Tricare Provider Readiness Designation

Kelly Chrestman, Ph.D. Related Seminars and Products

Senior Military Behavioral Health Psychologist

Center for Deployment Psychology

Kelly Chrestman, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist working as the lead for online consultation services at the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. In this capacity, she is responsible for the development of the CDP’s web based consultation services to DoD and military mental health providers.

Dr. Chrestman received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Rhodes College, Memphis, Tennessee and her Master of Arts and Doctor of Psychology degrees from Nova Southeastern University. She completed a clinical psychology internship at the University of Mississippi, Jackson VA Medical Center Consortium and postdoctoral training at the Women’s Health Sciences Division of the National Center for PTSD,Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to joining the CDP, she was a research scientist at Behavioral Tech Research, Inc. and a clinical psychologist at the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety at the University of Pennsylvania.

As a clinical and research psychologist, much of Dr. Chrestman’s work has focused on trauma, violence and anxiety. She is particularly interested in the dissemination of empirically supported treatments, and using technology to improve the accessibility of treatment and training in community settings. She has trained numerous student and mental health professionals from the United States and other countries in techniques for treating PTSD and other anxiety disorders.

Dr. Chrestman is a co-author of Prolonged Exposure Therapy for Adolescents with PTSD: Emotional Processing of Traumatic Experiences (2008) and has authored several articles on community and professional responses to trauma, particularly domestic violence and sexual assault.

Laura Copland, MA Related Seminars and Products

Former Senior Military Behavioral Health Clinical Counselor

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Laura J. Copland, MA, LCMHC, formerly a Senior Military Behavioral Health Clinical Counselor at the Center for Deployment Psychology (active at the time of course development), received her Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology from Antioch University New England in 1989.

Prior to joining the CDP staff, Ms. Copland directed, designed, and implemented state programs to assist active duty Service Members, Veterans and their families during and post-deployments, including Maryland National Guard Outreach and Maryland’s Commitment to Veterans. She has trained both military and civilian professionals on working effectively with military behavioral health issues. Ms. Copland has more than 20 years of direct service experience working with military Veterans and other survivors of trauma and acute and post-traumatic stress issues. Additionally, Ms. Copland was a Senior Adjunct Professor for 5 years in the Antioch University graduate psychology department.

Ms. Copland was awarded the State of Maryland Meritorious Civilian Service Medal by the Maryland Army National Guard for her work in the design and implementation of the Reintegration/Yellow Ribbon Program for all returning Maryland veterans and their families.

Sharon Birman, Psy.D. Related Seminars and Products

Senior Military Behavioral Health Psychologist

Center for Deployment Psychology

Sharon Birman, Psy.D., is a CBT trainer working with the Military Training Programs at the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland.  She joined the CDP in 2014 after completing her postdoctoral fellowship at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where she was actively involved in CBT and DBT intervention, supervision and education.  She completed her predoctoral internship at Didi Hirsch Mental Health Center, focusing her training suicide prevention and evidence-based interventions for the treatment of individuals with severe, chronic mental illness. 

Dr. Birman received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Southern California and her master’s and doctorate degrees in clinical psychology from Pepperdine University.

Her professional interests are in the areas of intervention and treatment planning for severe and chronic mental illness, suicide prevention, social justice, multicultural and diversity issues in therapy.  She has received intensive training in CBT and DBT in a variety of contexts, including hospital setting, community mental health centers, Veterans Affairs and within an applied research lab.  She has also received training in Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP), among other therapeutic modalities. She is certified in Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), Applied Suicide Intervention Skills (ASIST), and Brief Response to Crisis (BRC). 

Andrew Santanello, Psy.D Related Seminars and Products

Senior Military Behavioral Health Psychologist

Center for Deployment Psychology

Andrew Santanello, Psy.D is a licensed, clinical psychologist.  Dr. Santanello worked in the Department of Veterans Affairs as a PTSD specialist for over a decade before moving to his current position as a Military Behavioral Health Psychologist, PTSD subject matter expert, and National Cognitive Processing Therapy trainer at the Center for Deployment Psychology. Although Dr. Santanello has extensive expertise with "second-wave" CBT interventions such as CBT-D, Prolonged Exposure Therapy, and Cognitive Processing Therapy, his passion for "third-wave" behavioral interventions, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, is a common thread throughout his professional career. His professional interests include dissemination and practice of Evidence-Based Psychotherapy with an increasing focus on mechanisms of change and process-based psychotherapy, psychological resilience, and the intersection of behavioral science and mindfulness-based approaches to alleviating human suffering. In addition to his work with the CDP, Dr. Santanello is an active member in the Military Special Interest Group and Mid-Atlantic Chapter (MAC) of the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science (ACBS) and maintains a small private practice in Baltimore, MD.