MGCA Blog | Serving Those Who Serve

Colleagues, the William & Mary Counselor Education Program is seeking a tenure-track assistant professor with research, teaching, and clinical interest in Couples, Marriage, and Family, as well as Military & Veterans Counseling. Please view the link below for more information: https://jobs.wm.edu/postings/45814

***MGCA JOURNAL

The Journal of Military and Government Counseling (JMGC) is an official publication of the Military and Government Counseling Association (MGCA), a division of the American Counseling Association. This journal upholds the highest academic and professional standards using a peer review process. The journal is published multiple times a year, and publishes articles on all aspects of practice, theory, research, and professionalism related to counseling and education in military and government settings.

The mission of the journal is to promote reflection and to encourage, develop, facilitate, and promote professional development for administrators, counselors, and educators working with all members of the Armed Services and their families, whether active duty, guard, reserve, retired, or veteran; civilian employees of the Department of Defense; first responders including EMS, law enforcement, fire, and emergency dispatch personnel; and employees of Local, State and Federal governmental agencies.

The journal aims to highlight engaged scholarship and to conduct and foster professional monographs to enhance individual human development and increase recognition of humanistic values and goals among the members and within the agencies where they practice. The journal thus attempts to develop and promote the highest standards of free intellectual inquiry among administrators, counselors, and educators working in these environments.

The procedure for submitting articles is available at http://mgcaonline.org/journal/jmgc-guidelines-for-authors and the contact email is JMGC_Editor@mgcaonline.org.

If you are interested in being a reviewer for the JMGC. Please contact the JMGC_Editor@mgcaonline.org. You must be a current member of the Military and Government Counseling Association.

***MGCA Mission Statement: The mission of MGCA is to encourage and deliver meaningful guidance, counseling, and educational programs to all members of the Armed Services, Veterans, their family members, and civilian employees of Local, State and Federal Governmental Agencies. Encourage development of professional monographs and convention/conference presentations by any of these agencies. Develop and promote the highest standards of professional conduct among counselors and educators working with Armed Services personnel and Veterans. Establish, promote, and maintain improved communication with the nonmilitary community; and conduct and foster programs to enhance individual human development and increase recognition of humanistic values and goals within State and Federal Agencies.

- Aug 16, 2121
  ARTICLES
  Houlahan bill would reduce health care cost for veterans and their families
  Wellness programs aim to help veterans, active military members with substance abuse, mental health issues
  Firefighters fight suicide: When helpers need help
  Texas DSHS reveals ‘concerning’ survey results about first responder mental health
  **ANNOUNCEMENTS:
  Urgent request for membership, please respond by 12pmEST on Wednesday 8/4/21
  Seeking reviewers for ACA Conference proposals!
  • 3-5hr commitment between July 30-Aug 20
  • If interested, please email secretary@mgcaonline.org with your NAME and ACA #
  Seeking membership involvement for MGCA Committees
  • Open positions for:
  o Media Chair
  o Bylaws/Strategic Framework
  o Nominations/Awards
  • Please email secretary@mgcaonline.org with your NAME, ACA #, and brief (3-5 sentences) INTEREST STATEMENT
  Seeking nominations for MGCA Board Positions
  • Call for nominations for:
  o President Elect
  o Governing Council Representative
  o Graduate Student Representative
  • Please email secretary@mgcaonline.org with you NAME, ACA #, INTEREST STATEMENT, and CV
  ***RESEARCH STUDY
  None at this time

***MGCA JOURNAL
The Journal of Military and Government Counseling (JMGC) is an official publication of the Military and Government Counseling Association (MGCA), a division of the American Counseling Association. This journal upholds the highest academic and professional standards using a peer review process. The journal is published multiple times a year, and publishes articles on all aspects of practice, theory, research, and professionalism related to counseling and education in military and government settings.
The mission of the journal is to promote reflection and to encourage, develop, facilitate, and promote professional development for administrators, counselors, and educators working with all members of the Armed Services and their families, whether active duty, guard, reserve, retired, or veteran; civilian employees of the Department of Defense; first responders including EMS, law enforcement, fire, and emergency dispatch personnel; and employees of Local, State and Federal governmental agencies.
The journal aims to highlight engaged scholarship and to conduct and foster professional monographs to enhance individual human development and increase recognition of humanistic values and goals among the members and within the agencies where they practice. The journal thus attempts to develop and promote the highest standards of free intellectual inquiry among administrators, counselors, and educators working in these environments.
The procedure for submitting articles is available at http://mgcaonline.org/journal/jmgc-guidelines-for-authors and the contact email is JMGC_Editor@mgcaonline.org.
If you are interested in being a reviewer for the JMGC. Please contact the JMGC_Editor@mgcaonline.org. You must be a current member of the Military and Government Counseling Association.
***MGCA NEWSLETTER
If you would like to be a part of the upcoming MGCA newsletter, please forward all materials to Tom Watson @ watsontlpc@gmail.com
Examples of requested content include:
-Upcoming Veterans / First Responder events in your area
-Related activities and/or community involvement that you have coordinated or in which you have participated
-Related conference presentations that you have done
-Related research you are conducting
-Related legislation impacting our focus populations in your area

