Veteran and Military Mental Health Certification Course: Culturally Competent Treatment for Trauma, Moral Injury, Substance Abuse, Suicidality, and More

William Brim, PsyD, is a clinical health and forensic psychologist and executive director of a large DoD healthcare provider training and education center. He has been involved in the military for over 40 years from ROTC in high school and college, to enlisting in the US Army and being commissioned as an officer in the US Air Force as a clinical psychologist. Dr. Brim is President-Elect of the Military Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association. He delivered hundreds of seminars and workshops and has written over twenty book chapters and articles on military culture and its impact on the healthcare of service members, veterans and their families.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. William Brim has employment relationships with the Center for Deployment Psychology, Chesapeake Wellness Associates, the University of the Health Sciences, and PESI, Inc. He is the principal investigator with the Defense Health Agency, in collaboration with the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Dr. Brim is a consultant for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Nightmares website. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. William Brim is a member of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, the Society of Air Force Clinical Psychologists, and the American Psychological Association.

Carrie H. Kennedy, PhD, ABPP. Is a neuropsychologist with specialization in military psychology and aeromedical psychology. An active-duty Captain in the US Navy, she has deployed to Cuba and Afghanistan. She is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia, a Fellow of both the American Psychological Association (APA) and the National Academy of Neuropsychology, and serves as Fellows Chair for APA Division 19, Society of Military Psychology. Awards include the APA Division 19 Charles S. Gersoni Award, Robert S. Nichols Award, and the Distinguished Mentor Award, and she is a two-time Navy Psychologist of the Year winner. She serves on the editorial board of Psychological Services and is board certified in both clinical and police and public safety psychology. She has over 70 publications, including the seminal text in military psychology, Military Psychology: Clinical and Operational Applications, now in its third edition.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Carrie Kennedy is the Chief of Naval Air Training Human Performance Program and receives royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Carrie Kennedy is a member of the American Psychological Association, the American Board for Professional Psychology, and the National Academy of Neuropsychology. She is a consulting editor with Psychological Services.

Shannon Sauer-Zavala, PhD, is co-developer of the Unified Protocol and the founding director of the Unified Protocol Institute at the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University. She has provided training and consultation in the Unified Protocol to clinicians all over the world. In addition to over 15 years' experience as a clinical psychologist providing evidence-based treatments, Dr. Sauer-Zavala maintains a prolific research career focused on exploring emotion-focused mechanisms that maintain psychological symptoms (particularly high-risk symptoms such as suicidal thoughts and behaviors) and using this information to develop more targeted, easily disseminated intervention strategies. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Kentucky (UK) and is the founding director of Clinical Services at the UK Clinic for Emotional Health. Dr. Sauer-Zavala completed her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from UK, her predoctoral internship at Duke University Medical Center, and her postdoctoral fellowship at Boston University. Her research has been supported by NIMH, NIAAA, Templeton Foundation, the Center for Implementation and Improvement Sciences, and the Canadian Institute of Health Research. Dr. Sauer-Zavala has co-authored over 100 scholarly publications and three books, including workbook and therapist guides on the Unified Protocol for Oxford's Treatments That Work Series, as well as Neuroticism: A New Framework for Emotional Disorders and Their Treatment, with David Barlow.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Shannon Sauer-Zavala has employment relationships with the University of Kentucky and Boston University. She receives grants from NIMH and The John Templeton Foundation. Dr. Sauer-Zavala receives royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Shannon Sauer-Zavala a member of the North American Society for the Study of Personality Disorders, the Association for Psychological Science, the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy, and the APA Division 12.

Justin C. Baker, PhD, ABPP, is an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral health at The Ohio State University and the clinical director for the Suicide and Trauma Reduction Initiative (STRIVE), a research and clinical treatment program that prioritizes evidence-based treatment for veterans, first responders, and civilians suffering from trauma and/or suicide. He is a board-certified clinical psychologist and military veteran focused on improving interventions for trauma and suicide-related disorders. His work has been funded by the Department of Defense and other private foundations. Dr. Baker is also a national consultant and sought out trainer for suicide-focused treatments. A recent recipient of the Henry A. and Amelia T. Nasrallah Award for Research Excellence in Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, his work has been featured in various media outlets to include CNN, Psychiatric Times, CBS, ABC News, CNN Health, NPR, The American Homefront Project, Yahoo, and US News & World Report.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Justin Baker has employment relationships with the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center STRIVE. He is the Principal Investigator with the Department of Defense, and the co-Investigator for PCORI, the Department of Defense Air Force, and Department of Defense PRMRP. He receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Justin Baker is a member of American Psychological Association. He is an ad-hoc reviewer for several publications, for a complete list contact PESI, Inc. He serves as a community action board member for PTSD, Suicide Risk, and TBI at the University of Pennsylvania.

