As a clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), I am passionate about dispelling myths and common misunderstandings I hear about PTSD and its treatment. Here are some of the most frequent misconceptions I hear in my practice...
This is a story about a friend of mine. It is not only a very sobering story that touches close to home for me, since I am a spouse of a veteran who has been through several difficult deployments, but it is also a story that I hear over and over during my work at the Cohen Clinic in Fayetteville, NC.
Everyone is affected by suicide. This has come to light even more this past week with the suicide deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain.
Cohen Veterans Network spokesperson Kyle White, a Medal of Honor Recipient, recently spent a full day in El Paso stressing the need for mental health care for entire post-9/11 military families to a wide variety of audiences.
More than one hundred members of the veterans’ community, elected officials, and media attended the kickoff event held at the clinic located at 1103 West Stan Schlueter Loop in Killeen.
Recap an outstanding opening day for the Cohen Veterans Network in Denver.
Caregiving can present some extra challenges. Providing support for veterans and their partners is a unique aspect of CVN’s array of services that may help couples fill their potential to become battle buddies.
Serving in the military is more than just a job. It’s a way of life. And it affects the entire family. After more than 16 years into our longest war, many military families are growing weary.
On Tuesday April 24, one of the Cohen Veterans Network’s own, Silver Spring, MD Cohen Clinic Director Tracy Neal-Walden chaired a panel as part of her role on the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Committee on the Well-being…
April is the Month of the Military Child. Each year the Department of Defense honors military children and recognizes the role they play in their parent’s service. Here at the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic in Dallas, we recognize the impact of children in the life of our veterans as well.
In their short lives, both of my children have experienced separation from their father for longer than 6 months. Though he’s not always in a war zone, it still affects them. They also have no clue where he is other than that he is at work.
The hardest part of this life is explaining the time and distance to our children. Their bright, shiny eyes see the days as an eternity. When my four-year-old sees a stack of clean uniforms sitting on the table and asks, “Is daddy working forever today or just a tiny bit?” it breaks my heart.
One of the highlights of the CVN Annual Meeting, held this week in Chicago, was the presentation of the first CVN Founder’s Award.
Another key element in CVN’s commitment to suicide prevention is on display this month throughout our network of mental health clinics.
Thanks to strong performances at each Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic around the country, the network continues to earn top scores for Client Satisfaction and Client Improvements. Among the most important measurements is that 93% of all…
There are so many important data points and risk factors that we need to consistently be aware of when we work with veterans and family members who may be at risk for suicide. And much of this data may seem to contradict each other at times.
CVN has begun rolling out a second phase of training for clinics who have launched CVN Telehealth.
The Cohen Veterans Network has moved to greatly increase access to care throughout the entire state of Texas with the introduction of state-wide telehealth services.
The Cohen Veterans Network sponsored two CVN Scholars to attend the 2018 Society of Social Work Research Conference recently. The SSWR Annual Conference is a scientific program that reflects a wide range of research interests in the contemporary social work field. This opportunity allowed our scholars to learn from and connect with connected with leaders in the field and learn about cutting-edge social work research.
Insomnia (sleep disturbance) has been established as a risk factor for mental illness, and is a hallmark symptom of post-traumatic brain disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) and major depressive disorder (MDD), according to our sister organization Cohen Veterans Bioscience.
CVN Training is focused on strategic targets to promote successful, inclusive impact in the areas of collaboration, innovation and best practices.
CVN Training is committed to driving advancement in implementation of evidence-based practices.
CVN Training is focused on strategic targets to promote successful, inclusive impact in the areas of collaboration, innovation and best practices.
At each Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic, the potential treatment options are built around current best practices based on research. Our clinics deliver client-centered, customized outpatient care and utilize Evidence-Based Practices for therapy and counseling.
As the year ends, we reflect on the past year as we begin planning for the new year ahead. The reflection and review period always includes lessons learned, how to improve and goals for the new year. But in such…
The $275 million commitment that founder Steve Cohen made to launch the Cohen Veterans Network has been named by Forbes as one of the biggest bets placed to tackle some of society’s toughest problems.