May 5, 2021

MGCA Members,
ARTICLES
Operation Gratitude, Blue Star Families, and Starbucks Join Forces to Support Military Mental Health and Bring Communities Together
DoD Report: US Military Suicides Spike in 2020
First Responder Cyclist Group to Host Interactive Mental Health Campaign **STARTS TODAY
Stand-To 2021: A National Veterans Convening
**ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The University of Iowa’s College of Education I-SERVE Office and The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) is pleased to announce our Women Veteran Virtual Series. The workshop is a four part series covering four domains of wellness: (1) Physical, (2) Intellectual, (3) Emotional, and (4) Spiritual. Please, share with your students, faculty, and staff who are veterans and may be interested. Thank you!

See below for information on dates, topics, and registration:

*ReNew You*
Women Veteran Virtual Series

(1) Healthy Habits in A Day: April 9, 2021 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
(2) Owning Your Time: May 14, 20201 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
(3) WRAP It Up!: June 11, 2021 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
(4) Finding Your Balance: July 23, 2021 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm

Please, register at https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bCyKsr3XECCSt4G

If you are a person with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to participate in this event, please contact laura-boddicker@uiowa.eduin advance.
***RESEARCH STUDY
None at this time

January 11, 2021

MGCA Members,
We hope that everyone is continuing to stay safe and taking care of themselves mentally, physically, and emotionally during these times. Please see the articles below for this week!
ARTICLES
Maryland Department of Health Launches Operation Courage: Mental health program for frontline workers, first responders
Mental Health Hotlines for First Responders, Health Care Workers, Cops Goes live in NJ
Jill Biden’s Ready to go to Work for Military Families Again
Why Separating Veterans Shouldn’t Just Take Any Job They Can Get
Ocala Man Pitches $220 Million Rank for Women Military Vets
**ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Happy 2021 and a warm welcome to our new members! The Military and Government Counseling Association is thrilled to have significant growth in our membership. We look forward to engaging with you virtually and in person in 2021. Our membership represents vital advocacy, research, and counseling initiatives across the nation in the service of improving access to care and outcomes for military and government connected clients.
Thank you!
***VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Are you a Veteran and willing to share your story? Researchers creating a mindfulness group treatment for moral injury are looking for Veterans willing to share their insight about moral injurious experiences with other Veterans. If interested, please contact Elizabeth Burgin (eeburgin@wm.edu) for more information.
***RESEARCH STUDY
Dear clinician working with sexually violent persons (SVPs),
My name is Stalina Harris, and I am a doctoral candidate in the Ph.D. Program in Counselor Education and Supervision at Walden University. I am conducting a study examining differences in burnout of clinicians who work with sexually violent persons (SVPs) by their grit, the strengths of the supervisory working alliance, and the job settings. I am seeking volunteers who work as clinical therapists with and provide direct mental health treatment to SVPs, including counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and psychologists to participate in this study.
This study is only for clinicians who work with the population of SVPs. Juvenile sex offenders do not meet the criteria for SVPs. Do not participate if you provide treatment to juvenile and general sex offenders who did not meet the criteria for SVP because your burnout can be different from those who work with SVPs.
Participation in this survey is voluntary and can be discontinued at any time. Only fully completed surveys will be used in this study. If you feel uncomfortable to answer any of the questions, you can discontinue at any time. The survey is confidential and anonymous and takes about 20 to 25 minutes to answer the questions. The online platform SurveyMonkey offers password protection and encryption software to store data. It also disrupts the connection between your answers and email address, thus ensuring your anonymity. Exported data will be encrypted and securely stored in a password-protected computer during research. All responses will be reported in the aggregate, and the results of the study will be used for my doctoral dissertation, scholarly presentations, or articles for publication. Participating in this study would not pose a risk to your safety or wellbeing and involves no more risk than of the minor discomforts that can be encountered in daily life. Once the study is completed, data will be stored on an external media drive (flash drive) for 5 years and destroyed after that time. My research information and results of the study will be shared through publication in ProQuest and presentation in the ATSA forum.
Information About Me
I have been a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Illinois since 2014. I was employed at the treatment and detention facility for sexually violent persons for the last four years and am aware of the struggles that clinicians face. While searching for research related to burnout of clinicians working with SVPs, I discovered that research related to the population of clinicians working with SVPs is inconclusive. That is why I decided to contribute to the field by investigating burnout of clinicians who work with this population.
Contact Information
You may contact me via email stalina.harris@waldenu.edu if you have any questions about the study or your organization’s participation. Also, you can contact Walden University regarding the rights of the participants rights by emailing irb@mail.waldenu.edu. Walden University’s approval number for this study is 11-12-20-0542843 and it expires on November 11, 2021.
If you feel you understand the study well enough to make a decision about your participation, please click on the link below:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CN2BFWM

Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Stalina Harris, LPC, LASOTP, NCC, Ph.D. Candidate, Walden University
***MGCA JOURNAL
The Journal of Military and Government Counseling (JMGC) is compiling a special issue that will focus on the needs of First Responders (defined as personnel in all areas of emergency medical, law enforcement, and fire services; including emergency dispatch personnel, community safety officers, trained emergency personnel, and those involved in disaster response).
Therefore, we are inviting manuscript submissions that focus on these populations, their families, and their professional communities. If you have experience with these populations, consider submitting a manuscript to share your expertise on a population that is underrepresented in the literature and clinical practices.

The procedure for submitting articles is available at JMGC Guidelines for Authors (http://mgcaonline.org/journal/jmgc-guidelines-for-authors) and the contact email is JMGC_Editor@mgcaonline.org.

If you are interested in being a reviewer for the JMGC. Please contact the JMGC_Editor@mgcaonline.org. You must be a current member of the Military and Government Counseling Association.

***MGCA NEWSLETTER
If you would like to be a part of the upcoming MGCA newsletter, please forward all materials to Tom Watson @ watsontlpc@gmail.com
Examples of requested content include:
-Upcoming Veterans / First Responder events in your area
-Related activities and/or community involvement that you have coordinated or in which you have participated
-Related conference presentations that you have done
-Related research you are conducting
-Related legislation impacting our focus populations in your area

Thank you for allowing me to serve you!

December 11, 2020

We hope that everyone is continuing to stay safe and taking care of themselves mentally, physically, and emotionally during these times. Please see the articles below for this week!
ARTICLES
Addressing PTSD Among Older Combat Veterans
Florida Gov. Hosts A Roundtable Discussion About First Responder Mental Health
Pandemic Prompts Wounded Warrior Project and Fortune 500 Companies to Jointly Address Veterans’ Mental Health
Sergeant Daniel Somers Veterans Network of Support Act Signed into Law
**ANNOUNCEMENTS:
None at this time
***RESEARCH STUDY (NEW)
Dear clinician working with sexually violent persons (SVPs),
My name is Stalina Harris, and I am a doctoral candidate in the Ph.D. Program in Counselor Education and Supervision at Walden University. I am conducting a study examining differences in burnout of clinicians who work with sexually violent persons (SVPs) by their grit, the strengths of the supervisory working alliance, and the job settings. I am seeking volunteers who work as clinical therapists with and provide direct mental health treatment to SVPs, including counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and psychologists to participate in this study.
This study is only for clinicians who work with the population of SVPs. Juvenile sex offenders do not meet the criteria for SVPs. Do not participate if you provide treatment to juvenile and general sex offenders who did not meet the criteria for SVP because your burnout can be different from those who work with SVPs.
Participation in this survey is voluntary and can be discontinued at any time. Only fully completed surveys will be used in this study. If you feel uncomfortable to answer any of the questions, you can discontinue at any time. The survey is confidential and anonymous and takes about 20 to 25 minutes to answer the questions. The online platform SurveyMonkey offers password protection and encryption software to store data. It also disrupts the connection between your answers and email address, thus ensuring your anonymity. Exported data will be encrypted and securely stored in a password-protected computer during research. All responses will be reported in the aggregate, and the results of the study will be used for my doctoral dissertation, scholarly presentations, or articles for publication. Participating in this study would not pose a risk to your safety or wellbeing and involves no more risk than of the minor discomforts that can be encountered in daily life. Once the study is completed, data will be stored on an external media drive (flash drive) for 5 years and destroyed after that time. My research information and results of the study will be shared through publication in ProQuest and presentation in the ATSA forum.
Information About Me
I have been a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Illinois since 2014. I was employed at the treatment and detention facility for sexually violent persons for the last four years and am aware of the struggles that clinicians face. While searching for research related to burnout of clinicians working with SVPs, I discovered that research related to the population of clinicians working with SVPs is inconclusive. That is why I decided to contribute to the field by investigating burnout of clinicians who work with this population.
Contact Information
You may contact me via email stalina.harris@waldenu.edu if you have any questions about the study or your organization’s participation. Also, you can contact Walden University regarding the rights of the participants rights by emailing irb@mail.waldenu.edu. Walden University’s approval number for this study is 11-12-20-0542843 and it expires on November 11, 2021.
If you feel you understand the study well enough to make a decision about your participation, please click on the link below:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CN2BFWM

The procedure for submitting articles is available at JMGC Guidelines for Authors (http://mgcaonline.org/journal/jmgc-guidelines-for-authors) and the contact email is JMGC_Editor@mgcaonline.org.

