MIRECC / CoE

Webinar Series

NEXT UP: July 10, 2024 at 12-1PM

Understanding Transitioning Veterans: A Developmental and Culturally Informed Approach

with Ashley Greene, PhD and Emily Knitter, EdM

Purpose Statement:
Veterans transitioning out of the military face a host of accumulating difficulties. A majority report significant stress and often increased suicidality. The purpose of this live, knowledge-based virtual presentation for interprofessional healthcare teams is to review links between the military transition and resulting psychosocial challenges. In this presentation on the post-military transition process, Dr. Ashley Greene and Army Veteran Emily Knitter, Ed.M. will address limitations within current military transition frameworks, discussion will emphasize sociocultural and developmental contextual factors. This presentation aims to fill the knowledge gap with topics to include military culture, identity, relational functioning, and mental health. Potential treatment targets and interventions for military transition stressors and subsequent reintegration challenges will be discussed.

Outcome/Objectives:
At the conclusion of this educational program, learners will be able to:
1. Review signs and symptoms of military transition stress and reintegration difficulty;
2. Review links between suicide risk and transition and reintegration challenges; and
3. Address sociocultural and developmental contextual factors that influence the transition process and psychosocial functioning.

Program Description: 
The VISN 2 Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers (MIRECC) pursues a discovery-to-recovery approach to determine the causes, identify predictors, and develop treatments for individuals with SMI, with emphasis on schizophrenia and suicide. The topics for this series consist of innovative treatments that we have created/tested and insights from research that have helped to inform clinical care.

Target Audience (1 CE Per Webinar):
Physicians, Psychologists, Social Workers, Nurses, Counselors, and Therapists

Registration:
VA Providers (TMS #131010810)
Non-VA Providers (TRAIN #1121487)

PRESENTERS:
Ashley Greene, PhD is a Research Psychologist at the VISN 2 MIRECC and a New York State licensed clinical psychologist. She received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin and her M.A./PhD in Clinical Psychology from Stony Brook University before joining the VISN 2 MIRECC as an Advanced Psychology Fellow. Dr. Greene’s research focuses on the conceptualization, classification, and measurement of psychopathology. This work uses quantitative methods to investigate dimensional models of psychopathology classification in reaction to the limitations of categorical nosologies like the DSM. By merging her quantitative expertise with her clinical expertise in the treatment of high-risk combat Veterans struggling to readjust to post-military life, her suicide prevention research aims to (1) improve the conceptualization, measurement, and treatment of military transition stressors and subsequent reintegration difficulties, (2) to understand the causes and consequences of challenges faced during military transition and reintegration, (3) to develop contextualized suicide-risk profiles of Veterans across the lifespan. Dr. Greene draws upon diverse disciplines to inform her work, including personality, developmental and adult psychopathology, psychiatric epidemiology, psychometrics, philosophy of science, and psychoanalytically-based theory and interventions.




Emily Knitter, EdM is a U.S. Army combat veteran and Ph.D. candidate in Counseling Psychology at the University at Buffalo. Like many veterans, she struggled with the transition out of the military after being honorably discharged. Emily first earned a B.A. in Psychology from St. Bonaventure University, where she served as president of the Student Veterans of America (SVA) chapter. These experiences inspired her to pursue a Ph.D. to help other veterans. She is currently completing her internship at the Veterans Affairs Black Hills Health Care System in South Dakota. Drawing from her background as a military journalist, Emily is passionate about raising awareness of the emotional challenges veterans face when transitioning out of service. Through grassroots research and partnerships with organizations like the VISN 2 MIRECC department, she aims to improve transitional support resources for this underserved population.

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Accreditations: ACCME, ACCME-NP, APA, ASWB, JA IPCE, NBCC, NYSED SW, NYSED-Psychology


Additional Information for TMS Registration:

Questions?
Non-VA employees, please contact the VHA TRAIN Help Desk by email at VHATRAIN@va.gov.
VA employees, please contact Lauran Hardy at Lauran.Hardy@va.gov. 

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Last updated: July 26, 2024