Governor's Challenge to Prevent Veteran Suicide
Arizona State Team
This bundle includes the following courses:
Communication Skills with Veterans
This course discusses how to communicate effectively with Veterans and assist volunteers so that they can support the Veterans working alongside them in their organization.
Myths and Facts About Wounded Warriors
In this course, Wounded Warrior Project’s Mike Richardson dispels some common myths about our country’s Wounded Warriors and provides facts to help you better connect with the Wounded Warriors in your life.
Women Who Serve
Women Who Serve is an overview of the contributions women have made to our military forces. This course is intended for those who want to better understand women's role in our military.
Crisis Response Plan for Healthcare Providers: Introduction and Assessment
This course introduces the theory behind the Crisis Response Plan, and explains the importance of narrative-based assessment of predisposition, risk factors and protective factors in your clinical interactions with patients.
Crisis Response Plan for Healthcare Providers: Intervention
This course introduces the theory behind the Crisis Response Plan, and explains the importance of narrative-based assessment of predisposition, risk factors and protective factors in your clinical interactions with patients.
Finding Stability After Suicide Loss
“Finding Stability After Suicide Loss” explains that suicide loss survivors often find it hard to reach out for help, and the people in their lives are often unsure how to help.
Postvention: Healing After Suicide
Postvention is a term unfamiliar to many people, yet it is a critical component of suicide prevention. This course, narrated by Dr. Shauna Springer, explains postvention, what it is and why it is important.
Suicide In Military Members and Veterans
Dr. Craig Bryan of the University of Utah National Center for Veterans Studies provides an overview of military suicide statistics and explains unique factors that may be related to increased rates in military suicide.
Inner Conflict and Survivor's Guilt
Intended for all healthcare providers who treat service members and Veterans, this course is narrated by clinical psychologist and Navy combat Veteran Dr. Heidi Kraft. Through storytelling and clinical case examples, Dr. Kraft will guide healthcare l
Connecting with the VA
Connecting with the VA is intended for healthcare providers and is narrated by Dr. Abigail C. Angkaw, a member of the PTSD Consultation Program within the VA’s National Center for PTSD.
VA S.A.V.E. Preventing Caregiver Suicide
After taking this course, you will develop an understanding of the increased risk for suicide we see in military and Veteran caregivers, identify the signs of an at-risk Veteran caregiver, and know steps you can take to help a Veteran caregiver.
VA S.A.V.E. (2023)
By taking this course you will develop a general understanding of the problem of suicide in the United States; understand how to identify a Veteran who may be at risk for suicide; and, finally, know what to do if you identify a Veteran at risk.
15 Things Veterans Want You to Know
PsychArmor asked hundreds of Veterans what they wanted civilians, employers, educators, health care providers, and therapists to know about them. These comments were used to create the topics of this course.
15 Things Veterans Want You to Know for Healthcare Providers
This course was created to educate Healthcare Providers who care for our military Veterans. PsychArmor asked hundreds of Veterans what they wanted civilians, employers, educators, health care providers, and therapists to know about them.
Taught by subject matter experts:
Ted Bonar, Psy.D.
Clinical Psychologist
Ted C. Bonar, Psy.D. is a clinical psychologist and a nationally recognized trainer and speaker at conferences and universities. An independent professional based in Columbus, OH, he operates a successful private practice and is a National Master Trainer for Mental Health First Aid, USA with the National Council for Behavioral Health. Dr. Bonar is a Subject Matter Expert in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Suicide, and matters related to military and veteran mental health concerns. He was previously the Chief of Continuing Education Programs at the Center for Deployment Psychology(CDP) where he oversaw and implemented training programs focused on common military- related behavioral healthcare concerns, evidence-based treatment of PTSD, and suicide prevention and treatment. Dr. Bonar has spoken at over 200 universities, national conferences, and continuing education events, including special projects for the PsychArmor Institute, the Defense Suicide Prevention Office (DSPO), the American Association of Suicidology (AAS), the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah, and PsychHub, Inc. Dr. Bonar has held clinical positions at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago, The Ohio State University Counseling and Consultation Service, the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign Counseling Center, and private practice in both Bethesda, MD and Columbus, OH. Dr. Bonar was awarded the 2013 Distinguished Alum award by the Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University/Chicago.
