Free training educates behavioral health providers on military culture

January 21, 2014  


WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University (MFRI) and its partners will host a series of one-day Star Behavioral Health Provider (SBHP) trainings to introduce behavioral health providers to military culture and the effect of deployments on families.

Upcoming SBHP Tier One trainings will take place across Indiana in Kendallville (Jan. 29), Lafayette (Feb. 5), Richmond (Feb. 25) and South Bend (March 18). Each training takes place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tier One training helps to inform providers about military structure, lifestyle, language and challenges. Those who attend can receive continuing education units.

"SBHP's mission is to increase support for service members, veterans and their families by training civilian behavioral health providers about military-specific culture," said Kathy Broniarczyk, director of outreach at MFRI. "SBHP's website features a registry linking these families with licensed behavioral health-care providers who have gone through SBHP training. It's a program that truly fills a gap experienced by some of our nation's most deserving individuals and families."

The national program began in Indiana through a collaboration among MFRI, the Indiana National Guard, National Guard Bureau's Psychological Health Program and the Center for Deployment Psychology. Indiana Family and Social Services Administration oversee the distribution of continuing education units available to those who complete trainings. The Center for Deployment Psychology designed curricula for SBHP's three tiers of training. Each tier builds on the previous tier and, together, they cover a variety of topics, including military culture, sexual assault in the military and therapeutic treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Since its creation in Indiana, SBHP has spread to Michigan and Georgia, and California will launch its first SBHP trainings in 2014. Those interested can register online or by calling 765-496-4303. 

About the Military Family Research Institute: The Military Family Research Institute was founded in 2000 with funding from the Department of Defense. It is the leading university-based organization in the nation that conducts research about, with and for military families. MFRI is part of the Center for Families in Purdue's College of Health and Human Sciences. 

Writer: Linda Hughes Kirchubel, 765-494-3403, lhughesk@purdue.edu 

Source: Kathy Broniarczyk, 765-494-3403, kbroniar@purdue.edu

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