Here, there and everywhere: psychologists and the training of British Army officers at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

The Department of Communication and Applied Behavioural Science is one of the three departments in the academic faculty at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. The aim of the Department is to equip officer cadets with the skills, knowledge and personal qualities in order for them to develop their own potential, as both individuals and leaders in the British Army. The members of the Department have a range of backgrounds, with most having served in various capacities across UK Defence, both in uniformed and/or civilian crown servant contexts. Several members of the faculty are qualified psychologists, while others have related academic and professional backgrounds. The academic and applied discipline of psychology is the fundamental thread that runs through the various courses and projects delivered by the Department. This paper provides a brief overview of the activities undertaken by the Department, with a specific focus on the psychology components of the academic and applied activities. Although mainly serving in academic teaching roles, this paper illustrates the work of the psychologists outside the classroom, such as via field exercises and deployments overseas. It also touches on the importance of the outreach undertaken by the psychologists in the Department, which supports their ongoing research.

Master resilience training in the U.S. Army.

The U.S. Army Master Resilience Trainer (MRT) course, which provides face-to-face resilience training, is one of the foundational pillars of the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program. The 10-day MRT course is the foundation for training resilience skills to sergeants and for teaching sergeants how to teach these skills to their soldiers. The curriculum is based on materials developed by the University of Pennsylvania, the Penn Resilience Program (PRP), and other empirically validated work in the field of positive psychology. This "train the trainer model" is the main vehicle for the dissemination of MRT concepts to the entire force.

Variables predictivas del aprovechamiento formativo en la policía local / Predictive variables of training proficiency in the local police

La selección policial incluye un periodo de entrenamiento en el que los aspirantes adquieren conocimientos y destrezas relevantes para el trabajo. Este trabajo, realizado en la Policía Local de la ciudad de Zaragoza, examina la validez de la habilidad mental general, las dimensiones de personalidad y los conocimientos teóricos aplicados al trabajo, para predecir el aprovechamiento de la formación. Se realizaron análisis correlacionales, de regresión múltiple y path analysis con los datos correspondientes a 240 aspirantes a policía. Los resultados muestran que el aprovechamiento formativo se puede predecir a partir de la habilidad mental general, los conocimientos teóricos aplicados al puesto y tres dimensiones de personalidad, conciencia, apertura a la experiencia y amigabilidad. Se presenta un modelo causal que incluye los efectos directos e indirectos de las variables sobre el aprovechamiento de la formación en el caso de los policías locales(AU)

Police selection includes a period of training in which candidates acquire the relevant skills and knowledge for work. This study was carried out with the Local Police of Zaragoza. It examines the validity of general mental ability, the personality dimensions and theoretical knowledge applied to work, in order to predict training proficiency. A multiple regression correlational analysis and path analysis were carried out using the data of 240 candidates to be police officers. The results show that training proficiency can be predicted by general mental ability, theoretical knowledge applied to the job and three personality dimensions: conscientiousness, openness to experience and agreeableness. A causal model is presented, including the direct and indirect effects the variables have on training proficiency in the case of local police officers(AU)

Collaborative academic training of psychiatrists and psychologists in VA and medical school settings.

OBJECTIVE: The authors review the background and contemporary strengths of Dean's Committee Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in the collaborative academic training of psychiatrists and psychologists. METHODS: The authors discuss the problems and prospects of the current health care environment as it impacts the behavioral health treatment of returning veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the educational agenda for psychiatry and psychology. The medical education program in psychiatry and the internship program in psychology at the Syracuse Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the SUNY Upstate Medical University provide an exemplar of academic collaboration in clinical training. RESULTS: Within this combined educational environment, opportunities and challenges abound for interns and residents to receive advanced training in the state-of-the-art assessment and treatment of disorders related to psychological trauma, posttraumatic stress disorder, sexual trauma, traumatic brain injury, polytrauma, behavioral health in primary care, and telepsychiatry. CONCLUSION: There is tremendous mutual benefit from academic collaboration for both institutions as they grapple with their respective treatment and educational missions.

