Blog

Since the COVID-19 crisis began, Systems, Families, & Couples PhD program graduate Danna Carter has been thinking about how best to contribute to the world in meaningful ways during this difficult time.

We've all seen the announcements that older adults, especially those with underlying health conditions, are hit hardest by the coronavirus and the illness it causes. Communities and businesses are stepping up to help keep older adults safe by minimizing their exposure to possible COVID-19 carriers. For example, many grocery stores now have special hours set aside earlier in the day for only those 65 and older to shop.

The other day a colleague asked me how I was doing and my response was: "Great. Um, pretty good. I mean, just okay, I guess." We both laughed heartily at my quickly changing state of mind, but also acknowledged its validity. I don't know about you, but the last few weeks have left me perplexed at my own responses to COVID-19. One moment I'm bored from not being able to leave my house and then next I'm overwhelmed by the state of the world and an uncertain future.

Stuck at home and feeling stressed due to isolation, job loss and the pandemic, many Americans are turning to drugs and alcohol. Stressful situations combined with increased drug and alcohol use set the stage for potentially dangerous, abusive situations, especially for vulnerable youth.

Update: Dr. Catherine Sanner and Hadley McGregor presented this webinar on Wednesday, April 29, 2020! View the recording here.

Update: This group is now meeting on Tuesdays at 12 PM and Thursdays at 11 AM. Find the new Facebook event here. The Zoom link and recording link remain the same.

Wow! Who could have imagined we would need to practice physical distancing during spring quarter? While this is a challenging time, we can all be comforted by the thought that humans are very resilient and that we will get through this. One of the characteristics that we look for in behavioral health professionals is cognitive flexibility, and this is one of these times where we realize how useful this really is.

When a child experiences an injury or illness that requires an ambulance ride to a hospital, it can be a traumatic event. Often, pre-hospital providers such as paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) have minimal knowledge of traumatic stress in children. They haven’t been trained in utilizing coping techniques or the provision of psychosocial care to pediatric patients and their families.

The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies is a multidisciplinary organization that aims to enhance the health and well-being of individuals by advancing the science of understanding, assessing, preventing, and treating human problems through the use of behavioral, cognitive, and biological evidence-based principles. Every year, members of ABCT meet for a national conference.

In December of 2013, the small island nation of St. Vincent suffered a devastating flood. With only a handful of psychiatrists and psychologists supporting the entire nation, access to behavioral health was limited and the government soon realized that it would need to train some of its citizens in crisis response.