VA Mental Health Provider Venting / Problem-solving / Peer Support Thread

[Sanman]

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I am running on fumes, but celebrating my wins. I have gotten a stream of straight-forward EBP cases where the patients seem engaged and motivated. It's been nice.

Impossible. We all know that combat related PTSD only improves after 10 years of non-directed therapy on slightly cloudy days (not so nice that a veteran feels good and no-shows, not so grey that they feel depressed and also no show). Then the VA cuts off their life line because no one cares about veterans anymore.

 

[futureapppsy2]

I have some wonderful ongoing EBP cases too. They really keep me going! I totally understand why research shows that more EBP usage is associated with lower burnout.

Helping people actually get better is so nice!

 

[aim-agm]

Second this. I still did therapy for PTSD as a neuropsych when I was in the VA and this was my experience as well. I hate the self-serving myth that CE/CPT are only for easy cases that the snakeoil people peddle.

Thirded, I don't do CPT/PE but I haven't found complexity to be inimical to psychotherapy succees, except when the complexity is that they also have a Cluster B PD.
Although I do cheat and use chemicals to mess with their brains.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

Second this. I still did therapy for PTSD as a neuropsych when I was in the VA and this was my experience as well. I hate the self-serving myth that CE/CPT are only for easy cases that the snakeoil people peddle.

Back on internship (during the olden times!), some of my best outcomes were using PE with medically complex and multiple-trauma veterans….likely bc they committed and put in the work, funny how those things help treatment outcomes.

 

[futureapppsy2]

Thirded, I don't do CPT/PE but I haven't found complexity to be inimical to psychotherapy succees, except when the complexity is that they also have a Cluster B PD.
Although I do cheat and use chemicals to mess with their brains.

Even in people with co-morbid BPD and PTSD, PE/CPT has been shown to be effective for PTSS, IIRC.