TigerNews | Research News

FHE is actively engaged in several research endeavors:

1. Phase 1 Vets project. This phase of the project has involved either holding focus groups for vets or conducting telephone interviews with vets to better understand post-deployment issues, challenges, and resources. The project is focused on the post-deployment adjustment of Iraqi and Afghan vets. The Portland, Oregon site has all women in the sample, providing us with an important way to discern some of the differences in adjustment between male and female veterans. The interviews and focus group have not focused on combat experience. Many thanks to Bhanu Harrison and Daniel Bruce in New Mexico, Julie deSanto in California, and Ruth Leibowitz in Oregon for their involvement with Phase One. Phase two will be an SE treatment program. Currently, the transcripts are being made of tapes of interviews and focus groups. Following review of the written transcripts by the veterans a qualitative content analysis will be done as well as a quantitative analysis of assessment data collected from the vets. There are 20 veterans in the Phase 1 sample.
   
   
2. Phase 2 Veterans Project: Phase 2 involves a collaboration between FHE and the Trauma Resource Institute (TRI). FHE will be responsible for the research and TRI will provide their brief training model as well as provide on-going case consultation for Portland VA clinicians. This project was submitted in early May for funding under a Request for Proposals from the US Department of Defense. TRI was approached by DOD and asked to submit a proposal under this RFP. The project tests TRI’s brief treatment model, inspired by SE, for veterans, the Veterans Resiliency Model (VRM), and will be conducted at the Portland VA Medical Center in Portland, Oregon. VRM treatment will be compared to “optimized treatment as usual” and will have a study sample of 60 OEF/OIF veterans. Dr. Peter Levine and Dr. Robert Scaer will be project advisors as well as Dr. Dan Storzbach, a Traumatic Brain Injury specialist at the Portland VA Medical Center. The project will have 30% of the sample be veterans diagnosed with mild to moderate, non-penetrating traumatic brain injury. We should learn of the funding decision in September 2008. This DOD grant is called a “seedling grant” which means it is for as yet untested treatments or treatment on a  population that hasn’t been formally studied with this treatment before. There is the opportunity, if funded as a “seedling grant,” to reapply for a 3-4 year period, using more sites and larger samples.
   
   
3. The Domestic Violence Project. It was extremely gratifying to hear from SEPs from 12 possible domestic violence centers around the US and Canada of their possible interest in being a site for a study of SE and domestic violence. We completed a proposal for NIH (thanks to Jean Schumaker for her invaluable help!) using two sites…one in Santa Fe, NM and one in Austin, Texas. We plan to also submit a proposal to a national foundation which will include three or more sites. Many, many thanks to those of you who responded to my earlier email. It is thrilling to see how many want to help build the evidence base for SE!
   
   
4. China Earthquake Response Project: (view PowerPt >>) Following the devastating earthquake FHE was contacted by a hospital-based SE student in Beijing and asked to bring a trauma response and somatic training to earthquake first responders and survivors. Look for the China Earthquake Response Project tab on our homepage for more information. The research-related part of the project will include evaluation of all training activities (for relevance, use, and satisfaction) in China as well as assessment of outcomes with survivors treated by those who have received training.
   
   
5. Case Studies. SE students and faculty are encouraged to write case studies of SE treatment and submit them for publication. A case study protocol is posted on the FHE Research Program website. It offers a format for writing up a single case study. It also has a suggested consent form, journals that publish case studies, and references for 2 articles (not SE) that are clinical case studies that can be referred to as examples. Please consider writing a case study. You do not have to be a researcher or do any statistical analysis to write a good case study. I can help with questions if you plan to write one. This is one way we can increase SE's visibility in the clinical community that extends beyond somatic practitioners.