If you are interested in being a reviewer for the JMGC. Please contact the JMGC_Editor@mgcaonline.org. You must be a current member of the Military and Government Counseling Association.

Thank you for allowing me to serve you!

December 22, 2019

MGCA Members,
Please enjoy the MGCA president’s message, along with the articles/announcements provided for this week!

Dear MGCA Members,
Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year to you all! Here’s to wishing that 2020 is your best year yet!!! To all of our Veterans and First Responders, thank you for your commitment, strength, and self-less service to our country and your local communities. We cannot thank you enough for all you do and have done.
Please do not forget that our nation has been at war for over 18 years with nearly 200,000 troops currently deployed around the world. Back home, family members separated by war will spend this holiday season hoping for their loved one’s safe return. Please keep these families in your thoughts during this holiday season.
Thank you for all you do! Your continued work and dedication to our military service members, first responders, and their family members is greatly appreciated and so needed!
Happy Holidays!
Jennifer
Jennifer Sztalkoper, Ph.D.
MGCA President, 2019-2020

How To Help Veterans During the Holidays
Read the article at: https://militarybenefits.info/how-to-help-veterans-during-the-holidays/
Christmas Tree Honors Fallen First Responders
Read the article at: https://www.policeone.com/health-fitness/articles/christmas-tree-honors-fallen-first-responders-hG4kpklMUgDZH69t/
**ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Registration is Now Open for the DHA Clinical Communities Speaker Series Home Study Activities
Registration is now open for the Defense Health Agency (DHA), J-7, Continuing Education Program Office (CEPO), Clinical Communities Speaker Series (CCSS) Home Study Activities in the new Continuing Education Management System (CMS).
Home study activities are web-based, pre-recorded courses offering Continuing Education (CE) and Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit. The CCSS home study activities are virtual so you can earn CE/CME credit from anywhere! The topics covered offer CE/CME accredited content to all health care providers and support the full range of military operations in order to sustain the health of all those entrusted to DHA’s medical care.
Home Studies & Overview of Topics
April 2019 DHA CCSS
The April CCSS, “The Management of Children and Pediatric Health Issues,” home study activity will be available until December 10, 2019. There are up to 5.5 CE/CMEs available if all courses within this series are completed. To register visit the following link: https://www.dhaj7-cepo.com/content/april-2019-clinical-communities-speaker-series#group-tabs-node-course-default1
• “Environmental Stressors and the Military-Connected Child”
• “Child Protection within the Department of Defense”
• “A Comprehensive Review of the Current Topics in Pediatric Medicine” – Panel Presentation
• “Youth and Bullying: How Health Care Providers Can Support Our Military Children”
• “A Review of Select Behavioral Health Programs for the Pediatric Population in the Military Health System”
June 2019 DHA CCSS
The June CCSS, “Contemporary and Promising Practices in Palliative Care, Cancer and Chronic Pain Management,” home study will be available until February 27, 2020. There are up to 7.0 CE/CMEs available if all courses within the series are completed. To register visit the following link: https://www.dhaj7-cepo.com/content/clinical-communities-speaker-series-ccss-contemporary-and-promising-practices-palliative#group-tabs-node-course-default1
• “Promising Practices in Pain Management Using Complementary Alternative Medicine from South Korea”
• “A Comprehensive Analysis of Spinal Pain in Service Members”
• “A Framework to Improve Musculoskeletal Readiness”
• “Ethical Dilemmas in the Management of Palliative Patients with Chronic Pain”
• “Palliative Care for Veterans with Cancer”
• “Healing the Mind”
• “The Opioid Epidemic and the DoD Response”
August 2019 DHA CCSS
The August CCSS, “Innovations in Health Care from Select Centers of Excellence and Communities of Practice Groups,” home study will be available until March 9, 2020. There are up to 8.0 CE/CMEs available if all courses within the series are completed. To register visit the following link: https://www.dhaj7-cepo.com/content/august-2019-dha-clinical-communities-speaker-series-home-study#group-tabs-node-course-default1
• “Introduction to the Department of Defense (DoD) Medical Ethics Center and Discussion of Select Bioethicist Issues within the Military Health System (MHS)”
• “Population Health and Vision: Vision Center of Excellence Initiatives”
• “Biohacking Your Best: Optimizing Human Performance with Lifestyle”
• “Understanding Cardiovascular Autonomic Dysfunction in the Context of Concussion Injuries”
• “Project Extension for Community Health Care Outcomes (EHCO) as an Education Force Maximizer”
• “Blockchain Potential and Opportunity in Health Care”
• “Promising Practices within the Hearing Center of Excellence”
• “Disasters and Mental Health: Impact, Vulnerability, and Early Interventions”
Target Audience
Home study activities are designed to meet the educational needs of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, physician assistants, social workers, psychologists, occupational therapists, optometrists, physical therapists, kinesiotherapists, case managers, healthcare executives and other health care professionals who support/care for U.S. active-duty service members, reservists, National Guardsmen, military veterans and their families.
All other health care professionals completing this continuing education activity will be issued a Certificate of Attendance. CE/CME credits will vary per course.
Participation
To browse all courses available in the DHA CEPO CMS, please visit the following link: https://www.dhaj7-cepo.com/
2020 DHA, J-7, Clinical Communities Speaker Series (CCSS)
Save the Date for the 2020 CCSS!
Save the date for the 2020 DHA J-7 Clinical Communities Speaker Series (CCSS), featuring a variety of emerging topics in the Military Health System that showcase best practices and increase medical readiness. The series is virtual so you can earn continuing education (CE) credit from anywhere!
The DHA J-7 CCSS Dates for FY20 are as follows:
January 23, 2020 – Advances in Women’s Health
March 26, 2020 – Children and Youth
May 28, 2020 – Topic TBD
July 23, 2020 – Topic TBD
September 24, 2020 – Topic TBD
The topics covered offer CE accredited content to all health care providers and support the full range of military operations in order to sustain the health of all those entrusted to DHA’s medical care. The event will:
1. Instruct health care providers on successful implementation of relevant evidence-based and best practice strategies for the health care team.
2. Demonstrate how learning new skills will improve overall readiness, health outcomes, and possibly reduce unnecessary costs.
3. Engage learners in specific training and case vignettes for the application of acquired skills in instilling the importance of applying improvements in the collaborative team approach, which results in positively impacting patient care.
Target Audience
The live activities are designed to meet the educational needs of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, physician assistants, counselors, social workers, psychologists, case managers, occupational therapists, optometrists, physical therapists, kinesiotherapists, healthcare executives and other health care professionals who support/care for U.S. active-duty service members, reservists, National Guardsmen, military veterans and their families.
All other health care professionals completing these CE activities will be issued a Certificate of Attendance.
Continuing Education
The DHA, J-7, CEPO awards the credits, which are limited in scope to health care providers who actively provide care to U.S. active-duty service members, reservists, National Guardsmen, military veterans and their families.
Participation
Registration for the 2020 DHA CCSS will open one month prior to the live date of the activities.
In the meantime, please visit the CE Management System to participate in the 2019 DHA CCSS Home Study activities and additional CE offerings: https://www.dhaj7-cepo.com/
________________________________________
For more information contact: dha.ncr.j7.mbx.continuing-education-office@mail.mil

