HST059 Mental Health in a Combat Zone with Dr. Katie Kopp

Summary:

Katie Kopp, PhD, is a clinical psychologist working as a government civilian at Fort Carson, Colorado. She completed graduate training at the Rosemead School of Psychology at Biola University. During the course of her training at Rosemead, she commissioned into the Army through the Health Professionals Scholarship Program. She received her doctorate in December 2008 after completing her internship at Madigan Army Medical Center. She was immediately licensed and deployed to Afghanistan as the brigade psychologist with the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 4th Infantry Division (Mountain Warriors) in 2009. She completed a second Afghanistan deployment with the Mountain Warriors in 2012 and then completed a year in the Army Reserves before full transition to civilian life in 2014.

Katie is continuing her education with pursuit of a master’s degree in clinical psychopharmacology. She lives in Colorado Springs with her husband and two kids. She remains passionate about working with active duty soldiers, reducing stigma for seeking behavioral health services, and assisting the Army with maintaining a medically ready force.

In This Particular Episode You Will Learn:

• Katie’s background and experience
• Coming into a unit with High Optempo
• Deploying to a highly kinetic environment
• Decisions about mental health and wellness in a combat zone
• Getting to where the troops are
• Post-deployment and veteran mental health
• Attitudes toward mental health at the command and first line leader level

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

The Lifegiver Podcast with Corie Weathers

History and lineage of 4th Brigade 4th Infantry Division

The Battle of Kamdesh (COP Keating)

Army’s Embedded Behavioral Health program

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