MIRECC / CoE
Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Veteran Suicide Prevention - Media
Podcasts
A podcast is a digital audio file that can be played on a smartphone, computer or portable media player. It is like having a talkshow that you can subscribe to and take or listen to anywhere.
Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention has started a serial podcast called Short Takes on Suicide Prevention. We interview leaders in the field of suicide prevention in an attempt to make their research accessible to everyone. You can subscribe to our podcast by going to iTunes on your iPhone or on your Android device. You can also find all our episodes at our host site. Other places where you can find our podcasts include: Podcastpedia, iHeart Radio, and Blubrry.
Jump to podcast related to:
Clinical | Community/Veterans/Partners | Lived Experience | Moral Injury | Lethal Means Safety | LGBTQ | Military Sexual Trauma | Microbiome | Research | Zero Suicide Initiative | Masters' Series | Sleep | Miscellaneous
Clinical
Podcast: The Intersection of Intimate Partner Violence & Suicide Prevention with Drs. LeAnn Bruce, Keita Franklin and Lindsey Monteith- 12 September 2018 - This podcast is an excellent example of the collaborative relationship between the VA Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program and the VA Suicide Prevention Program in their mutual efforts to prevent both intimate partner violence (IPV) and suicide for those who have served. Dr. Bruce is the National Program Manager for the VHA Intimate Partner Violence Assistance Program, which serves Veterans, their partners, and VA staff impacted by intimate partner violence. Dr. Franklin is the Executive Director, Suicide Prevention for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. And Dr. Monteith is a research/clinical psychologist with Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention.
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Podcast: Never Worry Alone - The VA Suicide Risk Management Consultation Program- 6 June 2018 - In this episode Adam has a great talk with Dr. Bridget Matarazzo about the VA Suicide Risk Management Consultation Program. The program has recently expanded so that anyone working with a Veteran and concerned about suicide can contact them for a free consultation. Bridget discusses the idea behind the service and the great team (Hal S. Wortzel, MD, Sarra Nazem, Ph.D., Georgia Gerard, LCSW, Kaily A. Cannizzaro, PsyD, and Peter Gutierrez, Ph.D.) that provides the consultation.
Podcast: Suicide Behavior and Chronic Pain with Dr Margaret Legarreta - 14 March 2018 - Joe interviews Dr. Legarreta about the work she and her colleagues at the Salt Lake City office of Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention are doing regarding suicide prevention and chronic pain. In her latest paper Margaret looks at how catastrophic thinking patterns can increase suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. Margaret explores the need to treat the mind/body connection in your clinical work.
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Podcast: A Pocket Guide for Clinicians for Management of Chronic Pain- 12 July 2017 - Adam Hoffberg discusses Chronic Pain with colleagues from the VA VISN 16 South Central MIRECC. Drs. Aruna Gottumukkala and Paul Sloan created a timely resource called the “Pocket Guide for Clinicians for Management of Chronic Pain.” With the opioid epidemic raging in the background this podcast is ever so timely.
Dr. Carl Castro on the Military Suicide Transition Theory, The Hemingway Effect and the Importance of Understanding the Military Family- 22 February 2017 - Adam interviews Dr. Carl Castro, retired Colonel from the US Army, about his extensive work in area of suicide prevention, especially as it relates to the military community. Dr. Castro also tells us about Ernest Hemingway, an army Veteran, and how his death can serve as a paradigm to understand the suicide death of elderly Veterans.
Collaborative Safety Planning for Older Adults
8 February 2017 - This week join Adam Hoffberg as he chats with Dr. Elizabeth Conti a clinical psychologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the VA Center for Innovation. Dr. Conti, along with four of her colleagues from the VA’s South Central MIRECC published the manual Collaborative Safety Planning for Older Adults. Dr. Conti gives a wonderful overview of what a safety plan is and leads our audience through creating one. Then she answers why safety planning with older adults’ presents challenges that clinician’s need to address in their practice. Throughout the conversation Elizabeth describes a collaborative approach that harkens to the work of Dr. David Jobes. This is a podcast where clinicians will gain a deeper appreciation of the safety plan and be able to use the skills learned in their everyday practice. The podcast is approximately 24 minutes long.
- Learn more about the South Central MIRECC
- Download the manual Collaborative Safety Planning for Older Adults
- Learn more about Dr. Asghar-Ali the Associate Director for Education at the Rural MIRECC, and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry Research with a focus on Geriatric Psychiatry at the Baylor College of Medicine
- Safety planning intervention: A brief intervention to mitigate suicide risk
Craig Bryan on Fluid Vulnerability Theory - a way to Understand Acute and Chronic Suicide Risk
25 January 2017 - This week Adam discusses Fluid Vulnerability Theory with Craig Bryan, PsyD, with the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah. Dr. Bryan ducked into an empty room at the hospital where he was delivering a talk to chat with Adam. Craig served four years in the Air Force and deployed to Iraq in 2009 as Director of the Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic at the Air Force Theater Hospital in Balad, Iraq. Later he worked with Dr. David Rudd as Dr. Rudd developed Fluid Vulnerability Theory (FVT). FVT states that “suicide risk is an inherently dynamically changing construct...that risk will fluctuate over time.” And it is through understanding the processes that underlie the “ideation to acting framework” where work and change come about. Listening to these two really get in the weeds about FVT is like having a full conference presentation delivered right to you. It is fascinating.
- Learn more about Craig Bryan
- Learn more about the National Center for Veterans Studies
- Follow @CraigJBryan on Twitter (we do!)