________________________________________

***MGCA Journal
The Journal of Military and Government Counseling (JMGC) is compiling a special issue that will focus on the needs of First Responders (defined as personnel in all areas of emergency medical, law enforcement, and fire services; including emergency dispatch personnel, community safety officers, trained emergency personnel, and those involved in disaster response).
Therefore, we are inviting manuscript submissions that focus on these populations, their families, and their professional communities. If you have experience with these populations, consider submitting a manuscript to share your expertise on a population that is underrepresented in the literature and clinical practices.
The procedure for submitting articles is available at JMGC Guidelines for Authors (https://trojan.troy.edu/education/counseling-rehabilitation-interpreter-training/jmgc/index.html) and the contact email is JMGCEditor@troy.edu.

If you are interested in being a reviewer for the JMGC. Please contact the JMGCEditor@troy.edu. You must be a current member of the Military and Government Counseling Association.

***MGCA Newsletter
If you would like to be a part of the upcoming MGCA newsletter, please forward all materials to Tom Watson @ watsontlpc@gmail.com
Examples of requested content include:
-Upcoming Veterans / First Responder events in your area
-Related activities and/or community involvement that you have coordinated or in which you have participated
-Related conference presentations that you have done
-Related research you are conducting
-Related legislation impacting our focus populations in your area

Thank you for allowing me to serve you!

Natasha Barnes, Ed.D, MGCA Secretary

November 30, 2019

MGCA Members,
We hope you had a great Thanksgiving holiday. Please enjoy the articles/announcements provided for this week!

How To Find Free Military Marriage Counseling
Read the article at: https://www.military.com/spouse/relationships/military-marriage/strengthen-your-family-with-marital-counseling.html
Navigating an Addiction in Public Safety
Read the article at: https://www.ems1.com/abuse/articles/navigating-an-addiction-in-public-safety-uoXeI7GVxPMgZcdl/

**ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Registration is Now Open for the DHA Clinical Communities Speaker Series Home Study Activities
Registration is now open for the Defense Health Agency (DHA), J-7, Continuing Education Program Office (CEPO), Clinical Communities Speaker Series (CCSS) Home Study Activities in the new Continuing Education Management System (CMS).
Home study activities are web-based, pre-recorded courses offering Continuing Education (CE) and Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit. The CCSS home study activities are virtual so you can earn CE/CME credit from anywhere! The topics covered offer CE/CME accredited content to all health care providers and support the full range of military operations in order to sustain the health of all those entrusted to DHA’s medical care.

