Two active duty psychologists sit down on a podcast and try to set the record straight about some of the ins and outs of becoming and serving as a military mental health provider. What does it take to serve simultaneously as a mental health provider AND an officer? What opportunities exist in areas such as leadership, prevention (individual and systemic), as a clinician, and training? How might YOU collaborate or consult with a military mental health provider? Listen as popular myths are busted, and unique opportunities are discussed!
Maj John A. Blue Star is an active duty US Air Force, board-certified clinical health psychologist. He is the Mental Health Flight Commander at Hanscom Air Force Base. His duties include conducting biopsychosocial evaluations for active duty and their families and retirees with health conditions, coordinating community-level population health program initiatives, providing behavioral treatment to individuals and groups with a focus on the quality of life improvement, and supervising clinical activities and conducting didactics for psychology interns. Maj Blue Star has a specialty focus in implementing interdisciplinary care for Active Duty service members with chronic pain and associated functional impairments, with emphasis on improving military readiness and decreasing risks involving opioid medication.
Lt. Col. David Tubman, an active duty US Air Force clinical health psychologist, is currently serving as the Clinical Psychology Internship Training Director at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. He earned his Psy.D. at Wheaton College, Illinois, and completed both his internship and post-doctoral fellowship in clinical health psychology at Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland AFB, TX. He is passionate about delivering evidence-based population health interventions, developing effective and engaging clinical training experiences, the science of behavior change, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Calls-to-action: For example:
Subscribe to the Practical for Your Practice Podcast
Subscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email
Take CDP’s free Military Culture Course: https://deploymentpsych.org/Military-Culture-Enhancing-Competence-Course-Description