Kathleen M. Chard, Ph.D., is a co-developer of CPT and director of the Trauma Recovery Center at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center. Serving as the VA CPT Implementation Director, Dr. Chard oversees the dissemination of CPT to mental health clinicians across the United States. She is the co-author of Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD: A Comprehensive Model (The Guilford Press, 2017) and author of CPT for Sexual Abuse treatment manual (2012). A sought-after speaker, Dr. Chard has personally trained over 5,000 clinicians throughout the United States on using CPT with veterans, active-duty personnel, and civilians in addition to overseeing the training of tens of thousands of others via the trainers she supervises. She is co-chair of a 17-site study comparing CPT to Prolonged Exposure in US veterans in addition to conducting a $6 million-dollar Department of Defense study on the assessment of PTSD. She served as a past editor of the Journal of Traumatic Stress and is a professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Kathleen Chard has employment relationships with Cincinnati Veterans Administration Medical Center, the Cincinnati Veterans Administration Medical Center, the University of Cincinnati, the Cincinnati Veterans Administration Medical Center, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. She receives royalties as a published author. She has a research activity that is grant funded through DoD/CDMRP/TBIPHRP and the PESI Foundation. Kathleen Chard receives a speaking honorarium, recording, and book royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Kathleen Chard is an ad hoc reviewer for several peer review journals, for a complete list contact PESI, Inc. She is a member of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

Michelle Flaum, EdD, LPCC-s, DCMHS, is author of the first book dedicated solely to the topic of medical trauma, Managing the Psychological Impact of Medical Trauma: A Guide for Mental Health and Health Care Professionals and founder of the Certificate in Medical Trauma-Informed Care at Xavier University, which is the first training program of its kind worldwide. A Fellow of the American Mental Health Counselors Association, and Dual-Diplomate, Clinical Mental Health Counseling Specialist in Trauma Counseling and Integrated Behavioral Health Care Counseling, Dr. Flaum has worked with the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative/Stanford University and The Council on Patient Safety in Women’s Healthcare to develop assessment tools to help clinicians provide improved quality of care for patients who experience medical trauma. She is a strong advocate for integrating mental health professionals into treatment teams to enhance the patient experience and improve patient care, and her assessment tools and protocols are used throughout the world. She is the medical trauma specialist and executive board member for Live the Pain, an international organization of professionals based in Tel Aviv, Israel working to bring innovative solutions to the management of pain. Additionally, Dr. Flaum has been featured throughout the media, including NPR’s All Things Considered, Doctor Radio on SiriusXM, Health Professional Radio, Refinery29, Social Work Today, Psychotherapy Networker, Counseling Today, Healthcentral.com, The Conversation and Elle Magazine. 
 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Michelle Flaum maintains a private practice and has an employment relationship with Xavier University. She receives royalties as a published author. Michelle Flaum receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationship with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Michelle Flaum is the Co-Founder and Vice President of Ohio Association of Counselors in Private Practice. She serves on the editorial review board for the Nursing for Women's Health. She is a member of the American Counseling Association, the American Mental Health Counselors Association, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and the Ohio Counseling Association.

Melissa Bradley-Ball, MS, NCC, BCETS, FAAETS, is a psychotherapist, clinical educator, corporate consultant and mediator. She is a Fellow, Diplomate and board-certified expert in traumatic stress for the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. She has been a frequent keynote speaker at national and statewide conferences and has provided training internationally to more than 350,000 professionals, including mental health providers, medical providers, clergy and chaplains, law enforcement, and legal professionals. She is a former child abuse investigator who has provided expert testimony in criminal and civil court. Ms. Bradley-Ball has been a frequent guest on regional and national radio and television news addressing rape and sexual abuse. She has served as a subject matter expert on a pilot program focused on military leadership and sexual assault and harassment.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Melissa Bradley Ball is the owner of The Heroic Journey. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Melissa Bradley Ball is a Fellow and Diplomat of the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. She is a member of the American Counseling Association and the Tennessee Counseling Association.

