Monitor on Psychology - March 2012 - (Page 54)

PsychologIst ProFIle Afghanistan Steven C. Norton is the first psychologist to work at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan — part of a State Department push to increase mental health services in war zones. B Y TORI D eA NG ELI S n September, when Steven C. Norton, PhD, began a yearlong assignment at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, he assumed he’d see some action, but he wasn’t expecting it so quickly. Just five days into his job, insurgents attacked the embassy with rocket-propelled grenades. The blasts were part of a coordinated attack that targeted multiple sites in the city and killed several people, although none at the embassy were seriously hurt. Norton immediately went to work with a social worker and embassy medical staff to help the 600 embassy workers cope with the trauma, educating them on psychological and physical reactions they may experience after such an event; advising them on self-care strategies; and letting them know that mental health care was available. The first night after the attacks, a small minority of staff questioned whether their jobs were worth the risks. “That was a long, tough night for everyone,” says Norton. But it’s just part 54 Mission: I of the job for this psychologist, who is the first ever to work at the Afghanistan Embassy. The position was created in response to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s call to bring more mental health services into war zones. The State Department tapped Norton to apply for the job because of his experience working in conflict areas and with law enforcement agencies. Norton comes to the post with a specialty in forensic, criminal and law enforcement evaluations and interventions in his private practice in Rochester, Minn. He spent 11 years as a psychologist at the Federal Medical Center, a Bureau of Prisons facility in Rochester, and he has worked in the Nebraska Department of Corrections, the Olmstead County Adult Detention Center in Rochester, and other correctional facilities. In addition, he has done contract work with a Chicago-based organization called Mission Critical Psychological Services, where he assessed security and law enforcement personnel being considered for jobs overseas M o n i to r o n p s yc h o l o g y • M a rc h 2 0 1 2

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

Monitor on Psychology - March 2012
Letters
President’s column
Contents
From the CEO
Supreme Court rejects eyewitness protections
New member benefit: prevention screenings
A psychodynamic treatment for PTSD shows promise for soldiers
Was ‘Little Albert’ ill during the famed conditioning study?
New research identifies ways to improve eyewitness identifications
In Brief
‘Our health at risk’
Perspective on Practice
APA endorses higher education guidelines
TIME CAPSULE
QUESTIONNAIRE
Random Sample
Judicial Notebook
Help for struggling veterans
Driving out cancer disparities
In the Public Interest
SCIENCE WATCH
Practice, virtually
The legal and ethical issues of virtual therapy
Psychologist PROFILE
EARLY CAREER PSYCHOLOGY
Bringing life into focus
Pay attention to me
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATION
Division Spotlight
Personalities

Monitor on Psychology - March 2012