Diego Flores, MFT
Counselor, San Diego LGBT Community Center
Diego Flores is one of PsychArmor’s former Education and Resource Counselors. Diego was born and raised in Bakersfield, CA. He completed his Bachelor degree at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) in 2012, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Family Studies. While attending CSUN, Diego gained experience in creating and implementing professional training for students and staff. He recently graduated from San Diego State University with a Master of Science in Counseling, specializing in Marriage and Family Therapy. Over the past two years, Diego has gained over 500 clinical hours working with children, adults, families, and couples of various backgrounds, including military and veteran populations, at the Center for Community Counseling and Engagement, located in the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego. Diego now works at the San Diego LGBT Community Center as an On-Duty Counselor
Michael Richardson, (Lt. Col., USA, Ret.)
Vice President, Wounded Warrior Project, Independence Services and Mental Health
As Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) independence services and mental health vice president, Michael is responsible for the Independence Program (IP), Combat Stress Recovery Program (CSRP), Warrior Care Network and WWP Talk Program. Michael begin his military service in 1981 as a 17-year-old private and retired 32 years later in 2013 as a medical service corps lieutenant colonel. He last served as the director of the disability evaluation system for Army Medicine as part of the Army staff. He also commanded the Warrior Transition Battalion for Europe from 2010 to 2012, where his relationship with WWP began. During his change of command, Michael noted that WWP was pivotal in the development of the battalion’s effective adaptive sports and fitness program, which positively affected the lives of warriors and their families. During Michael’s career, he had numerous combat and operational deployments to Iraq, Kuwait, Kosovo, and Bosnia. Of note, during his last 15-month deployment to Iraq, Michael served as the Iraq theatre medical regulating officer and was responsible for the coordination of all patient movement within and departing from Iraq. His awards include two Legions of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal; and various other medals and decorations. Michael is a member of the Order of Military Medical Merit for Army Medicine. Michael holds a master’s degree in public administration (health) from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a bachelor’s in economics from the University of Hawaii.
Margaret Riley, J.D.
Chief Operating Officer, The Commit Foundation
Margaret Riley is the Chief Operating Officer at The Commit Foundation. Before that, Riley served as External Relations Director at PsychArmor. Prior to joining PsychArmor, Margaret was the Community Partnerships and Investments Director at Wounded Warrior Project and worked for the University Of Southern California School of Social Work Center of Innovation and Research for Veterans and Military Families (CIR). Margaret earned her bachelor’s degree from Clemson University and her law degree from California Western School of Law. Upon graduation from law school, Margaret joined the U.S. Army as a direct commission and served as a JAG officer with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) to include one deployment to Iraq. Additionally, Margaret has worked for the Illinois Attorney General’s Office as the Assistant Chief of the Military and Veterans’ Rights Bureau and Chapman University School of Law as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the AMVETS Legal Clinic.
Craig Bryan, Psy.D., ABPP
Stress, Trauma, & Resilience Professor, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Division Director of Recovery and Resilience, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health
Dr. Craig J. Bryan, PsyD, ABPP, is a board-certified clinical psychologist in cognitive-behavioral psychology. He is the Stress, Trauma, & Resilience (STAR) Professor at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and Division Director of Recovery and Resilience in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. Dr. Bryan is the former Executive Director of the National Center for Veterans Studies at The University of Utah. He served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force as an active duty psychologist, which included a deployment to Iraq in 2009. He has published hundreds of scientific articles and several books including Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention. He is one of the nation’s leading experts on military and Veteran suicide.