Selección continua de personal / No disponible

No disponible

Áreas emergentes en Psicología Militar / No disponible

No disponible

The psychologist's role in the Garrison mission of combat stress control units.

Active duty psychologists frequently are called upon to provide services that extend beyond the model of direct patient care. Army psychologists in combat stress control teams or division mental health services, Navy psychologists deployed to surgical companies, and Air Force psychologists deployed with air-transportable hospitals or mental health rapid response teams may find themselves acting as organizational consultants as well as clinicians. Psychologists assigned to hospitals and clinics also have opportunities to make contact with their units for purposes of consultation and education. Organizational consultations that offer interventions for improving unit readiness and/or increasing combat effectiveness are often welcomed by commanders and provide a mechanism for the application of training and experience directly to military populations. Transferring skills from patient care to performance enhancement may not be a clear progression for many clinicians. This article describes the strategies and materials developed as part of a combat stress control garrison mission at Fort Lewis, Washington, as an example of one approach to working with combat units. The article also calls for the development of a formal mechanism to train psychologists for such roles and for the maintenance and dissemination of research materials to support organizational interventions.

A conceptual overview of a proactive health psychology service: the Tripler Health Psychology Model.

The military patient population, the demanding environment in which medical services are provided, and the rigors of the operational environment create a unique challenge for service members as well as military health care providers. Within the military medical system, the subspecialty of clinical health psychology may provide patient care and consultation interventions necessary to meet the demands of the unique Army medical and military communities. As funding and other resources decrease, military health psychologists can provide high-quality care to difficult-to-manage patients while increasing outcome efficacy and decreasing costs to the hospital. This paper provides a definition of clinical health psychology and a description of its unique interventions and applications and how these unique skills augment medical services. Moreover, we offer a conceptual model for an innovative health psychology program that will assist other military treatment facilities in designing programs to increase outcome efficacy and concurrently reduce costs and utilization of services.

Military psychologists and the Partnership for Peace program in Albania.

A team of two military psychologists (the authors) traveled to Albania to provide training to Albanian military sociologists in psychological issues associated with peacekeeping deployment in connection with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's Partnership for Peace program. The training, based on research conducted by the authors, emphasize the typical problems faced by peacekeepers. The information presented was adjusted to better meet the particular needs of the Albanians. Topics of primary interest to the Albanians are discussed with an emphasis on the Albanian cultural context. General lessons for future Partnership for Peace training are also presented.

Revitalizing division mental health in Garrison: a post-Desert Storm perspective.

The Division Mental Health Section (DMHS) has long been an essential component of the combat mental health mission. Relatively little attention has focused on its important functions in garrison. The authors, both veterans of Operation Desert Storm, review the DMHS mission in garrison and highlight forces currently jeopardizing the success of that mission. They describe Persian Gulf lessons with important implications for garrison mental health care and then discuss possible solutions to the varied problems facing DMHSs. They conclude, most importantly, that an effective DMHS must identify with the division, sharpen soldier and officer skills, respect organizational boundaries, and continuously prepare for combat.

Estructura psicodinámica en las aerotropas / The psycho-dynamic structure of the paratroope

La aerotropas son unidades especiales que requieren de entrenamiento diferente y especializado que tiene que ver con su particular funcionamiento táctico, estratégico y logístico, es un cuerpo de élite que se caracteriza por el gran coraje y valentía que demuestra en el cumplimiento de las misiones asignadas. El trabajo del psiquiatra militar con estas unidades especiales deberá tomar en cuenta, además de lo antes mencionado, las características psicodinámicas de los cuerpos especiales en general, y de las aerotropas en particular, que son entre otras: la presencia de sentimiento de soledad y extrañeza en relación con el resto del ejército, sentimientos de grandiosidad y temeridad por ser tropas especiales y la vivencia de fuertes lazos de "hermandad" y lealtad entre sí mismos; además, se deben poseer conocimientos sobre los mecanismos de defensa psicológicos que el paracaidista usa para manejar el salto en paracaídas, el cual es un acto generador de altos niveles de estrés que pone a prueba la integridad física y psíquica de la aerotropas.