• Our Next Lecture
• Featured Article
• Free Resources

Our Next Lecture

Bridging the Gap: Using VA Mental Health Apps to Support Treatment for PTSD

Colleen Becket-Davenport, PsyD and Jason Owen, PhD, MPH

Wednesday, November 15 at 2:00pm ET 

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio

About the Presenters

COLLEEN BECKET-DAVENPORT, PsyD is a clinical psychologist at the National Center for PTSD, Dissemination and Training Division. She is an Implementation Facilitator and the Communication and Training Lead for the Tech into Care Program. She is also a consultant for the PTSD Consultation Program. As part of her role, Dr. Becket-Davenport delivers trainings on VA mental health apps and works with healthcare teams to incorporate apps into care. She is also a Prolonged Exposure clinician and has worked with Veterans from all branches and service eras. She received her Psy.D. from the Wright Institute in Berkeley, CA. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at VA New York Harbor Healthcare System, and her postdoctoral fellowship at Weill Cornell’s Program for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Studies.

JASON OWEN, PhD, MPH is a clinical psychologist and Mobile Apps Team Lead at the Dissemination and Training Division of the National Center for PTSD.  He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at Loma Linda University. Dr. Owen's expertise is in the development and evaluation of technology-based interventions for improving mental health and PTSD-related outcomes.  His work also focuses on public health approaches to mHealth and using mobile analytics to improve engagement and impact of technology-based mental health services.  He received his PhD and MPH from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

About the Topic

Digital resources such as online programs and mobile applications (apps) are an important tool that can be helpful at all stages across the continuum of mental health care. Mobile technologies that help people manage symptoms can be offered as a bridge to recovery-oriented treatment when there are longer than usual wait-times. For those in treatment, mobile health technology can supplement mental health treatment and promote self-management of mental health symptoms. Furthermore, they can be recommended as a resource to enhance telehealth visits. Given the potential broad reach of mobile mental health apps and other digital resources, the National Center for PTSD has developed a suite of free, publicly available mental health apps and online programs designed to support the mental health needs of those with PTSD and related concerns (e.g., insomnia, anger management, and substance use; Owen et al., 2018). This presentation will review current research and the latest clinical developments in the use of NCPTSD  mental health apps for self-care and to enhance clinical care.

Featured Article

Provider Guide to Addressing Veterans' Reactions to Large-Scale Traumatic Events

Veterans may experience a range of challenging emotions related to large-scale traumatic events, such as wars, terrorism, mass violence or disasters. Veterans may have personal ties to the people or place where the events occur which can exacerbate these feelings. These events can also be a powerful reminder of Veterans' own experiences.

Read the full version of this recently updated article

Free Resources

Helping Veterans Cope with Large-Scale Traumatic Events

Given the variety of large-scale traumatic events in recent weeks and currently happening around the world, we updated information on our website that can be shared with Veterans who are experiencing related stress.

Our Tips for Veterans Coping With Large-Scale Traumatic Events page describes common reactions to these events, strategies for managing ongoing distress, and information about when to consider professional help.

New Online Courses

Two new recorded lectures are now available in our catalog of online courses.  Free continuing education credit is available for a variety of professional disciplines.

• Understanding Native American History as a Foundation of Culturally Aware PTSD Treatment  presented by Dr. Charlotte McCloksey 
• Addressing Racial Trauma in Military Populations Through Evidence-Based Psychotherapies for PTSD presented by Dr. Brittany Hall-Clark   

NEW: Safety Plan Mobile App

Announcing the latest mobile phone app from the National Center for PTSD.  The Safety Plan app is for anyone who has experienced thoughts about suicide or self-harm. It helps patients make a safety plan, share their safety plan with loved ones, and use tools to manage distress.

Read more and download the app

Are you treating U.S. Veterans?

Our team of expert clinicians is available to consult with any healthcare provider treating U.S. veterans in any setting.   We can discuss assessment, diagnosis, psychotherapy, medications, collaborating with VA care, patient and family education, continuing education, and just about anything else related to veterans and PTSD.  No question is too big or too small. Contact us at PTSDconsult@va.gov or 866-948-7880.