Home Studies & Overview of Topics
April 2019 DHA CCSS
The April CCSS, “The Management of Children and Pediatric Health Issues,” home study activity will be available until December 10, 2019. There are up to 5.5 CE/CMEs available if all courses within this series are completed. To register visit the following link: https://www.dhaj7-cepo.com/content/april-2019-clinical-communities-speaker-series#group-tabs-node-course-default1
• “Environmental Stressors and the Military-Connected Child”
• “Child Protection within the Department of Defense”
• “A Comprehensive Review of the Current Topics in Pediatric Medicine” – Panel Presentation
• “Youth and Bullying: How Health Care Providers Can Support Our Military Children”
• “A Review of Select Behavioral Health Programs for the Pediatric Population in the Military Health System”

June 2019 DHA CCSS
The June CCSS, “Contemporary and Promising Practices in Palliative Care, Cancer and Chronic Pain Management,” home study will be available until February 27, 2020. There are up to 7.0 CE/CMEs available if all courses within the series are completed. To register visit the following link: https://www.dhaj7-cepo.com/content/clinical-communities-speaker-series-ccss-contemporary-and-promising-practices-palliative#group-tabs-node-course-default1
• “Promising Practices in Pain Management Using Complementary Alternative Medicine from South Korea”
• “A Comprehensive Analysis of Spinal Pain in Service Members”
• “A Framework to Improve Musculoskeletal Readiness”
• “Ethical Dilemmas in the Management of Palliative Patients with Chronic Pain”
• “Palliative Care for Veterans with Cancer”
• “Healing the Mind”
• “The Opioid Epidemic and the DoD Response”

August 2019 DHA CCSS
The August CCSS, “Innovations in Health Care from Select Centers of Excellence and Communities of Practice Groups,” home study will be available until March 9, 2020. There are up to 8.0 CE/CMEs available if all courses within the series are completed. To register visit the following link: https://www.dhaj7-cepo.com/content/august-2019-dha-clinical-communities-speaker-series-home-study#group-tabs-node-course-default1
• “Introduction to the Department of Defense (DoD) Medical Ethics Center and Discussion of Select Bioethicist Issues within the Military Health System (MHS)”
• “Population Health and Vision: Vision Center of Excellence Initiatives”
• “Biohacking Your Best: Optimizing Human Performance with Lifestyle”
• “Understanding Cardiovascular Autonomic Dysfunction in the Context of Concussion Injuries”
• “Project Extension for Community Health Care Outcomes (EHCO) as an Education Force Maximizer”
• “Blockchain Potential and Opportunity in Health Care”
• “Promising Practices within the Hearing Center of Excellence”
• “Disasters and Mental Health: Impact, Vulnerability, and Early Interventions”

Target Audience
Home study activities are designed to meet the educational needs of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, physician assistants, social workers, psychologists, occupational therapists, optometrists, physical therapists, kinesiotherapists, case managers, healthcare executives and other health care professionals who support/care for U.S. active-duty service members, reservists, National Guardsmen, military veterans and their families.
All other health care professionals completing this continuing education activity will be issued a Certificate of Attendance. CE/CME credits will vary per course.

Participation
To browse all courses available in the DHA CEPO CMS, please visit the following link: https://www.dhaj7-cepo.com/

2020 DHA, J-7, Clinical Communities Speaker Series (CCSS)
Save the Date for the 2020 CCSS!
Save the date for the 2020 DHA J-7 Clinical Communities Speaker Series (CCSS), featuring a variety of emerging topics in the Military Health System that showcase best practices and increase medical readiness. The series is virtual so you can earn continuing education (CE) credit from anywhere!

The DHA J-7 CCSS Dates for FY20 are as follows:
January 23, 2020 – Advances in Women’s Health
March 26, 2020 – Children and Youth
May 28, 2020 – Topic TBD
July 23, 2020 – Topic TBD
September 24, 2020 – Topic TBD

The topics covered offer CE accredited content to all health care providers and support the full range of military operations in order to sustain the health of all those entrusted to DHA’s medical care. The event will:
1. Instruct health care providers on successful implementation of relevant evidence-based and best practice strategies for the health care team.
2. Demonstrate how learning new skills will improve overall readiness, health outcomes, and possibly reduce unnecessary costs.
3. Engage learners in specific training and case vignettes for the application of acquired skills in instilling the importance of applying improvements in the collaborative team approach, which results in positively impacting patient care.