- What Distinguishes Suicide Attempters From Suicide Ideators? A Meta-Analysis of Potential Factors
- The Importance of Temporal Dynamics in the Transition From Suicidal Thought to Behavior
- Theory-driven models of self-directed violence among individuals with PTSD
Dr. Kate Comtois on Caring Contacts - Simple and Meaningful
7 September 2016 - For this episode we took our podcast equipment to the Denver VA's 4th annual Mental Health Summit where Dr. Kate Comtois was giving the keynote address. Kate was there to tell us about promising directions in treating the patient with suicidal thoughts and behaviors. We’ll have Kate on Rocky Mountain Short Takes again in the coming months but today we wanted to focus on what she had to say about Caring Communications. This simple yet effective tool was first introduced in the 1990’s but the research was not published until 2001. Since then research in Australia, Iran and the U.S. has shown consistent positive results. Listen to the podcast and then think about how you can add this simple technique to your own practice. The podcast is approximately 27 minutes long.
Listen to Dr. Kate Comtois on Caring Contacts - Simple and Meaningful
- Learn more about Katherine Anne Comtois Ph.D., M.P.H..
- This short article from Stanford SPARQ, the Center for Social Psychological Answers to Real-World Questions: Caring Letters Prevent Suicide
- This article is behind a pay-wall but the abstract is worth reading and it highlights the work of Dr. David Luxton: Can Postdischarge Follow-Up Contacts Prevent Suicide and Suicidal Behavior? A Review of the Evidence
Combat Rush
13 July 2016 - Joe Huggins interviews Dr. Lisa Betthauser about the concept of combat rush. Combat rush was first coined by Dr. Jim Grigsby from his work in the early 1990s with Viet Nam Veterans. Dr. Betthauser explores the role of risky behaviors in returning Veterans, the role of safety planning and possible positive psychological outlets. The podcast is approximately 22 minutes long.
Listen to Combat Rush
- Learn more about Dr. Lisa Betthauser
- Download the five question Adventurous Activities Interview used in Dr. Betthauser's research
Nature and determinants of suicidal ideation among U.S. Veterans
18 April 2016 - Welcome to our fifth RM Short Takes podcast. This week Adam Hoffberg interviews Dr. Noelle Smith. Dr. Smith is a clinical psychologist at the Tampa VA and affiliated with the VA National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. She specializes in working with Veterans with PTSD and is the lead author on a recent publication in the Journal of Affective Disorders. The article will appear in the June 2016 print edition and is titled “Nature and determinants of suicidal ideation among U.S. Veterans: Results from the national health and resilience in Veterans study.” Listen to Dr. Smith discuss the article and it's importance to the field of suicide prevention. The podcast is approximately 20 minutes long.
Listen to Nature and determinants of suicidal ideation among U.S. Veterans
- "Nature and determinants of suicidal ideation among U.S. Veterans: Results from the national health and resilience in Veterans study" article on PubMed
- Dr. Noelle Smith's ResearchGate profile
- VA Research Currents article: New study reports on suicidal thinking among U.S. Veterans
Response to "Is it time to abandon suicide risk assessment"
16 March 2016 - Welcome to our third RM Short Takes podcast. This week Adam Hoffberg interviews Dr. Peter Gutierrez about an editorial by Dr Declan Murray in the British Journal of Psychiatry Open (DOI: 10.1192/bjpo.bp.115.002071) in which Dr Murray discusses abandoning suicide risk assessment. As you might expect, the answer is not a simple yes or no. The podcast is approximately 14 minutes long.
Listen to Response to "Is it time to abandon suicide risk assessment"
Risk Factors, Warning Signs, and Drivers of Suicide
10 February 2016 - Listen to our first podcast with Adam Hoffberg interviewing Dr. Peter Gutierrez regarding his latest publication "Risk Factors, Warning Signs, and Drivers of Suicide: What Are They, How Do They Differ, and Why Does It Matter?" in Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior. The podcast is approximately 26 minutes long.
Listen to Risk Factors, Warning Signs, and Drivers of Suicide
Community-Partners Podcasts
Podcast: The Manidookewigashkibjigan Sacred Bundle: R.E.S.P.E.C.T (Respect, Engaging, Supporting, Protecting, Empowering, Connecting, and Teaching) Project- 5 September 2018 - Thank you for MIRECC’s, for your interest in the Sacred Bundle Project. We are a Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) Tribal grantee, with the full name of our project being “Manidookewigashkibjigan Sacred Bundle: R.E.S.P.E.C.T (Respect, Engaging, Supporting, Protecting, Empowering, Connecting, and Teaching) Project. We are primarily focused on youth suicide prevention concerning Native American/Alaskan Native individuals ages 10-24 years old. We work with 12 federally recognized tribes in Michigan and spread the message that everyone is a #HealingHelper. So similar to the VA message #BeThere.
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Podcast Bonus: Veterans Crisis Line: History, Purpose, and a Look Ahead with Director Matt Miller- 25 May 2018 - Curious about the Veterans Crisis Line? Join us for an in-depth conversation with VCL Director Matt Miller about its purpose, history, and what the future holds. Matt takes us on a journey from VCL's initial launch in 2007, to right now, for the ribbon-cutting of the 3rd call center in Topeka, Kansas. We talk about how VCL has expanded to meet increasing demand, responding to over 2000 calls each day. Matt tells us about the services VCL offers, who can use them, and how responders are trained to support Veterans and their loved ones. He also walks us through what happens when someone reaches out to the VCL, and explains the follow-up process connecting Veterans with their local VA Suicide Prevention Coordinator. Matt demystifies the crisis line experience and encourages everyone to be familiar with how to contact the VCL before a crisis happens, including saving the number 1-800-273-8255 press 1 into your phone. Tune in to learn about the latest technological advances being pioneered by the VCL, as well as research and continuous quality improvement underway.
Podcast: Helping Others Hold On - 6 December 2017 - PsychArmor Institute’s FREE online course Helping Others Hold On provides tools and tips to recognize, understand, and combat suicidal feelings in Veterans. Course leaders Dr. Craig J. Bryan, Executive Director of the National Center for Veteran Studies at The University of Utah, and Carie Rodgers, Ph.D., Education Director of PsychArmor Institute provide an overview and discuss the coded language of suicide, the importance of sleep, and crisis response planning.
