The late Congresswoman Johnson worked extensively for military personnel and veterans in both her professional and political careers. Her work included serving as a nurse in the U.S. Air Force, becoming the first Black chief psychiatric nurse at the Dallas Veterans Administration (VA) hospital, and later, as a U.S. Representative, influencing legislation related to veterans' affairs and honoring military heroes. We both served together over 17 years on her veterans advisory committee and as her community troubleshooter.
Driven by a strong dedication to military personnel and their families, as well as the broader community, Dr. Johnson has developed a comprehensive class that encompasses various initiatives addressing all aspects of military life. It provides valuable information from the past 20 years Dr. Johnson founded and led an outreach that has played a pivotal role in supporting transitioning Military Personnel and their families through multiple endeavors, providing valuable insights and knowledge.
The course teaches how to outreach to military personnel and their families includes providing resources, information, and assistance to active duty personnel, veterans, and their families, addressing their unique challenges and needs.
Objectives
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
Military families deal with many challenges, such as deployments, frequent moves, and stress from military life.
These stresses can affect everyone in the family, including children, spouses, and service members.
Mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and family violence sometimes happen and need to be carefully addressed.
Programs like family counseling, peer support, and online services help military families manage stress and stay resilient.
Understanding military culture and how deployments affect families helps providers offer better support.
Community partnerships and support groups create stronger networks for military families.
Training for counselors and healthcare workers improves the care given to these families.
Outreach programs focus on helping families before problems worsen, teaching coping skills, and building family strength.
In this class you will learn about the relationship between the brain and human behavior as it pertains to the use and abuse of chemical substances. You will be exposed to a broad range of topics in the field of psychology including neuroscience, learning, and even personality theory. The consumption of chemical substances has long preoccupied humans due to curiosity, as well as the natural craving for pleasure, happiness, unique experiences, and in some cases, relief from pain. The downside of this preoccupation is addiction and dependence. The presence in human culture of psychoactive drugs, which are mind-altering chemicals, is ubiquitous and entrenched at various levels of social activity.
Objectives
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
• Demonstrate understanding of the history of substance use problems and impact on our society
• Develop comprehensive familiarity of the biological, psychological and social nature and impact of various substances of misuse.
• Understand legal, social, psychological, and political aspects of substance use behavior.
• Critically analyze information provided about substance use on the Internet.
• Appreciate various methods of preventing and treating substance use problems.
• Improve awareness about the nature of addiction.