Shauna Springer, Ph.D.
Relationship Expert. Trauma Expert. Trusted Doc.
Dr. Shauna Springer – known as “Doc Springer” in the military community, is one of the nation’s leading experts on PTSD and transitional trauma. Her work has been featured on CNN, VICE, Business Insider, THRIVE Global, US News and World Report, NPR, NBC, CBS Radio, Forbes, Washington Post, and Military Times. She is a regular contributor to Psychology Today.
Over the past decade, Doc Springer has earned a rare form of trust with military leaders and combat warfighters. After serving for 8 years as a frontline psychologist in the Department of Veterans Affairs she transitioned to becoming the Senior Director of Suicide Prevention Initiatives for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. In her new role as Chief Psychologist of Stella Center, she is working to advance a new model for the treatment of trauma, that fuses biological and psychological interventions. She continues to collaborate with colleagues at TAPS to elevate TAPS field-leading expertise on grief and loss. For example, she is a lead subject matter expert for the NFL Foundation funded PsychArmor series of courses on suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. Dr. Springer wrote and narrated 5 courses to support this critical initiative – on barriers to treatment, TAPS postvention model, grief and trauma, grief in the veteran population, and post-traumatic growth after loss.
Dr. Springer’s reputation for walking with warfighters in the trenches of mental warfare is widely recognized. What Dr. Springer has learned from helping our nation’s warriors confront and overcome the challenges they face gives her a uniquely valuable perspective on how to lead ourselves – and those around us – through times of trauma, challenge, and unforeseen life disruption.
Heidi Squier Kraft, Ph.D.
Chief Clinical Officer, PsychArmor
Heidi Squier Kraft received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the UC San Diego/SDSU Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology in 1996. She joined the Navy during her internship at Duke University Medical Center and went on to serve as both a flight and clinical psychologist. Her active duty assignments included the Naval Safety Center, the Naval Health Research Center and Naval Hospital Jacksonville, FL. While on flight status, she flew in nearly every aircraft in the Navy and Marine Corps inventory, including more than 100 hours in the F/A-18 Hornet, primarily with Marine Corps squadrons. In February 2004, she deployed to western Iraq for seven months with a Marine Corps surgical company, when her boy and girl twins were 15-months-old. Rule Number Two is a memoir of that experience. Dr. Kraft left active duty in 2005, after nine years in the Navy. She currently serves as Chief Clinical Officer at PsychArmor Institute, a national non-profit that provides free online education for those who live with, care for, and work with military Veterans. She is frequently invited to speak at conferences and panels on combat stress, stigma and caring for the caregiver. She is a lecturer at San Diego State University, where she teaches Stress, Trauma and the Psychological Experience of Combat, Health Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, and Infant and Child Development. Dr. Kraft lives in San Diego with her husband Mike, a former Marine Harrier pilot. Her twins Brian and Meg, who have no memory of their mother’s time in Iraq, are college freshmen now.
Abigail Angkaw, Ph.D.
PTSD Program Director, VA San Diego, Associate Clinical Professor, UCSD
Megan McCarthy, Ph.D.
Deputy Director of Suicide Prevention, Veteran's Health Administration, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention
Dr. Megan McCarthy is the Deputy Director of Suicide Prevention in the Veteran’s Health Administration Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. As Deputy Director, Dr. McCarthy’s work focuses on the development of VA’s comprehensive public health approach to suicide prevention and on oversight of the office’s day-to-day operations. Dr. McCarthy is also an Assistant Health Sciences Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. She received a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, where she studied philosophy and international relations, and a doctorate in psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. She completed her doctoral internship at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and a postdoctoral clinical fellowship specializing in psychotherapy for underserved communities at Harvard Medical School.
Become Veteran Ready
The Veteran Ready Certificate program will provide you with an understanding of military culture and showcase your commitment to better support for our heroes and their families.
Inside this Learning Path:
