TigerNews | Research News

Research Program Report to the Community: April, 2007

Submitted by: M. Laurie Leitch, PhD
Director, FHE Research Program 4-11-07

Research activities for this quarter have focused on:

1. Finalizing the two disaster outcome studies for publication based on reviewers’ comments: The tsunami article has been tentatively accepted for publication pending requested modifications requested by the reviewers. The Katrina article is also being revised based on reviewers’ comments. We are hoping to see both articles in print by late summer/early fall.
   
2. . The Iraqi/Afghan vets project has begun organizing focus groups in 4 sites. The tentative sites are in California, New Mexico, Vermont, and Colorado. FHE will contract with a public Institutional Review Board (IRB) to review all human subjects’ protections. Many thanks to all SE practitioners who are helping us initiate this important endeavor! Once the groups have been formalized we will have a brief write-up from the SE coordinator for each focus group for Tiger News. Once the focus groups are completed, Phase 2 of the vets study will be focused on testing a 10-12 session SE protocol. Current outcome studies have been with disaster populations and have used a brief protocol. The focus of FHE research will now be on testing the more standard, longer SE treatment model. If any others in the SE community would like to be involved and have access to vets please contact me (L.Leitch@comcast.net).
   
3. FHE has, with the help of Jean Schumaker, SEP Kansas, submitted a proposal to the Small Business Innovations Agency. The project will focus on the development of training tapes for first responders. The training will utilize a brief model of SE.
   
4. FHE is working with Kris Downing (soon to be an SE student in Austin, Texas) on a project to introduce SE into the Communities in Schools (CIS) program. CIS in Austin will be the focus of a randomized study and Kris is hoping to have an SE component included in the evaluation. The FHE Research Program has recommended trauma and other pertinent assessment items to add to the data collection process being conducted by a research firm in Washington, DC.
   
5. We encourage anyone in the SE community who has the possibility of organizing an SE outcome study to contact me. The Research Program can provide help with study design, instruments, and analysis strategies. It is a top priority of FHE to enhance SE’s visibility and legitimacy as an evidence-based practice.
   
6. There will be a meeting during the Annual Somatic Experiencing® Conference in Berkeley, California on October 24, 2007, 5:00 – 6:45 p.m. in the Napa Room of the Claremont Resort and Spa for any of you interested in having input into the Research Program activities and/or wanting to link up with other SEPs who are interested in research. Hope to see many of you there!