Target Audience
The live activities are designed to meet the educational needs of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, physician assistants, counselors, social workers, psychologists, case managers, occupational therapists, optometrists, physical therapists, kinesiotherapists, healthcare executives and other health care professionals who support/care for U.S. active-duty service members, reservists, National Guardsmen, military veterans and their families.
All other health care professionals completing these CE activities will be issued a Certificate of Attendance.

Continuing Education
The DHA, J-7, CEPO awards the credits, which are limited in scope to health care providers who actively provide care to U.S. active-duty service members, reservists, National Guardsmen, military veterans and their families.

Participation
Registration for the 2020 DHA CCSS will open one month prior to the live date of the activities.
In the meantime, please visit the CE Management System to participate in the 2019 DHA CCSS Home Study activities and additional CE offerings: https://www.dhaj7-cepo.com/
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For more information contact: dha.ncr.j7.mbx.continuing-education-office@mail.mil

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***MGCA Journal
The latest issue of the Journal of Military and Government Counseling is now published and available at http://mgcaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/JMGC-Vol-7-Is-3.pdf

%MCEPASTEBIN%

November 16, 2019

MGCA Members,
Please enjoy the note from the MGCA President and the articles/announcements provided for this week!

To Our MGCA Members,
This week we would like to take the time to honor all of our Veterans who have served and are currently serving in our Armed Services. MGCA thanks you for your service. Thank you also to all of our members who work with, advocate for, and care deeply for the issues that affect our service members. From rising service member suicide numbers to increased awareness of military spouse employment issues and portability to transitioning to the civilian world, our service members and their families continue to face a variety of challenges. MGCA thanks you for your efforts in helping our service members and bringing awareness to the issues that affect our military community.
Respectfully,
Jennifer Sztalkoper, Ph.D.
MGCA President, 2019-2020

How Pet Therapy Helps Wounded Vets and First Responders
Read the article at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2019/11/04/mental-health-is-going-to-the-dogs-how-pet-therapy-helps-wounded-vets-and-first-responders/#54e2c64a7fed
Army Recruiters Newest Offer: Guaranteed Job Hunting Help After Service
Read the article at: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/11/15/army-recruiters-newest-offer-guaranteed-job-hunting-help-after-service.html
**ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Registration is Now Open for the DHA Clinical Communities Speaker Series Home Study Activities
Registration is now open for the Defense Health Agency (DHA), J-7, Continuing Education Program Office (CEPO), Clinical Communities Speaker Series (CCSS) Home Study Activities in the new Continuing Education Management System (CMS).

Home study activities are web-based, pre-recorded courses offering Continuing Education (CE) and Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit. The CCSS home study activities are virtual so you can earn CE/CME credit from anywhere! The topics covered offer CE/CME accredited content to all health care providers and support the full range of military operations in order to sustain the health of all those entrusted to DHA’s medical care.

Home Studies & Overview of Topics
April 2019 DHA CCSS
The April CCSS, “The Management of Children and Pediatric Health Issues,” home study activity will be available until December 10, 2019. There are up to 5.5 CE/CMEs available if all courses within this series are completed. To register visit the following link: https://www.dhaj7-cepo.com/content/april-2019-clinical-communities-speaker-series#group-tabs-node-course-default1

• “Environmental Stressors and the Military-Connected Child”
• “Child Protection within the Department of Defense”
• “A Comprehensive Review of the Current Topics in Pediatric Medicine” – Panel Presentation
• “Youth and Bullying: How Health Care Providers Can Support Our Military Children”
• “A Review of Select Behavioral Health Programs for the Pediatric Population in the Military Health System”
June 2019 DHA CCSS
The June CCSS, “Contemporary and Promising Practices in Palliative Care, Cancer and Chronic Pain Management,” home study will be available until February 27, 2020. There are up to 7.0 CE/CMEs available if all courses within the series are completed. To register visit the following link: https://www.dhaj7-cepo.com/content/clinical-communities-speaker-series-ccss-contemporary-and-promising-practices-palliative#group-tabs-node-course-default1

• “Promising Practices in Pain Management Using Complementary Alternative Medicine from South Korea”
• “A Comprehensive Analysis of Spinal Pain in Service Members”
• “A Framework to Improve Musculoskeletal Readiness”
• “Ethical Dilemmas in the Management of Palliative Patients with Chronic Pain”
• “Palliative Care for Veterans with Cancer”
• “Healing the Mind”
• “The Opioid Epidemic and the DoD Response”

All other health care professionals completing this continuing education activity will be issued a Certificate of Attendance. CE/CME credits will vary per course.

