I recently had the refreshing experience of participating in the California Psychological Association 2012 convention Enhancing Today – Preparing for Tomorrow in historic
The Ever Evolving Health Care Environment: This Spring, the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee. Lt. General
"The collective healthcare experience is driven by a team of professionals, partnering with the patient, focused on health promotion and disease prevention to enhance wellness. Essential to integrated health care delivery is a high-performing primary care provider/team that can effectively manage the delivery of seamless, well-coordinated care and serve as the patient's medical home. Much of the future of military medicine will be practiced at the
"An area in which the Army and our Sister Services have innovated to address a growing problem is in concussion care. The establishment of a mild Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)/concussive system of care and implementation of treatment protocols has transformed our management of all battlefield health trauma. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is one of the invisible injuries resulting from not only the signature weapons of this war, improvised explosive devices and rocket propelled grenades, but also from blows to the head during training activities or contact sports. Since 2000, 220,430 Service Members have been diagnosed with TBI worldwide…. Currently, there are almost 350 studies funded by DoD to look at all aspects of TBI…. We have partnered with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Defense and
"There are significant health related consequences of over ten years of war, including behavioral health needs, post-traumatic stress, burn or disfiguring injuries, chronic pain or loss of limb. Our Soldiers and their Families need to trust we will be there to partner with them in their healing journey, a journey focused on ability vice disability. A decade of war in
"Near-term goals of the CBHSOC are implementation of routine behavioral health screening points across ARFORGEN and standardization of screening instruments…. Long-term goals of the CBHSOC are the protection and restoration of the psychological health of our Soldiers and Families and the prevention of adverse psychological and social outcomes like Family violence, driving under intoxication violations, drug and alcohol addiction, and suicide. This is through the development of a common behavioral health data system; development and implementation of surveillance and data tracking capabilities to coordinate behavioral health clinical efforts; full synchronization of Tele-behavioral health activities; complete integration of the Reserve Components; and the inclusion of other Army Medicine efforts including TBI, patient centered medical home, and pain management…. (T)he possible overreliance on medication-only pain treatment has other unintended consequences, such as prescription medication use. The goal is to achieve a comprehensive pain management strategy that is holistic, multi-disciplinary and multi-modal in its approach…." The challenges and opportunities for psychology over the next decade are extraordinary – for those with vision, dedication, and compassion. As was evident at CPA, and subsequently at the Wright Institute, psychology's next generation is ready and poised to effectively address society's most pressing needs.
The Continuing Journey: A number of colleagues have shared with us their fascinating personal stories surrounding retirement. Ruth Ullmann Paige, former APA Board of Directors: "Retirement. I closed my practice in December, 2010, for the most part. A few patients were just not ready to stop therapy or to start with someone else. So I continue to see very few people. A friend of mine calls it 'retirement light.' I have maintained my license and my liability insurance. I am very behind in obtaining CE credits, and I might close my practice altogether when I need to present CE credits to the Licensing Board. Not renewing my psychology license will surely trigger a huge psychological crisis for me; at least it seems that way right now. Perhaps it won't feel that way when the credits are due. It is often surprising to me that which was once 'unthinkable,' becomes 'acceptable' at times.
"The most startling, meaningful, and wonderful outcome of retirement from APA has been my having much stronger and frequent contacts with my children. I, along with many women of my age, struggled with work-family balance. In my day, though, that is not how the issue was framed. Almost all of my psychologist and other professional women friends felt non-stop guilt for years and years. In my heart I always believed I short changed my children, and that my priorities were upside down. Those feelings never changed during the decades I was working. So, when I 'retired' from APA, and then a few years later, from practice, I was thrilled and humbled to find that my children (no longer actual children) totally, easily, completely, and with so much love, welcomed me back into their lives. All of my children live in
"On a more intrapersonal level, I find still challenging, a year after I closed most of my practice, deciding which activities, other than family, are most personally meaningful. Opportunities to be involved in activities and tasks are unending. When I retired, I wanted for the first time in my life to do what I really wanted to do, and I learned that is difficult for me. I am embarrassed to admit that I have spent much of my life with an external focus. While I have long loved psychology and governance involvement, part of the joy was the response I received from others. Years and years ago, it was praise that I was able to both complete the Ph.D. and to have three children. (I reached a higher level of education, and had more children than anyone else in my family). Later, it was praise from a Dean and colleagues and then very positive feedback as a result of WSPA and APA involvement. It was my good fortune to receive much, much praise as I lived my life. While I felt really good about my activities, I was also driven by praise to do more – I often did too much, worked too long, was away from home too much, missed too many family events, and rarely had time for myself. So on January 1, 2011, I thought this is now my time. Whoops!! My time for What? I learned I had no idea what I wanted to do when I wasn't working and achieving in some venue. I had never in my life had primarily an internal focus. During my first retirement year I realized I needed to stop doing, and to hear myself. That is not so easy in what is still an overly busy life (I managed to do it again!) and one in which I have been unaccustomed to paying attention to what I wanted to do. I know more now about what I do not want to do.
"To this day, the external/internal dimension remains challenging. I walk outdoors regularly now in the forested Northwest. Even though it rains sometimes, it is always wonderful and calming and uplifting. I am less inclined to spend time with those I don't want to – for whatever the reason. I read a bit more – still not as much as I'd like to. I spend too much time on print and online newspapers. Al and I go to the theatre and films a whole lot. We have subscriptions to three theatre companies, and participate in a play reading group monthly. This is an activity I love.
"I am more involved now with the local Democratic Party, my legislators, candidates, etc. It has been great to learn about local issues that affect us on a day-to-day basis, and to be able to discuss these with our legislators, who thankfully are Democrats. This is a highly significant year politically both at the local and national levels. Given the disastrous national and international policies of the Republicans and the Tea Party, for the sake of all Americans and, for sure, my family, I hope the Democrats will win the House and Senate in both
"The changes so far, as you can see, have been more subtle than dramatic. It is mostly a matter of paying attention and noticing. Still, I am searching for what else feels personally meaningful. Maybe I am trying too hard. Life is good, and as I said, still too over full. I guess that has been, and continues to be me."
Ruth's experience is not an isolated one. A former Senate Chief of Staff: "Hey
Additional Reflections: "I still haven't written 'retired' anyplace yet. Most of us don't do active parenting anymore, as in parenting young children. That's another institution we're not part of in the same way. While Al and I are, fortunately, very involved in our children's and grandchildren's lives, we're not 'doing' very much. We listen often and share our thoughts (lightly), and we participate in the good, fun activities and help a bit. Being at this stage of life is facing another retirement, of sorts. Retirement, itself, is actually another 'institution,' but it's complicated, partly because the underlying values, beliefs and meanings are not openly discussed in our culture. In fact, we avoid focusing upon them. All of our lives we've been busy achieving and meeting responsibilities and expectations to – do well in school, raise children, earn a living, be socially and culturally engaged, and then, we finally retire. For just about the first time since we've been alive, it's our time, to do what we really want to. It's a new and unfamiliar 'institution.' We haven't been trained for it at all. And what makes it so urgent and scary for some, for me, is that when we are in that 'institution,' we also have the awareness that life is moving along very rapidly and that this period is the last time ever to live in a way that is personally important and meaningful" [Ruth]. The opportunities for psychology and for all of us are there. Open up that
