The grant also will allow the center to offer Crisis Response Planning workshops for 1,000 mental health professionals and community members in cities across the country, greatly expanding familiarity with intervention techniques proven to reduce suicide attempts among military personnel. These trainings will focus on the same Intermountain states noted above as well as the following cities: Chicago, Seattle\/Tacoma, Denver\/CO Springs, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Killeen\/Temple\/Fort Hood, Norfolk and Tampa.<\/p>\n

The center, located within the College for Social and Behavioral Science at the U, leads the nation in suicide prevention and PTSD research and treatment of military service members and veterans.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe national average of 20 veteran suicides each day is tragic,\u201d Bryan said. \u201cSuicide has serious rippling effects on family, friends and communities and this impact is even rougher in close knit communities such as the military where one suicide attempt has been shown to increase risk for attempts among may other service members and veterans.\u201d<\/p>\n

The center\u2019s pioneering R&R program involves an intensive two-week treatment that combines individual cognitive processing therapy and recreational activities for service members and veterans with PTSD. More than 70 percent of veterans who complete the program report significant reductions in PTSD symptoms and more than half can no longer be diagnosed with PTSD. Over half of veterans who begin the program with suicidal thoughts report complete remission of these thoughts when reassessed six months later.<\/p>\n

The Crisis Response Planning techniques developed by the center have been shown to reduce suicidal behavior by up to 76 percent among high-risk military personnel as compared to typical mental health treatment methods.<\/p>\n