Participation
To browse all courses available in the DHA CEPO CMS, please visit the following link: https://www.dhaj7-cepo.com/

***MGCA Journal
The latest issue of the Journal of Military and Government Counseling is now published and available at http://acegonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/JMGC-Vol-7-Is-2.pdf
-Also, Dr. Ben Noah is working diligently to update MGCA’s webpage; he is looking for an assistant who is skilled in using WordPress. If anyone is interested, please contact him @ bvnoahphd@gmail.com

November 1, 2019

The MGCA Facebook page now has a new user url – https://www.facebook.com/acamgca/. You should automatically be redirected; however, if not simply Like the page.

The MGCA website has finally been converted and updated to reflect the correct name for the division! For those who have articles published in the Journal of Military and Government Counseling, this means you curricula vite is incorrect. I will be redesigning the page for the journal so it will be easier to find our articles using Google Scholar and similar search engines. I now have a team to help with the webpage – so, expect an improved website.

MGCA webmaster

October 21, 2019

MGCA Members,

Please enjoy the articles and announcements provided for this week!
When a Service Member May be at Risk for Suicide
Read the article at: https://www.militaryonesource.mil/health-wellness/mental-health/suicide/when-a-service-member-may-be-at-risk-for-suicide?inheritRedirect=true
Rural First Responder Access to Mental Health Care: A National Crisis
Read the article at: https://www.jems.com/2019/10/15/rural-first-responder-access-to-mental-health-care/
**ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Registration is Now Open for the DHA Clinical Communities Speaker Series Home Study Activities
Registration is now open for the Defense Health Agency (DHA), J-7, Continuing Education Program Office (CEPO), Clinical Communities Speaker Series (CCSS) Home Study Activities in the new Continuing Education Management System (CMS).

All other health care professionals completing this continuing education activity will be issued a Certificate of Attendance. CE/CME credits will vary per course.

Participation
To browse all courses available in the DHA CEPO CMS, please visit the following link: https://www.dhaj7-cepo.com/
***MGCA Journal
The latest issue of the Journal of Military and Government Counseling is now published and available at http://mgcaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/JMGC-Vol-7-Is-2.pdf
-Also, Dr. Ben Noah is working diligently to update MGCA’s webpage; he is looking for an assistant who is skilled in using WordPress. If anyone is interested, please contact him @ bvnoahphd@gmail.com
***Research Studies:

Military Leadership Influences on the Veteran Transition Process
Good Afternoon,
I am a veteran, completing a doctoral degree, and working on my research for my dissertation. I am studying how military leadership influences the veteran transition process. The link to the survey is below. If you wouldn’t mind passing this voluntary opportunity to friends or other appropriate networks I would be very grateful.
https://surveyuccs.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_87kF85OErptx7tX
If you have any other questions, please let me know.
Thank you for your time.
Sean Swallen, MA, LPCC
Certified Mental Performance Consultant®
C:513-284-9005
Title: Mental Health Professionals’ Journey to Serving the Military: Confidence in Competency
You are invited to participate in a research study examining (1) which mental health professional groups are most interested in working with the military-connected population and how they perceive access and barriers to treating this population, (2) how mental health professionals view other mental health professionals with regards to treating this population posing unique issues, and (3) possible advocacy efforts to reduce barriers to treating military-connected individuals as well as to improve any divide among mental health professional groups.
Participants will be asked to complete one online survey; the estimated time frame of your participation is approximately twenty minutes.
Participants should be:
• a credentialed or licensed mental health provider
• previously or currently interested in working with the active military, veteran, and/or their family members in the role of a mental health provider.
If you do not meet the description above, you are not able to be in the study.

Educators and Supervisors, we hope you will be willing to share this emailed study invitation with your students who meet the eligibility requirements.*
You can access the survey at: https://pennstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3JXc9RI5z8qlG3X
Each participant creates a code consisting of 3 letters and 2 numbers (ie: Nov21), which they will utilize throughout the duration of the research to identify them with the data; therefore, confidentiality will be maintained. This study is strictly confidential. Interested participants will consent to filing out a survey. The survey will have no identifiable information attached and be only reviewed by a member of the research team.
Your opinion can add value to (a) the appropriate training and advocacy needs to reduce barriers to treating military-connected individuals as well as (b) improve any divide among mental health professional groups providing services to the military population. Please note that participation is voluntary and you will not receive compensation for participating. By clicking the link below, you will be taken to the informed consent and then begin the survey.
Capella University’s Institute Review Board has approved the research study (#2019-988).
If at any time you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the lead researcher, Nicole Arcuri Sanders by email (Nicole.ArcuriSanders@capella.edu).
We appreciate your time and consideration to volunteer as a participant in this study.
Sincerely,
Nicole Arcuri Sanders, Ph.D., LPC, NCC, ACS, BC-TMH, SAC
Kellie Forziat Pytel, M.S., NCC

Thank you for allowing me to serve you!

Natasha Barnes, Ed.D, MGCA Secretary

Natasha Barnes, Ed.D, GCDF, CCSP
Secretary, MGCA