- Play the podcast
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Podcast: Why’s it gotta be this hard? (Maybe it doesn’t)- 23 August 2017 - Sometimes it can feel like making real progress in mental health (and perhaps especially suicide prevention) is an overwhelming, sometimes impossible task. How can we counter the “bigness” of the job? Dr. Barbara Van Dahlen, founder of Give an Hour, gives this advice: Go Simple
Team Rubicon: Regaining a sense of purpose, community and identity- 28 June 2017 - Melissa continues her community reintegration series with Amanda Burke from Team Rubicon. The Team Rubicon message is "Disasters are our business. Veterans are our passion." And you'll hear it in Amanda's voice as she describes her own journey and her continuing passion.
Meet Matt (human) and James (canine) from Warrior Canine Connection- Meet Matt (human) and James (canine), who became friends through shared service - and maybe a little bit of fate. When Matt returned home to the States, after a stay at Walter Reed, he joined Warrior Canine Connection only reluctantly. In this interview, Matt shares his experience working through to the other side of TBI and PTSD, and the role James plays.
Podcast: Creating Communities to Serve Those Who Served - AmericaServes- Melissa McHarg interviews Michael Haynie, Ph.D. the Executive Director & Founder of Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse University. The conversation takes a close look at AmericaServes. The mission of AmericaServes is “to empower human services providers in the United States, and equip them with the technological and informational resources needed to efficiently and effectively guide service members, veterans, and their families to the most appropriate services and resources.”
Straight Scoop for Veterans - What Two Guys Can Do- 19 April 2017 - Melissa McHarg interviews Roger Pipkin from Straight Scoop for Veterans. Roger tells the amazing story of how he and a friend decided to tackle Veteran suicide in New Mexico. You won't believe the progress they have made.
health + people + purpose = The Team RWB Enrichment Equation- 29 March 2017 - Team RWB is a nationwide organization with over 115,000 members, in over 200 locations and their mission is to enrich the lives of America’s veterans by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity.
Community Reintegration for Veterans after TBI- 22 March 2017 - In honor of March being Brain Injury Awareness Month we wanted to discuss the article “Community Reintegration Problems Among Veterans and Active Duty Service Members With Traumatic Brain Injury.”
Talking Community Response with Denver Co-Responder Team Program- 8 March 2017 - This week’s Rocky Mountain MIRECC Short Takes podcast highlights a local program invested in proactively reaching out to individuals who may experience mental health challenges, and build healthy relationships that better serve community members both in crisis and for the long haul.
From Elementary School to Retirement: Suicide Prevention Throughout the Life Cycle
30 November 2016 - Richard Egan shares his professional journey, which spans 26 years’ service with the Air Force (starting with munitions, “bombs and bullets”) to Suicide Prevention Training and Outreach Facilitator, Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Suicide Prevention. Nevada represents the only State to reduce (by a small amount) suicide rates from 1999 – 2014, while the rest of the nation increased upwards of 24%. How did they achieve this result? Mr. Egan describes a comprehensive life cycle approach, starting with social-emotional learning in elementary school, to supporting older residents, many of whom have left family/friends behind in other states. This podcast also highlights Nevada’s access to lethal means’ programs, proactively reaching and training community members that may come in contact with at-risk individuals. The podcast is approximately 40 minutes long.
Listen to From Elementary School to Retirement: Suicide Prevention Throughout the Life Cycle
- The Las Vegas Review-Journal describes Rick Egan’s lifelong dedication to service and suicide prevention
- Learn more about the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health Office of Suicide Prevention
- Learn more about Nevada's Committee to Review Suicide Fatalities, which gathers data from multiple sources across the state and makes recommendations guiding future suicide prevention efforts
- The Nevada Suicide Prevention Coalition organizes training and events, including:
- suicideTALK,
- safeTALK,
- ASIST, and
- Suicide to Hope curriculum for clinicians
Lived Experience
Podcast: On Empathy and Caring with Lena Heilmann- 7 November 2018 - Lena Heilmann lost her sister Danielle to suicide in 2012. In response to this traumatic loss and as a way to honor her sister, Lena transitioned from her role as a college professor to working in suicide prevention. Now, as the Youth Suicide Prevention Coordinator with the Colorado Office of Suicide Prevention, Lena merges her lived experience with coordinating a SAMHSA Youth Suicide Prevention Grant. In this podcast, Lena talks about how her grief and loss survivor identity inform her work and her personal mission. Adam and Lena's conversation also addresses the role of upstream prevention efforts, an overview of suicide prevention work in Colorado, the importance of authentic interpersonal relationships, and how to prioritize self-care when working in the suicide prevention field.
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Podcast: Giving Credibility to Other Views with Jess Stohlmann-Rainey- 26 September 2018 - I read Jess' piece, "Hegemonic Sanity and Suicide" in San Francisco during a rather desultory conference. The essay is a fresh look at a topic we all spend so much time thinking and talking about. For this podcast Jess came into our office at the new Rocky Mountain Regional VAMC, we sat by the window and talked. Jess had a lot of intriguing things to say about how we, society, think of mental health and how our collective inability to understand and accept differences places some of us on the margin and not part of the whole. And once we are on the margin how the credibility of our voices, our experiences are discounted. Tune in to the podcast to understand how listening to those with lived experiences can lead to a place where we trust what we are being told.
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Podcast: Making Room for Voices All Around with Annmarie Matulis and Tracey Pacheco Medeiros- 19 September 2018 - I went to Annmarie and Tracey's website, A Voice at the Table, and the banner shows a winter scene, bare trees in the snow. Then I started editing the recording that Adam did of these two wonders during the 2018 Bridging the Divide conference her in Denver. Listening to these two felt like coming in from the cold and sitting at the table in their kitchen. Laughing and talking big subjects and enveloped in warmth and fine company. Listen to this podcast and immerse yourselves in the power of the human spirit.
