wartime experiences. Although many returning veterans will be treated in VA hospitals, others seek treatment from mental health practitioners outside of the VA system, sometimes months or years after homecoming. It is clear that all mental health professionals need to provide up- to- date therapeutic interventions to work productively with these veterans.

This Conference will provide mental health providers with the latest evidence-informed best practices for assisting returning service personnel experiencing stress reactions by highlighting a number of long-term treatments. Presenters and workshop leaders are among the most well-published and eminent researchers and practitioners in the field of trauma studies and have expertise in treating returning veterans. The morning keynote speakers will highlight several approaches to assessment and treatment of veterans and their families including relevant aspects of military culture and strategies for dealing with the special needs of uniformed service personnel. The afternoon workshops will provide mental health practitioners with more in-depth guidance and training.

Schedule Overview

8:30-9:00	Breakfast and On-site Registration, Lecture Center Lobby
9:00-9:15	Welcome: James Halpern, Ph.D., IDMH Director Introductory remarks: Michael F. Hogan, Ph.D., Commissioner of the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH)
9:15-9:20	Introductions: Phyllis R. Freeman, Ph.D. IDMH Board Chair
9:20-10:20	Keynote: David Riggs, Ph.D., Stress Through the Deployment Cycle: Impact on Military Personnel and Their Families
10:20-10:40	Coffee break, Lecture Center lobby
10:45-11:45	Keynote: Patricia Resick, Ph.D., Recognizing PTSD in Returning Combat Veterans
11:45-12:15	Military Culture 101: Fred Bush, LMSW & Kai Chitaphong, LMSW
12:15-1:45	Lunch & Focus Group
12:30-1:30	Working Lunch: Navigating Veterans' Service: Providing the Compass Colonel (Retired) James D. McDonough, Dir. of NYS Division of Veterans' Affairs
1:45-4:15	Concurrent Professional Workshops: Rachel Yehuda, Ph.D., Treating Returning War Veterans David Riggs, Ph.D., Difficulties in Family Reintegration Following Military Deployments Patricia Resick, Ph.D., An Overview of Cognitive Processing Therapy for Treating PTSD Edward Tick, Ph.D. & Larry Winters, LMHC, Healing the War-wounded Soul Pam Atkins, Ph.D., Suicide in Soldiers Fred Bush, LMSW & Kai Chitaphong, LMSW, Reducing Stigma, Increasing Access for Returning Service Members Paul Greene Ph.D. & Dianne Kane, D.S.W., Lessons Learned from 9/11 Work With First Responders: How Can We Apply These to Work With Returning Vets? Laura Payack, M.A., Talk, Listen, Connect: Helping Families with Deployments, Homecoming, and Changes The Rev. Frank Wismer & Chaplain Lyn Brown, Ph.D., Life and Death in the Garden of Eden: The Role of Clergy in Helping Veterans, Active Military, and Their Families » Speaker Bios » Workshop Descriptions & Learning Objectives
4:15-5:30	Networking and Tabling–Held in the Lecture Center Lobby

Conference Coordinators:

Phyllis R. Freeman, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology at SUNY New Paltz. Dr. Freeman is the Chair of the IDMH Advisory Board and a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Community Health in the School of Public Health at New York Medical College.

James Halpern, Ph.D., IDMH Director and Professor of Psychology at SUNY New Paltz. Dr. Halpern is Chair of Disaster Mental Health Services for the Ulster County Chapter of the American Red Cross and has responded to both local and large-scale national disasters. He is coauthor of the textbook Disaster Mental Health: Theory and Practice.

Meredith Johnson, IDMH Sr. Research Associate, is a graduate student at SUNY New Paltz in the Mental Health Counseling M.S. program.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!

Presenting Co-Sponsors:

The National Institute of Mental Health
The NYS Office of Mental Health
The Ulster County Mental Health Department
SUNY New Paltz Campus Auxiliary Services
SUNY New Paltz College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Local Lodging:

Special conference rate being offered at:
Minnewaska Lodge, 845-255-1110

Other lodging is available at:
Econo Lodge, 845-244-6200
Rodeway Inn & Suites, 845-883-7373
Super 8 Lodging, 845-255-8865
Lefevre House B&B, 845-255-4747

For other lodging suggestions:
www.newpaltzchamber.org