Wyatt R. Evans, PhD, ABPP, is a licensed and board-certified psychologist who specializes in moral injury theory, assessment, and interventions. He is a staff psychologist with the VA North Texas Health Care System and assistant professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Evans’ expertise in posttraumatic stress, resilience, and recovery comes from his training and work in military treatment facilities, veterans affairs hospitals, and PTSD research institutions. He is lead author of The Moral Injury Workbook and founded the Moral Injury Special Interest Group of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS). Dr. Evans has consulted with healthcare providers and administrators as well as organizations supporting emergency managers and first responders to support the recognition, prevention, and treatment of moral injury.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Wyatt Evans maintains a private practice and has employment relationships with the United States Army Reserve, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, the VA North Texas Health Care System, William Woods University, Plano Mental Health Clinic, and Central Texas College. He receives royalties as a published author. Dr. Evans receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Wyatt Evans is a member of the American Board of Professional Psychology, the American Psychological Association, the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. He is an examiner for the American Board of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy. Dr. Evans is a reviewer for several peer review journals, for a complete list contact PESI, Inc.

Colleen E. Carney, PhD, is on faculty in the department of psychology at Toronto Metropolitan University, where they are the director of the sleep and depression laboratory. They are a leading expert in psychological treatments for insomnia, particularly in the context of co-occurring mental health issues. Their work has been featured in The New York Times and they have over 100 publications on insomnia.

Dr. Carney frequently trains students and mental health providers in CBT for Insomnia at invited workshops throughout North America and at international conferneces. Dr. Carney is a passionate advocate for improving the availability of treatment for those with insomnia and other health problems. For more information, please visit www.drcolleen carney.com

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Colleen Carney has employment relationships with Toronto Metropolitan University and Duke University. They receive grants from the Wellcome Trust Directed Call Grant, University of Ottawa Brain-Hart Interconnectome, and Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Sleep Research Consortium. Dr. Carney receives royalties as a published author. They receive a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. Dr. Carney has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Colleen Carney is a member of the Canadian Association of Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies, the Canadian Psychological Association, the Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), the Canadian Sleep and Circadian Network, the Canadian Sleep Society, the Sleep Research Society, and the Canadian Association for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.

Meg Danforth, Ph.D., CBSM, is a licensed psychologist and certified behavioral sleep medicine specialist who provides advanced clinical care to patients with sleep disorders and comorbid medical and mental health issues. She is a clinician and educator at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC. As the Director of the Duke Behavioral Sleep Medicine Clinic, she has been helping people sleep better without medication for the past 15 years. She also provides clinical training and supervision to psychology graduate students, interns, and fellows. Dr. Danforth is committed to teaching clinicians from a variety of backgrounds to deliver CBT-I in the settings in which they practice. Her work has been featured in the Associated Press and CBS News.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Margaret Danforth is the founder and director of Triangle CBT-I, PLLC. She receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Margaret Danforth is a member of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies and the Society of Behavioral Sleep Medicine.

Andrew Tatarsky, PhD, is developer of IHRP and author of Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: A New Treatment for Drug and Alcohol Problems. He’s founder and director of the Center for Optimal Living, a treatment and professional training center based on IHRP.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Andrew Tatarsky maintains a private practice. He receives royalties as a published author. Dr. Tatarsky receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Andrew Tatarsky is the Founding Executive Board Member of the Association for Harm Reduction Therapy and is a member of the American Psychological Association and the New York State Psychological Association. He serves on several journal review boards, for a complete list contact PESI, Inc.

Andrew Walen, LCSW-C, LICSW, CEDS-S, is the founder of DUDE Mental Health, psychotherapist, and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Supervisor with a specific focus on males with eating disorders. He was the founder of The Body Image Therapy Center and Vice President of Eating Disorders Treatment for Refresh Mental Health. Andrew has appeared on The Today Show, featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Men's Health, and many other national and local media outlets as an expert in the field of eating disorders and body image. In addition, he has authored numerous articles and presented workshops at national and international eating disorder conferences. He authored Man Up to Eating Disorders, which is a memoir and self-help book directed at males with eating disorders. Andrew is the immediate past-President of the National Association for Males with Eating Disorders (NAMED), which merged with the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) in November 2019. He currently serves as NEDA's Senior Advisor on Males with Eating Disorders and as the Certification Chair for the Baltimore chapter of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp). He is also a past founding board member of the Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA).

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Andrew Walen is the founder of D.U.D.E Mental Health and receives royalties as a published author. He receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Andrew Walen serves as Baltimore chapter certification chair for the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals and as senior advisor for the National Eating Disorders Association.