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Podcast: AAS Lived Experience - Part 2- 27 June 2018 - This week we wrap our lived experience/expertise cycle with 2 short podcast related to postvention. Later this year we will unveil the Suicide Postvention Resource Center a website and resource center and these podcasts serve as an introduction of sorts:
The Journey of a Loss Survivor with Janet Schnell, MSW, LSW
Postvention: an Introduction with Sarra Nazem and Elaine de Mello 
Podcast: AAS Lived Experience - Part 1- 20 June 2018 - During the 2018 AAS conference we had the opportunity to record a number of brief podcasts with leaders in the Lived Experience community. This week we'll release 3 of these and next week we'll drop the other 2. So for this week we have:
AFSP Suicide Outreach Program with Doreen Marshall and Shannon Donnick
AFSP Survivors of Suicide Loss Day with Doreen Marshal and Brandon English
Lived Expertise with DeQuincy Lezine 
Podcast: Life Experience Captured with Dese'Rae L. Stage- 6 September 2017 - Live Through This #Stay...captured through the art, the lens, the stories of our lived experience. Adam cauht up with Dese'Rae earlier this summer and this conversation is the result. I was listening in on the other line and she blew me away with her everything-ness. Adam would ask her about how she came up with this or that idea and Des would just say something like, "I got bored one day so I wrote this program/created this movie/started this movement." Yes, of course you did and we all benefited.
Moral Injury
Podcast: On Moral Injury - A Treatment Perspective with Dr. Chris Corona- 12 December 2018 - In this podcast Georgia interviews Dr. Chris Corona, post-doctoral fellow at the VISN 2 Center of Excellence for Suicide Prevention at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center, to continue the discussion on moral injury. Moral injury is a relatively new concept and our understanding of how it relates to suicide risk is limited. Dr. Corona provides a thorough overview of moral injury and ways providers can assess and treat moral injury as well as sharing findings from current research on moral injury and suicide risk in a population of Veterans with substance use disorders and ideas for future research.
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Podcast: The Warrior to Soul Mate Program with Clyde Angel and Georgia Gerard- 16 May 2018 - In this podcast Georgia interviews Dr. Clyde Angel, Chief of Chaplain Services at the Indianapolis VA and National Coordinator for the Warrior to Soul Mate Program. The effects of deployments and transitioning to civilian life can be stressful for families. Dr. Clyde discusses the growth and effectiveness of the Warrior to Soul Mate Program and how it can help Veterans and their spouses and significant others learn valuable skills, such as effective communication, to reconnect and repair relationships. Listen to the podcast:
Podcast: Spiritually Integrated Care for PTSD and Moral Injury- 3 May 2017 - Veterans who present with PTSD and moral injury often report spiritual distress that places them at higher risk for suicide. In this podcast, we share up to date research on moral injury, spiritual distress, and empirically tested techniques for helping veterans use their own spiritual resources as an asset in their recovery.
On Moral Injury and Suicide
21 September 2016 - In this week's episode Adam discusses moral injury with Georgia Gerard, LSW, a social worker at Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention. Moral injury is distinct but can also overlap with PTSD. It is important to tease out the differences and then help the individual back to a a place of acceptance. The podcast is approximately 18 minutes long.
Listen to On Moral Injury and Suicide
- Moral Injury in the Context of War
- Moral injury and moral repair in war veterans: A preliminary model and intervention strategy
- Killing in combat may be independently associated with suicidal ideation
- Moral injury, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts in a military sample
- The Moral Injury Questionnaire
Lethal Means Safety
Podcast: Promoting Lethal Means Safety to Prevent Veteran Suicide with Joe Simonetti, MD- What is it about Lethal Means Safety (LMS) that makes a difference in suicide prevention? LMS is about increasing the distance between thoughts of suicide and action. In this week’s episode, we are joined by Dr. Joseph Simonetti, MD, MPH, physician and suicide prevention researcher with the Rocky Mountain MIRECC. Dr. Simonetti guides us through the fundamentals of lethal means safety, why it’s important, and provides suggestions on how to ensure that conversations about lethal means safety are Veteran-centered. Download the transcript or listen to the podcast:
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Talking to Patients about Firearm Safety
15 June 2016 - Adam Hoffberg talks with Dr. Marian (Emmy) Betz about how to talk with patients about firearm safety in relation to suicide risk. Dr. Betz is an emergency room physician at the University of Colorado Hospital and has worked extensively in the area of lethal means safety for suicide prevention. Her most recent article published June 2016 is titled "Lethal Means Access and Assessment Among Suicidal Emergency Department Patients."
An interesting part of this far ranging discussion occurs near the end when Dr. Betz discusses a program in Colorado, the Colorado Gun Shop Project. The program is modeled on the New Hampshire Firearm Safety Coalition. The purpose of the project is to collaborate with gun shop retailers, gun range owners, and firearm safety course instructors to promote suicide prevention awareness, recognize suicidal behavior, and limit the sale of firearms to any customer who is suicidal. See the links below to learn more. The podcast is approximately 26 minutes long.
Listen to Talking to Patients about Firearm Safety
- Read the article “Lethal Means Access and Assessment Among Suicidal Emergency Department Patients.”
- Learn more about Marian (Emmy) Betz, MD, MPH
- Listen to "State, Doctors Get Welcome Allies In Suicide Prevention Fight: Gun Shops" from Colorado Public Radio
- Read about the New Hampshire Firearm Safety Coalition
- Read the Fort Collins Coloradoan article "Gun store owners unite to curb suicide deaths"
- The Colorado Firearm Safety Coalition webpage is now live
- Download he podcast transcript
LGBTQ
Transgender Veteran Mental Health Care: Introduction to Terminology, Enhancing Clinical Skills, and Continuing Education- 20 November 2017 - In honor of Transgender Awareness Month, Dr. Shelby Scott, Denver VA Clinical Psychologist and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Veteran Care Coordinator, spoke with Adam Hoffberg at the Denver VA Rocky Mountain MIRECC to provide a thorough introduction to this topic. Dr. Scott discusses specific clinical recommendations that can improve the way all VA providers serve our transgender Veterans, medical and mental health services provided by the VA, and how to get connected to additional VA and community resources!
