Dr. James Bender, DCoE clinical psychologist, speaks with an attendee visiting the DCoE exhibit at the 2011 Air Force Caring for People Forum on July 20.

Government and non-profit organizations displayed informative exhibits at the 2011 Air Force Caring for People Forum, to showcase resources and programs for Airmen and their families. One particular program caught their eye: inTransition — a Defense Department program that supports service members transitioning between behavioral health care systems or providers.

Dr. James Bender, Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) clinical psychologist, was on hand to answer questions from providers. After he spoke to the group, they asked him to speak to their colleagues about programs to help Air National Guard members who were returning from deployment.

“The people we are talking to at this forum are on the front lines of treating service members. It’s pivotal that we get the word out to them about DCoE’s resources and programs,” Bender said during yesterday morning’s breakfast, hosted by the Air Force Community Action Information Board in Arlington, Va.

DCoE’s presence at similar events allows us to showcase our resources, highlight key programs and give our experts face-to-face time with health care providers and service members.

“The good thing about DCoE’s presence is their focus on resiliency,” said Eliza Nesmith, chief of Airman and Family Services at the U.S. Air Force. “We just started a big resilience effort with the Air Force, and DCoE has brought speakers to us and provided us with information.”

Participants gained knowledge about DCoE resources including the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Pocket Guide, Co-occurring Conditions Toolkit, DCoE Outreach Center and Real Warriors Campaign. The forum also featured displays from approximately 200 professionals from service member psychological health and family member advocacy organizations and agencies including: American Red Cross National Capital Region, Military OneSource, Military Families Learning Network, Mission Youth Outreach, Military and Family Life Consultants and USA Paralympics.

“The information for service members is constantly changing. We need this forum as a discussion, introducing free programs because it’s really important to know they exist,” said attendee Alicia Hinds Ward with the Air Force’s Exceptional Family Member Program.

For those attendees in uniform, like Air Force Senior Airman Deborah Vives, the forum provided a way to connect directly with new programs available to their specific needs.

“It showed me what programs can help me improve upon my own lifestyle,” she said.