Benjamin M. Keizer, PhD, ABPP, is a board-certified clinical health psychologist with extensive post-doctoral training in clinical health psychology at the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium. He serves as the head of Health and Human Performance Psychology at the Center for the Intrepid (CFI), Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas where he provides care for military service members who have sustained serious injuries (e.g., amputation, limb-salvage, multi-trauma, major surgery). In this capacity he serves as both a provider and program director for the Functional Restoration Program for chronic pain and a provider and program manager of the Special Operations Performance and Recovery (SPaR) program. He has been awarded an Army Systems of Health Innovation Grant as a result of excellence in creating novel interdisciplinary programs, and his leadership resulted in a 2018 and 2022 Best of the Best Specialty Care Clinic award from the military and Army Health Systems.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Benjamin Keizer has employment relationships with the San Antonio Military Medical Center and Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center. He receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Benjamin Keizer has no relevant non-financial relationships.

Sherrie All, PhD, is a neuropsychologist and an engaging speaker and writer whose expertise in the principles of neuroscience, functional neuroanatomy, and diagnostics give her a unique insight into the correlation between mental health disorders, therapeutic approaches, and what happens to the brain itself.

Dr. All is the owner of the Chicago Center for Cognitive Wellness where she combines her strong background in CBT with mindfulness techniques, motivational interviewing and dynamic interpretations to help her clients manage depression, stress, anxiety, mental illness and cognitive challenges. A trained neuropsychologist who received her PhD from Rosalind Franklin University, she also brings her detailed understanding of the brain to uniquely address the needs of people with traumatic brain injuries, dementia, and other conditions.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Sherrie All is the owner of Chicago Center for Cognitive Wellness. She receives royalties as a published author. Sherrie All receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-Financial: Sherrie All is a member of the American Psychological Association. the Illinois Psychological Association, and the International Neuropsychological Society. She serves on the American Society on Aging editorial review board.

Prior to a career in the field of mental health, George Faller, MS, LMFT spent 20 years as a NYC Firefighter and NYC Police Officer. His experience as a FDNY Peer Counselor, particularly following the events of 9/11, sparked his passion to help those impacted by trauma.

He is a certified trainer/supervisor/therapist in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and founder of the New York Center for Emotionally Focused therapy where he serves as president. He is a supervisor with the American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy (AAMFT) and teaches classes at the Ackerman Institute for the Family in Manhattan. He is a licensed marriage & family therapist currently practicing in Connecticut and New York. George is the director of training at the Greenwich Center for Hope & Renewal in Connecticut and is on board of the Porter Cason Institute at Tulane University in New Orleans.

George brings a unique and varied experience to his practice. Whether he is providing marriage therapy to Wall Street executives, leading a conference for the United States Military or equipping therapists from around the globe, his ability to inspire is far-reaching. George is also committed to bringing EFT to underprivileged populations and pushing the leading edge of effective therapy.

George is the coauthor of the books True Connection, Sacred Stress, and Emotionally Focused Family Therapy and cohost of podcast Foreplay Radio. For more information go to www.georgefaller.com and checkout www.successinvulnerability.com

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: George Faller is the Director of Training for the Center For Hope & Renewal, and the Founder & Emeritus President of the New York Center for Emotionally Focused Therapy. He receives compensation as a trainer. George Faller is the co-host of a podcast, a leader of Success in Vulnerability, and adjunct professor at the Ackerman Institute for the Family. He receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: George Faller is a board member of ICEEFT and Porter-Cason Institute for Families.

Patrick Dougherty, MA, LP, is a psychologist in private practice with over 40 years of clinical experience. He has been studying Eastern philosophies and practices for over 25 years and integrating them into his clinical work. He served in the Marine Corps infantry in Vietnam and leads an international group working with the collective trauma of armed violence, genocide, and war and its impact of communities. He is the author of Qigong in Psychotherapy: You can Do So Much by Doing So Little and A Whole-Hearted Embrace: Finding Love at the Center of it all.

 

Speaker Disclosures:

Financial: Patrick Dougherty maintains a private practice.  Mr. Dougherty receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.

Non-Financial: Patrick Dougherty has no relevant non-financial relationship to disclose. 

Janina Fisher, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, founder of Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST), advisory board member of the Trauma Research Foundation, and coauthor with Pat Ogden of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Interventions for Attachment and Trauma and author of Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors: Overcoming Self-Alienation and Transforming the Living Legacy of Trauma.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Janina Fisher is an international expert and consultant on Trauma and Dissociation. She is a consultant for Khiron House Clinics and the Massachusetts Department of MH Restraint and Seclusion Initiative. Dr. Fisher receives royalties as a published author. She receives a speaking honorarium, recording royalties and book royalties from Psychotherapy Networker and PESI, Inc. Dr. Fisher has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Janina Fisher is on the advisory board for the Trauma Research Foundation. She is a patron of the Bowlby Center.