The Camouflage Closet: Strong, Resilient LGBT Veterans!- 5 April 2017 - Nine Veterans were given cameras to tell their stories; their resiliency, their strength and their efforts overcoming. An amazing quote "research indicates that 75% of all Veterans with PTSD state that they have also experienced PTSD Growth."
LGBTQ and Suicide Prevention: Challenges and Opportunities
2 November 2016 - Adam spoke with Dr. John Blosnich a research health scientist with the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. John discusses his work with Veterans from the Transgender community. The work being done within the VA may surprise some and should cause us all a beacon of hope. The podcast is approximately 20 minutes long.
Listen to LGBTQ and Suicide Prevention: Challenges and Opportunities
- Learn more about John R. Blosnich, PhD, MPH
- Learn more about the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion
- VA Patient Care Services: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Veteran Care
- Mortality Among Veterans with Transgender-Related Diagnoses in the Veterans Health Administration, FY2000–2009
- Suicidality and sexual orientation: Characteristics of symptom severity, disclosure, and timing across the life course
- Presentation video: Association of social determinants of health with medical conditions among transgender Veterans: Evidence from electronic health records
Military Sexual Trauma
Podcast: Military Sexual Trauma (MST) - A Discussion with Dr. Lindsey Monteith- 4 October 2018 - We recorded this podcast to coincide with a series of online trainings that Dr. Monteith is conducting and because this is a particular time in our country where sexual assault is on the minds of many. Lindsey discusses with Adam how we can take a public health approach to sexual violence, one where we can all take responsibility for ending the violence and helping vistims heal. Her research of late has taken a qualitative approach where survivors are given a chance to speak in their own voice and make their own choices. She reminds us to listen with compassion and to believe what survivors are telling us.
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Podcast: Military Sexual Trauma - Trauma Informed Care with Ryan Holliday- 22 August 2018 - Adam Hoffberg interviewed Psychology Fellow Dr. Ryan Holliday about the research he is doing related to Military Sexual Trauma. This is a podcast that you could describe to your kids with something like, "Kids, I heard Doc Holliday's original podcast before he became really big." You talk with Ryan and you just know he knows a lot (about evidence-based treatment, MST and PTSD) and isn't afraid to break it down for you. This podcast is also worth a listen if you want to hear Ryan try to get Adam to laugh. Apparently, it is not that easy.
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Military Sexual Trauma and Suicide
22 February 2016 - Join us for our second episode of RMIRECC Short Takes when we interview Dr. Lindsey Monteith about her two recent articles exploring military sexual trauma "Sexual Trauma and Combat During Deployment: Associations With Suicidal Ideation Among OEF/OIF/OND Veterans" and "A Closer Examination of Sexual Trauma During Deployment: Not all Sexual Traumas are Associated with Suicidal Ideation". The podcast is approximately 20 minutes long. Podcast transcript
Listen to Military Sexual Trauma and Suicide
Microbiome
The Microbiome, Old Friends and Getting Outside
11 August 2016 - This week Adam interviews Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Hoisington, Ph.D., P.E., M.SAME, USAF, an Assistant Professor, and Environmental Engineering Division Chief, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, U.S. Air Force Academy. He is also one of the principle investigators with the Military and Veteran Microbiome: Consortium for Research and Education (MVM-CoRE). Dr. Hoisington is the author on numerous publications in the fields of the microbiota, immunoregulation, and mental health, including lead author on a publication in the journal Microbiome, and author on a recent publication in Current Environmental Health Reports. The podcast is approximately 25 minutes long.
Listen to The Microbiome, Old Friends and Getting Outside
- Learn more about the MVM-CoRE
- Microbes Among Us
- The microbiome of the built environment and mental health
Environmental Factors and Suicide
1 June 2016 - In this episode Adam interviews Perry Renshaw, MD PhD MBA, the Medical Director of Rocky Mountain MIRECC who is based in our Salt Lake City, UT office. Dr. Renshaw is the senior author on “Acute Air Pollution Exposure and Risk of Suicide Completion”, one of the American Journal of Epidemiology (AJE) and the Society for Epidemiologic Research’s 2015 Articles of the Year. Listen as they explore what role the environment plays in suicide and the clinical implications. The podcast is approximately 18 minutes long.
Listen to Environmental Factors and Suicide
- Read the article “Acute Air Pollution Exposure and Risk of Suicide Completion.”
- Learn more about Perry Renshaw, MD PhD MBA
The Microbiome and Suicide Prevention
16 May 2016 - In this podcast Adam Hoffberg (and @adamhoffberg) interviews Dr. Christopher A Lowry (and @CALowryPhD) about his work studying the relationship between stress resilience and the microbiome. Dr. Lowry is with the University of Colorado Boulder, Department of Integrative Physiology, and the Center for Neuroscience, as well as co-Director for the Military and Veteran Microbiome: Consortium for Research and Education (and @MVM_CoRE). Dr. Lowry is the senior author on a publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science . The article is titled “Immunization with a heat-killed preparation of the environmental bacterium Mycobacterium vaccae promotes stress resilience in mice.” Listen how the this article with it's complex title is turned into something understandable. The podcast is approximately 22 minutes long.
Listen to The Microbiome and Suicide Prevention
- Read the article “Immunization with a heat-killed preparation of the environmental bacterium Mycobacterium vaccae promotes stress resilience in mice.”
- Neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder
- Dr. Lowry's Lab
- Military and Veteran Microbiome: Consortium for Research and Education (MVM CoRE)
- Behavioral Neuroendocrinology Laboratory
Research
Podcast: Predictive Analytics to Reach Veterans at Risk- 15 October 2018 - This bonus podcast release is coinciding with a HSR&D Cyberseminar "REACH VET: Applying Predictive Analytics to Clinical Practice." The HSR&D website will have a recording of the seminar. Adam speaks with Aaron Eagan, RN MPH, about the use of predictive analytics to identify Veterans at highest-risk of suicide and intervenes clinically to review and enhance care.
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Podcast: The 2018 AAS Conference - Part 4- 25 July 2018 - Here we are at the end of our series. And we end it with some blockbusters:
An Ecological Approach to Suicide Prevention with Dr. Emma Elliott-Groves
What if We...? Taking a New Look at Risk with Drs. Jessica Ribeiro and Joseph Franklin
The Role of Daily Interpersonal Interactions in Suicide Risk with Dr. Katie Lewis 
Podcast: The 2018 AAS Conference - Part 3- 18 July 2018 - In this 3rd of our 4 part series from the 2018 AAS conference we diversify and hear from a Health Behaviorist, a gamer and a future seminarian:
Health Promoting Behaviors as Suicide Prevention with Dr. Daniel DeBrule
The Gaming Community Comes to the Rescue with Stack Up's Elvis Walden
Suicide Prevention and the Greek Life with Marshall Taylor 
Podcast: The Role of Health Promoting Behaviors with Dr. Bryann DeBeer- 14 February 2018 - In this podcast Adam Hoffberg interviews Dr. Bryann DeBeer, a suicide prevention researcher and clinical research psychologist at the VA VISN 17 Center of Excellence for Research on Returning War Veterans, and an Assistant Professor at Texas A&M Health Science Center. Dr. DeBeer discusses her interesting research which examines risk factors for suicide in Veterans. Her work also focuses on translating these findings into new actionable suicide prevention techniques. Adam and Dr. DeBeer talk about how these findings fit into clinical practice in order to help clinicians improve their work with clients at risk for suicide. Listen to the podcast:
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Working towards a better understanding of suicide loss
11 January 2017 - Suicide is known as a rare event, yet the large number of those impacted by suicide (through exposure, and closer connections including bereavement) makes suicide loss relatable to every human. Preliminary research on suicide bereavement in Veterans and Military Families shows that military family members who have lost someone to suicide are at greater risk for depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts of their own. Melanie Hom, M.A., a clinical graduate student at Thomas Joiners’ Laboratory for the Study and Prevention of Suicide-Related Conditions continues this line of research, which she discusses with Adam in this week’s Short Takes podcast. Using common data elements aggregated across 15 studies funded by the Military Suicide Research Consortium, this study finds that the majority (over 50%) of service members and Veterans know someone who has died by suicide. Melanie shares findings about those affected by suicide loss, as well as important clinical implications and needed next steps for future research. The podcast is approximately 25 minutes long.
Related resources:
- Access the article “Exploring the association between exposure to suicide and suicide risk among military service members and veterans” in the Journal of Affective Disorders.
Resources for loved ones bereaved by suicide:
- American Association of Suicidology has compiled a list of resources for suicide loss survivors.
- Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) hosts camps, retreats, care groups and many other services for military members who have lost a loved one.
- Part of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s mission is to bring “hope to those affected by suicide,” including access to nationwide support groups.
- Servicemen, Veterans, families and loved ones receive free, professional mental health services via Give an Hour.
Bolstering Resiliency in the Helping Professions
5 October 2016 - Adam interviews a new addition to the Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention team, Dr. Meredith Mealer. Meredith as done important work studying the high prevalence of PTSD in ICU nurses. Her work has found that ICU nurses suffer from PTSD at a rate comparable to soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Dr. Mealer's research has also provided steps that nurses and ALL helping professionals can take that have proven to bolster resilience. The work is important for all in the helping field. The podcast is approximately 21 minutes long.
Listen to Bolstering Resiliency in the Helping Professions
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Learn more about Dr. Meredith Mealer
- Watch Meredith's Denver Channel 4 News video: CU researchers take aim at PTSD, burnout in the ICU
- Podcast transcript
- Feasibility and acceptability of a resilience training program for intensive care unit nurses
- A qualitative study of resilience and posttraumatic stress disorder in United States ICU nurses
- The prevalence and impact of post traumatic stress disorder and burnout syndrome in nurses
- The presence of resilience is associated with a healthier psychological profile in intensive care unit (ICU) nurses: results of a national survey
Implicit Association Test between Death/Life and Suicide
27 July 2016 - Adam Hoffberg interviews Dr. Sean Barnes about his paper “Moving Beyond Self-Report: Implicit Associations about Death/Life Prospectively Predict Suicidal Behavior among Veterans”. The paper explores suicide risk assessment, the limitations of self-report, and why advancing our understanding of objective ways to measure suicide risk is so important. Specifically it examines the predictive validity of the death/suicide Implicit Association Test (d/sIAT) as an objective measure of future risk. The podcast is approximately 20 minutes long.
Listen to Implicit Association Test between Death/Life and Suicide
- Learn more about Dr. Sean Barnes
- Learn more about the Implicit Association Test at Project Implicit (and take a test yourself)
- Learn more about the paper “Moving Beyond Self-Report: Implicit Associations about Death/Life Prospectively Predict Suicidal Behavior among Veterans” in the post below
Validating the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide in a Veteran Population
29 June 2016 - Adam interviews Dr. Bridget Matarazzo about using measures to test Dr. Joiner's Interpersonal Theory of Suicide. This episode is of particular interest for any clinician who works with Veterans. Dr. Matarazzo explores to recognize perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness in the presence of acquired capability through psychometric tools. And how these tools have been validated for a Veteran population. The podcast is approximately 16 minutes long.
Listen to Validating the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide in a Veteran Population
- The article "Evaluating the Psychometric Properties of the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire and the Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale in Military Veterans" is not available online, but read the abstract on PubMed.
- Learn more about Dr. Bridget Matarazzo
- Learn more about the VA Suicide Risk Management Consultation Program.
