Trauma-Informed Care with Military & Law Enforcement-Affiliated Clients

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Description: This presentation provides a comprehensive examination of trauma-informed care, specifically as it applies to military and law enforcement-affiliated populations, to prepare mental health professionals with the skills and understanding needed to better serve these clients. Specifically, the presentation recognizes that military and law enforcement members and their families represent unique populations with distinctive cultures and experiences that leave them vulnerable to traumatic events that can lead to physical, psychological, social, and spiritual consequences. Through members’ responsibilities to protect themselves and others through severe threats and in challenging environments, often at the expense of their own physical and emotional safety, they incur stress and navigate traumatic experiences that may additionally impact their families. Despite these risks, affiliated clients may be hesitant and have challenges accessing responsive mental healthcare due to concerns of clinicians’ lack of cultural understanding, personal fears and hesitancies, impacts to career trajectory, logistics of the position, pervasive mental health stigma, and lack of availability, leaving them at risk of increased post-traumatic stress, vicarious trauma, and serious mental health concerns, including risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. While awareness of these mental health needs is increasing, clinicians often are not adequately trained and prepared to aid military and law enforcement members, veterans, and their families. Incorporating the most up-to-date research findings and evidence-based practices, the presenters will provide tools to bridge this gap and enable participants to develop a deeper awareness of these populations, to overcome barriers to care, and to gain practical knowledge and trauma-informed clinical skills to navigate experiences and symptoms of trauma with military and law enforcement clients.

CE Broker Tracking #: 20-1346768

Learning Objectives:

1. Summarize important cultural elements of military and law enforcement members.
2. List signs and symptoms related to unique trauma experiences and clinical symptoms that may manifest for military and law enforcement-affiliated clients.
3. Develop clinical strategies and tools to support clients representing military and law enforcement communities.
4. Describe signs of suicide risk and strategies for suicide prevention with military and law enforcement clients.

About the Presenters:

Jessica L. Tinstman Jones, PhD, LMHC (FL), NCC is the Assistant Clinical Director of Rivas Psychotherapy and an Assistant Professor at Nova Southeastern University. She specializes in clinical mental health counseling and has been supporting both military-affiliated and civilian clients experiencing crisis and trauma events, with an emphasis on clients with suicidal ideations and behaviors, for more than 12 years. Through her faculty position at NSU, Dr. Tinstman Jones engages in research to further understanding and competencies in these areas and in support of military members and families, and she provides instruction and supervision to clinicians in training to provide trauma responsive care. Her research has led to several peer-reviewed publications and presentations.

Amanda DiLorenzo-Garcia is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Prescott College and is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida. She completed her doctorate at the University of Central Florida and her Master of Education and Education Specialist degrees in Marriage and Family Therapy at the University of Florida. Dr. DiLorenzo-Garcia's research interests include ambiguous loss and readjustment, grief and trauma, and self-compassion. Dr. DiLorenzo-Garcia studies the loss and growth experienced by family members of mass shootings survivors and primary survivors. Internationally, she has worked in Haiti since 2011 with P4H Global, a sustainable development nonprofit, and completed counseling related work in Dominica. Dr. DiLorenzo-Garcia is passionate about connecting clinical work with her teaching and research. She continues to dedicate herself to the Alachua County Crisis Center as a Clinical Supervisor.

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