Understanding and Addressing the Needs of Bereaved Military Family Members – 1 CE Hour

Description

This presentation will describe the unique challenges related to bereavement resulting from military duty deaths. Dr. Cozza will highlight the need for research about experiences of bereaved military family members and review findings from the National Military Family Bereavement Study (www.militarysurvivorstudy.org), including the range of grief severity, grief-related impairment, and post-traumatic growth. He will focus especially on coping strategies associated with more and less impairment in functioning and associated with post-traumatic growth. 

Webinar recorded on April 26, 2019.

Learning Objectives

1. List the unique challenges faced by bereaved military family survivors
2. Explain how these challenges can undermine adaptation to loss in military family survivors
3. Identify the maladaptive thinking patterns that contribute to greater grief-related impairment and less post-traumatic growth

About the Presenter

Stephen J. Cozza, MD is Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the Uniformed Services University where he serves as Associate Director, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) and is responsible for the Child and Family Program. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He received his medical degree from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He completed his residency in General Psychiatry and fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. Dr. Cozza is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in the specialties of General Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He has served in a variety of positions of responsibility in the Department of Psychiatry at Walter Reed Army Medical Center to include Chief, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Service, Program Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Program and Chief, Department of Psychiatry. He retired from the U.S. Army in 2006 after 25 years of military service. Dr. Cozza’s professional interests have been in the areas of clinical and community response to trauma in both military and civilian communities, including the impact of deployment and combat injury, illness and death on military service members, their families and their children. Dr. Cozza has highlighted the impact of deployment, injury, illness and death on the children and families of military service members. He has also examined the risk for prolonged grief disorder, a unique grief-related clinical condition, in families affected by sudden and violent deaths, including those bereaved due to combat, suicide, homicide, accident, and terrorism. He is published in the scientific literature and has presented on these topics at multiple national and international scientific meetings. Dr. Cozza serves as a scientific advisor to several national organizations that focus on the needs of military children and families.

Continuing Education

American Psychological Association

The Center for Prolonged Grief at Columbia School of Social Work is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Center for Prolonged Grief maintains responsibility for this program and its content. 

Note: Many state boards recognize the APA approval. Please check with your state licensing board.

New York State Education Department

1. NYSED State Board for Psychology recognizes the Center for Prolonged Grief as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists (#PSY-0150).
2. NYSED Board for Social Work recognizes the Center for Prolonged as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers (#SW‐0727).
3. NYSED State Board for Mental Health Practitioners recognizes the Center for Prolonged Grief as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists (#MFT-0080).

Note: Non-NYS social workers, marriage and family therapists, and other professionals, please check with your state licensing board. Many states have recognized our continuing education programs as we are at a CSWE-accredited institution and part of a regionally accredited university.