Zero Suicide Initiative
The Second Zero Suicide Trilogy Podcast- We present our 2nd Zero Suicide Trilogy with stories recorded at the 2017 Bridging the Divide Conference last May. This trilogy features Ursula Whiteside (Why and How Now Matters Now), Richard McKeon (An Agency's Approach to Zero Suicide) and Sarah Brummett (A State's Approach to Zero Suicide). These conversations are short and give a brilliant insight to Zero Suicide.
Podcast: Trauma Informed Care with Leah Harris, M.A.- 26 July 2017 - At the 2017 Bridging the Divide conference here in Denver we caught up with Leah right after her keynote address, "How I Went from Wanting to Die to Loving Life: A Resilience Journey". In this podcast Leah expounds on Trauma Informed Care and her thoughts on Zero Suicide. This is a great summertime length podcast at 12 minutes.
Suicide Prevention in the Construction Industry with Sally Spencer-Thomas PhD- The Bridging the Divide Conference is an annual event in Denver put on by Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado and this year we caught up with the very busy, very energetic Sally Spencer-Thomas. Lately, Sally has taken up suicide prevention work in the construction industry. This was not a population I was familiar with but as you'll find in listening to this podcast the overlap between this industry and Veterans is surprisingly large.
Podcast: The Zero Suicide Trilogy- During the 50th annual American Association of Suicidologist conference in Phoenix, AZ Adam had the chance to interview three leaders in the Zero Suicide Initiative, Julie Goldstein, Anthony Pisani and Brian Ahmandani.
An Introduction to the Zero Suicide Initiative with Julie Goldstein Grumet, Ph.D.- Julie is the Director of Health and Behavioral Health Initiatives at the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC). Dr. Goldstein Grumet provides strategic direction to improve the effectiveness of behavioral health, clinical care, and primary care providers to recognize and respond to suicide emergencies. She oversees the Zero Suicide initiative for SPRC, supporting the work of state and health care leaders who are implementing system-wide approaches to suicide prevention.
A new take on Zero Suicide and Risk Formulation with Tony Pisani, Ph.D.- Tony Pisani, Ph.D. (University of Rochester Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide) discusses his model for suicide safer care, prevention-oriented risk formulation, and the need for a common framework for assessing, communicating, and responding to suicide risk for clinicians, patients, and the medical record. Dr. Pisani will be releasing new materials and training opportunities soon. To be notified when updates are available, please visit tonypisani.info.
Suicide Prevention in Health Systems with Brian Ahmedani, Ph.D. L.M.S.W.- Dr. Ahmendani joined the Center for Health Policy and Health Services Research at Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) in 2010. The Center for Health Services Research investigates ways to improve the quality, efficiency and equity of health care. This podcast discusses some of the the history of the zero suicide initiative and Henry Ford Health System, including recent research findings on suicide prevention in health systems.
Masters' Series
Podcast: A Conversation with Dr. Michael Kauth - A Lifetime of Achievement in Veterans Care- 10 October 2018 - Dr. Michael Kauth is a clinical psychologist and has two major roles in the VA. He is Director of the VHA LGBT Health Program – a position shared with Dr. Jillian Shipherd – and he is also Co-Director of the South Central Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center. In addition, Dr. Kauth is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. Recently he received The American Psychological Association, Division 18, James Besyner Award for Lifetime Achievement and later this week he and Dr. Shipherd will be receive the 2018 Achievement Award from the Gay/Lesbian Medical Association in Las Vegas. I have known Michael for almost 15 years beginning when he was the National Educational Director for MIRECC/CoE and I maintained the website. I caught up with Michael to reflect on his work and get his view of the future.
Listen to the podcast 
Podcast: Suicide Prevention Master Series with Dr. Jerry Reed- 11 April 2018 - Jerry Reed, PhD, MSW, Education Development Center’s Senior Vice President for Practice Leadership and Lead for the U.S. Division’s Suicide, Violence, and Injury Prevention Portfolio, shares his professional journey from the early days of his career experience to his current position of being a well-known leader and expert in the suicide, violence, and injury prevention fields. Read more. Listen to the podcast:
Podcast: Looking 30 Years Ahead and 30 Years Behind with David A. Jobes, Ph.D., ABPP- 9 August 2017 - Earlier this summer I called Dave and hit the record button. What followed was a chance to look forward into the future of suicide prevention based on 30 years of work and research in our chosen field of suicide prevention. Listening to Dave you can get the sense that we are on the cusp of dramatic changes in how we treat the individuals in our care.
Sleep
Sleeping Well as an Upstream Approach to Suicide Prevention
14 December 2016 - Could improved sleep potentially help prevent individuals from developing suicidal thoughts or behaviors sometime in the future? Rocky Mountain MIRECC Psychologist Sarra Nazem talks with Adam about her clinical work and research into evidence-based insomnia treatments as it relates to decreasing suicide risk. This topic is particularly relevant for providers working with Veterans and military, who experience sleep disturbances at increasingly high levels in the past decade. The good news: though insomnia is highly prevalent among Vets and military, it is also highly treatable. EB interventions such as SHUTi (Sleep Health Using the Internet) capitalize on a combination of high effectiveness and wide accessibility. Join Sarra and Adam as they discuss improving sleep as a way to increase hopefulness, and improve outcomes for other co-morbid conditions. The podcast is approximately 25 minutes long.
Listen to Sleeping Well as an Upstream Approach to Suicide Prevention
- Learn more about Dr. Nazem and her work
- The Sleep Healthy Using the Internet Webpage describes SHUT-I and provides information on the research behind the application.
- Learn and download the T2 Health mobile phone app CBT-i Coach
- Watch the HSR&D cyber seminar “The Relationship of Sleep Disturbance to Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors: An Opportunity for Intervention” by Wilfred Pigeon, PhD, for more information on insomnia, depressive symptomology, and suicide risk.
