A NEWSLETTER FOR PROVIDERS WHO TREAT VETERANS

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Our Next Lecture

Treatment Considerations for PTSD in Those with History of Concussion

Amy Jak, PhD

Wednesday, January 15 at 2:00pm ET 

Photo by Vitaly Gariev

About the Presenter

AMY JAK, PhD is the Neuropsychology Program Manager and Staff Neuropsychologist at VA San Diego, faculty within the Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health at VA San Diego, and a Professor in the UC San Diego Department of Psychiatry.  She is also president of the American Psychological Association’s Society for Clinical Neuropsychology. Dr. Jak’s research focuses on neuropsychology and cognitive rehabilitation in traumatic brain injury (TBI). She primarily investigates neuropsychological presentations in TBI as well as novel treatments to address persistent postconcussive symptom presentations in Veterans with history of concussion and comorbid mental health conditions, particularly PTSD.

About the Topic

The VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for PTSD 2023 supports good tolerance and efficacy for trauma-focused therapies in those with comorbid history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Some helpful considerations and modifications may, however, optimize trauma-focused therapies for those with a history of mTBI.  This purpose of this lecture is to help clinicians understand the research that supports the use of evidence-based trauma-focused therapy for patients with PTSD who have experienced a TBI.  Recent research about mTBI will be reviewed and information on how to integrate compensatory cognitive rehabilitation strategies into PTSD treatment will be discussed. Information about SMART-CPT, a treatment that combines Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for PTSD with compensatory cognitive rehabilitation strategies and other clinical applications will be shared. 

Upcoming Lectures

Featured Article

Traumatic Brain Injury and PTSD

Many of the contexts in which a TBI occurs may also be psychologically traumatic, so it is not uncommon for someone to have both TBI-related symptoms and PTSD from the same event. Indeed, injured patients with a TBI (and with multiple TBIs) are more likely to develop PTSD than those without a TBI history. This correlation may be particularly relevant, for instance, in military or interpersonal violence populations, where injuries may involve both physical and psychological trauma.

To better understand the different levels of traumatic brain injury (TBI) severity, how TBI and PTSD may affect each other, and what PTSD treatment may look like in the context of a history of TBI, READ THE FULL ARTICLE.

Free Resources

Using AboutFace: Real PTSD Stories

AboutFace encourages Veterans to seek treatment—and it's also a useful tool for clinicians and Peer Specialists. 

Download the User Guide(s) below to learn specific ways to use AboutFace with your clients:

• AboutFace Clinician Guide (PDF)
• AboutFace Peer Specialist Guide (PDF)

Concussion Coach

The Concussion Coach free mobile app was created to help people manage symptoms related to a concussion or head injury.  It is designed to help clients learn and practice healthy activities that can improve concussion symptoms.

Learn more and download for iOS or Android:

Concussion Coach

New: Moral Injury and PTSD Available on AboutFace

The new Moral Injury and PTSD topic in our AboutFace video gallery explores what might happen when Veterans experience stressful and traumatic events that violated their deeply held morals or values. These events can lead to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), moral injury, and in some cases, both. The videos and text on this page can help you learn from Veterans who experienced both PTSD and moral injury.  Explore it here:

Moral Injury and PTSD on AboutFace

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.