Part of making sure that our veterans receive the care they deserve is understanding the intricacies of the family dynamic. In this sense, providing clinical services to our veterans and their identified family makes the most clinical sense. In doing so, we increase the overall likelihood of improved quality of life for veterans and their loved ones.
Next week the country will take notice and recognize the millions of veterans that have served in the United States military. While many of you will say “thank you” on November 11 to the veterans you know or encounter, as the leader of the Cohen Veterans Network I similarly want to honor the many veterans that are still serving in a different capacity.
At the Cohen Veterans Network, we take pride in creating access to high-quality mental health care for veterans and military families. We do this in part by removing some common barriers to care.
The next three Steven A. Cohen Military Family clinics to open will be in Denver, CO, Killeen, TX, and Clarksville, TN.
The VA Center for Innovation and the Public Policy Lab have produced a report that provides an extensive look at the state of mental health for veterans. Many of the findings and anecdotes from veterans around the country parallel the basic principles that the Cohen Veterans Network was founded upon.
Cohen Clinic clients can receive comprehensive therapy services from the comfort of their own homes or offices via CVN Telehealth, currently available in Texas and Pennsylvania.
What are we doing to support these veterans who separate from service and are ineligible for VA care due to less-than-honorable discharge? The answer is not much, and that is a travesty.
The concept of Implementation Science is at the core of what the Cohen Veterans Network does. CVN will continue this important conversation with a workshop at the second annual Cohen Veterans Care Summit in DC on September 27-28.
The cost to deliver mental health care is high and the Medicaid/Medicare/Private Insurance reimbursement rates are low. So, how do other community-based mental health organizations survive in this high demand, high acuity, and low reimbursement environment?
When it comes to doing social good, for- and non-profits have historically had an arm’s length relationship with each other. But some of the savviest non-profits and funders today are bringing the two closer together by drawing on principles we’re more used to seeing in the business world.
Sometimes it’s not about how much you do or have of something … but rather about the quality of the things you do. Or in other words, it’s about answering the right question, not having answers to all the wrong questions.
Today we remember the lives lost on September 11, 2001 and honor the people who joined the armed services after 9/11.
In the mental health literature that has emerged from psychological interventions following large-scale disasters, we have learned that psychological responses typically have distinct stages.
CVN is a learning organization, committed to measuring performance and making changes to improve patient outcomes. Well, CVN is now operating in a USA where each day, 142 people die in our country from a drug overdose.
September is national Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and the initiative holds the utmost importance in the veterans’ community. The Cohen Veterans Network is working to address this by offering a series of public webinars and messaging for the public to combat the issue.
As Back to School time approaches, CVN and Point72 gifted backpacks and school supplies to our Cohen Clinics to provide to their local military families. The Cohen Clinics each gave away at least 50 backpacks and school supplies, such as…
When we think of a support system, a family member or a friend may come to mind. Although less common, a support system can be found unexpectedly within anyone’s community. Unique relationships form between veterans and their friends in unlikely places, shown through these three stories.
Pursuant to our core values of Integrity, Community and Excellence, we stand with our nation’s military leadership in condemning racism, intolerance and bigotry.
It is important for every individual to have a support system, which can take many forms. Friends can serve as each other’s support systems, and in some cases, a friend may also be a fellow veteran. Today we would like to share the stories of friendships between Paul & Nathanael and as well as Duery & Rick.
Throughout the month of August, CVN will share a series of stories focusing on different types of veteran support systems. These compelling stories come from the StoryCorps Military Voices Initiative. Today we would like to share two stories of family support: Papsy & Griselda and Scott & Zach.
Last week, Task and Purpose published an article regarding an extremely concerning bill that has already passed the House of Representatives as a part of the National Defense Authorization Act. This bill creates a voluntary “Oath of Exit” for Service Members to take upon retiring from service which states that they will not attempt or die by suicide.
The Cohen Clinic in Fayetteville, N.C. opened to great acclaim this week.
Dallas news radio station KLIF featured the Cohen Veterans Network recently on its morning show with Dave Williams and Amy Chodroff.
As providers, it is critical to understand the unique challenges that members of the reserve forces may face, especially in light of the increased risk of suicide. National Guard and Reserve members, face the challenges and stressors of military and civilian lives, working to balance careers, fitness and readiness, family obligations, and more without the supportive infrastructure most active duty members experience.