Sleep-Wake Disturbance
30 March 2016 - Welcome to our fourth RM Short Takes podcast. This week Adam Hoffberg interviews Dr. Ellyn Matthews on her article "A Qualitative Study of Sleep-Wake Disturbance Among Veterans With Post-Acute Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury." Ellyn is now invested in Elizabeth Stanley Cooper Endowed Chair in Oncology Nursing at the University of Arkansas after a great stint with Rocky Mountain MIRECC. In this podcast she discusses the effect sleep-wake disturbance can have on Veterans with moderate to severe TBI. The podcast is approximately 20 minutes long.
Listen to Sleep-Wake Disturbance
Miscellaneous
Podcast: On Ethnography in Implementation Science with Dr. Lindsey Martin- 9 January 2019 - Dr. Lindsey Ann Martin, a medical anthropologist from the Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas discusses with Adam the role of ethnographic methods in the field of implementation science at the recent 2018 D&I conference in Washington, DC. In this podcast, Lindsey talks about how she is using ‘periodic reflections’, a method developed by Drs. Erin Finley (San Antonio VA) and Alison Hamilton (Greater Los Angeles VA), to evaluate a facilitation strategy to implement video telehealth to home (VTH) for rural Veterans.
Listen to the podcast 
Podcast Bonus: Treatment Works for Veterans Website Launches!- 7 May 2018 - Adam discusses the new website www.treatmentworksforvets.org with Dr. Brad Karlin. The website has two purposes. The first is to introduce Veterans to the idea of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies, especially for insomnia and depression (others will be added later). Evidence-Based Psychotherapies (EBP) are treatments that have been shown to work; they have been tested and work. The other part of the website is for clinicians and focuses on Shared Decision Making, a process in which the provider sits down with the person interested in getting treatment and together they decide on what EBP is best for the individual. Best of all the website is free and open to everyone - Veteran and non-Veteran! Listen to the podcast:
Rehabilitation at the VA is a Team Sport, as is Suicide Prevention
28 December 2016 - The VAs Polytrauma System of Care (PSC) represents the world’s largest, integrated model of traumatic brain injury (TBI) care. In this podcast, Adam catches up with Joel Scholten MD (widely known as @VATBIDoc on twitter) at this year’s annual American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine conference to discuss PSC’s achievements. Joel describes the comprehensive system of rehabilitation care available to Veterans and their families, which strives to address often complicated care needs. These often range from TBI with co-morbid PTSD, pain, and other conditions that benefit from PSC’s individualized treatment plans and highly multi-disciplinary approach. Join Joel and Adam during the Chicago Cubs' victory parade as they discuss the VA’s team sport approach to rehabilitation and suicide prevention. The podcast is approximately 13 minutes long.
- Learn more about Dr. Scholten’s work as the Associate Chief of Staff for Rehabilitation Services for the VAMC in Washington, D.C.
- See his work featured brainlinemilitary
- Information on VAs Polytrauma System of care
- Details about each of the four care components and an interactive map with Polytrauma/TBI System of care.
- Read about Concussion Coach, an app developed by VA/PSC to help manage TBI symptoms.
- Several of Dr. Scholten’s recent publications include:
- Scholten et al 2016 Templated Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Care Plan Documentation for Veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury PMID: 27749702
- Martinez et al. 2016 Evaluation and treatment of mild traumatic brain injury through the implementation of clinical video telehealth: provider perspectives from the Veterans Health Administration PMID: 27423365
Talking to T2 about Mental Health Apps
19 October 2016 - Adam talks this week with Dr. Julie Kinn from The National Center for Telehealth & Technology (T2), a Department of Defense organization that evaluates new technologies for tele-mental health. T2 has put out lots of mobile apps focusing on the mental needs of Veterans, caregivers, service members and clinicians. The apps have been remarkably popular and useful. Adam explores the process of creating evidence-based apps that are fun, easy to use and beneficial. The podcast is approximately 30 minutes long.
Listen to Talking to T2 about Mental Health Apps
- Learn more about National Center for Telehealth & Technology
- Try the new Dream EZ app
- Checkout T2's award winning Military Kids Connect site
- For the mental health provider - Provider Resilience app
- All the great T2 apps!
Getting the Word out about Suicide Prevention
24 August 2016 - Dr. Nazanin Bahraini, Director of Education for the Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention discusses VA Suicide Prevention research and how we make that research accessible for clinicians and Veterans. Nasi talks about the movement in VA Suicide Prevention research from her days as a psychology fellow where the research focused on down-river approaches to today where there the approaches run a wider range from community to environmental. She touches on the future, VA Suicide Prevention month and the 22 Pushup Challenge (have you done the challenge yet!). The podcast is approximately 25 minutes long.
Listen to Getting the Word out about Suicide Prevention
- Learn more about Nazanin Bahraini PhD.
- See Nasi's interview related to 22 Pushup Challenge
Selected Videos
Video: Veterans and PTSD: Challenging the Misconceptions- 30 June 2017 - There are many misconceptions about Veterans and PTSD. Understanding what we really know can help Veterans connect with the services they need to live a better life. Clinical Research Psychologist, Dr. Suzanne McGarity from the Rocky Mountain MIRECC for Suicide Prevention describes what research shows about Veterans and PTSD. Watch the video on YouTube.
Six Training Videos: Suicide Assessment, Treatment and Management
30 March 2016
These six videos were part of a day long training that Sarra Nazem PhD, Nazanin Bahraini PhD and Lisa Brenner PhD did in October 2014 for mental health clinicians at the American Lake VAMC.
Topics included:
Site Map
Contact Information
Denver
Rocky Mountain Regional VAMC (RMR VAMC)
1700 N Wheeling St, G-3-116M
Aurora, CO 80045
720-723-6493
Salt Lake City
VA Salt Lake City Health Care System
500 Foothill DR
Salt Lake City, UT 84148
801-582-1565 x2821
