A NEWSLETTER FOR PROVIDERS WHO TREAT VETERANS

• Our Next Lecture
• Upcoming Lectures
• Featured Article
• Free Resources

Our Next Lecture

PTSD and Physical Health

Paula Schnurr, PhD

Wednesday, March 20 at 2:00pm ET 

About the Presenter

PAULA SCHNURR, PhD is Executive Director of the VA National Center for PTSD. She is Professor of Psychiatry at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.  She has written or co-edited over 300 chapters, books, and journal articles. Dr. Schnurr is editor-in-chief of the Clinician's Trauma Update-Online. She also is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, past-president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS), and former Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Traumatic Stress.

About the Topic

This lecture will provide a review of the physical health effects of traumatic exposure. Research findings from both civilian and military populations are featured. Dr. Schnurr will illustrate how a person’s reaction— posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) especially—mediates the effect of exposure and that there are plausible mechanisms through which PTSD could promote health. This presentation is meant to enhance the provider’s knowledge base regarding the effects of traumatic exposure/PTSD on mental and physical health. 

Upcoming Lectures

Featured Article

PTSD Screening and Referral: For Health Care Providers

Trauma-related problems are common among the general population and Veterans, and such problems can affect physical and psychological functioning as well as use of health care services. However, PTSD is often underrecognized by medical practitioners, resulting in patients not being offered the effective treatments that are available. It is recommended that health care providers routinely screen individuals for trauma-related symptoms. Use of a PTSD screen increases a health care provider's ability to detect PTSD and to initiate appropriate referral.

Read more and download our free screening tool

Free Resources

Provider Self-Care Toolkit

This toolkit is for providers who work with those exposed to traumatic events, to help reduce the effects of job-related stress, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress. Working with trauma survivors is rewarding, yet such work can create challenges. Hearing trauma survivors' stories can be difficult and some providers may find they experience burnout or secondary traumatic stress as a result. In this toolkit you will find assessment tools, strategies, and resources to help you care for yourself while working with those who have experienced trauma or have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

EXPLORE THE TOOLKIT

We also offer a one-hour online course with interactive exercises, clinical vignettes, and handouts for easy reference:

Search Our Online Database

PTSDpubs database is a freely available, online database produced by the National Center for PTSD providing access to the worldwide literature on PTSD and other mental health consequences of exposure to traumatic events.

PTSDpubs has unique features that set it apart from other databases:

• A custom PTSD and trauma-focused thesaurus 
• A detailed listing of tests and measures 
• A comprehensive range of publication types
• Cross-disciplinary coverage of all publications relevant to PTSD

SEARCH PTSDpubs

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.