Monitor on Psychology - June 2012 - (Page 11)

clearinghouse (www.giveanhour.org). The providers include psychiatrists, psychologists, grief and substance abuse counselors and social workers. They offer expertise on everything from treating post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury to school anxiety. Van Dahlen and her staff of 17 prepare all volunteers on the ins and outs of military culture. “The military looks like us, but they are a unique culture with defined values, and they often speak a very different language,” says Van Dahlen. Volunteers don’t always fulfill their service in a therapy room. Van Dahlen often fields calls from news shows, local groups or community agencies seeking experts who can talk about military mental health. “It’s giving mental health professionals a wonderful opportunity to share what they know and help educate the larger community about our profession,” Van Dahlen says. Sometimes she hands such speaker requests over to military or family members who have tapped Give an Hour’s services and want to share their story to help others. In fact, adding a volunteer component for the military is one of Van Dahlen’s favorite aspects of the organization, and one that she credits to her father, who served in World War II and taught her that giving back is a critical part of life. Further expanding her reach, Van Dahlen is also on the advisory council of the Community Blueprint Network, a multiagency effort to strengthen services for the military in local communities. The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation presented Give an Hour with a $2 million grant to help carry out the network’s efforts in two demonstration sites: Norfolk, Va., and Fayetteville, N.C. That program is creating powerful partnerships in these communities, largely due to Van Dahlen’s flair for encouraging diverse groups to join forces, says Sherri Brown, the Red Cross’s senior vice president of service to the armed forces, who also serves on the council. “There are people who collaborate because it’s needed and people who do it because that’s what they do,” says Brown. “Barbara sees the beauty and benefit in all collaborations. That’s how she’s wired.” Along those lines, Van Dahlen is also expanding Give an Hour through social media. This spring, the network’s website JUNE 2012 • MONITOR ON PSYCHOLOGY added Give an Hour Connected (http://connected.giveanhour. org), a forum through which volunteers can share strategies for working with the military community. The website also offers a separate forum that links people who have used Give an Hour’s services. While Give an Hour already works closely with dozens of military groups, including the USO and Blue Star Families, Van Dahlen hopes the Time publicity will help her draw more groups that can connect her volunteers with service members in need. This spring, Give an Hour reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to distribute information about its services through its centers and field referrals from its Veterans Crisis Line. “I tend to think big,” says Van Dahlen. “Sometimes situations require bold thoughts and actions — otherwise, nothing changes.” —J. CHAMBERLIN Video: Watch a Time magazine video about Van Dahlen’s work. Click here for a transcript of the video. 11 http://www.giveanhour.org http://connected.giveanhour.org http://connected.giveanhour.org http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/monitor_201206/src/Van_Dahlen_transcript.pdf http://staging.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/monitor_201206/src/Van_Dahlen_transcript.pdf http://www.MedicalCredentialing.org http://www.MedicalCredentialing.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Monitor on Psychology - June 2012

Monitor on Psychology - June 2012
Letters
President’s column
Contents
From the CEO
Give an Hour founder is one of Time magazine’s ‘most influential’
APA treatment guidelines panels are being formed
APA supports ‘Speak Up For Kids’
In Brief
Time Capsule
Random Sample
Judicial Notebook
Questionaire
APA honors Howell
Science Watch
Science Directions
What you should know about online education
Speaking of Education
Psychologist Profile
Redefining masculinity
Miscarriage and loss
Something for everyone
Candidates weigh in
Division Spotlight
American Psychological Foundation
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - June 2012

https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/monitor_201206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/monitor_201205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/monitor_201204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/monitor_201203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/monitor_201202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/monitor_201201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/monitor_201112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/member_benefits
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/monitor_201111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/monitor_201110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/monitor_201109_test
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/apa/monitor_201109
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com