ACA MEMBER BLOGS

Need-based businesses are all around us: pawn shops, Western Union, USPS, bus stations, even airlines. The DMV is the quintessential need-based business. The more something is need-based, the less likely customers will receive anything in the realm of an exceptional experience.

I work with and have personal relationships with many veterans who have honorably served this nation in ways that many people can’t begin to fathom. Today’s notice of temporary hiring freezes has me and other mental health pros in knots.

Now that a new year is upon us we as fathers can make new choices and commit to being optimal fathers in the lives of our children. One of the ways to do this is to begin making healthier choices in the kitchen. Many of us are working 2 or more jobs and find it difficult to take the time in our busy lives to reflect on our dietary habits.

As I started my internship in June 2015, I was thrilled that one of our psychoeducation classes was on the process of change, taken from Prochaska’s text. As therapists, we spend time each week teaching our patients about change spending a lot of time focusing on the process behind it.

This is literally a blog from the road, inspired by my ongoing Christmas related travels.

A friend of mine has a great job as a web developer. Recently, in his off time, he published a 6500-word analysis of a tech company’s website that got some industry attention. I asked him, “Joe, I know you’re busy; you’ve got a good, and demanding, job. Why did you bother?” His answer was on point. He said, “According to the world, if you don’t write it down, you don’t know it.”

Trauma is a profoundly human experience, happening to anyone regardless of gender, race, or profession. The degree of its effect is varied, the form it takes is most certainly tied to environmental and cultural context, and what is called into question are the deepest aspects of our lives.

As I ponder the completion of my first year as a Resident In Counseling, I reflect on my experience, goals and past successes within the field. Although the previous company that helped me to complete and submit my paperwork to the Virginia Board of Counseling was a good starting point, I was looking for more variety in clinical experiences within my caseload; which was somewhat limited.

Now that a new year is upon us we as fathers can make new choices and commit to being optimal fathers in the lives of our children. I was reminded of the importance of the power and influence I have as a father during a recent trip to Costa Rica with my daughter.

There are several challenges regarding veteran mental health, and the combination of them can often make the task of accessing mental health services impossible for veterans. There is, of course, the stigma attached to seeking mental health services.