Army Captain's Mom wins Above and Beyond Award for work in PTSD

Alumna ‘Above and Beyond Award’ finalist 10/31/07
In 2004, Molly VanDuser, AU class of 1999 of Fuquay Varina, NC,had a comfortable life and a thriving practice as a professional counselor in western New York State where she had lived for 45+ years. But she was moved deeply when her son, an Army captain, called from Afghanistan to say, “We need more counselors like you at Fort Bragg -- my guys have seen too much.”

Within two months, Molly rented out her home and moved to be near the base, armed with only three weeks’ of clothes, a computer, and her books on treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Molly worked briefly at Fort Bragg with the Victim’s Advocate Program and began volunteering as a guest speaker on mental health to help veterans and military families deal with PTSD. She then joined Webster University as an adjunct faculty member at the Pope Air Force Base satellite unit, where, today, she teaches graduate-level counseling students who are also military personnel.That began her efforts to train and mentor as many local therapists as she could to treat for trauma/PTSD. Molly presents regularly at regional workshops and at state and national conferences as an expert on combat stress. She has worked with the American Counseling Association as a member of their Governing Council and has chaired the Task Force to study and disseminate information on military family resiliency.In 2007 she formed a corporation, Peace of Mind, Inc., the first trauma treatment specialty clinic in her area to offer best practices in mental health.
http://www.alfred.edu/pressreleases/viewrelease.cfm?ID=4335

Molly VanDuser is a licensed professional counselor who earned a master’s degree in counselor education from Alfred University in 1999 after working for more than 15 years in the area of career counseling, human services and education. Practice areas have included college counseling centers; mental health agency and community settings; school-based counseling; employee assistance programs; private practice; and military installations.

Areas of expertise include Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Dissociation; Military Family Adjustment Issues; Childhood Sexual Abuse; Domestic Violence; Crisis and Disaster Counseling; and Stepfamily Dynamics. Molly has completed a 3-year term on the American Counseling Association’s Governing Council; has been published in professional journals; and has presented workshops nationally.

Currently, Ms. VanDuser is an adjunct professor at Webster University’s Pope Air Force Base’s graduate counseling program, teaching Research and Evaluation, and Professional Orientation and Ethics. She is also in private practice near Fort Bragg/Pope AFB.



PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:


American Counseling Association (ACA)
American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA)
American Red Cross
Chi Sigma Iota International Honor Society for Counselors
EMDRIA
International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors (IAMFC)
Licensed Professional Counselors Association of North Carolina (LPCANC)
Lillington Chamber of Commerce
Mental Health Association of Cumberland County
National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC)
North Carolina Board of Licensed Professional Counselors (NCBLPC)
North Carolina Counseling Association (NCCA)
Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society
http://www.peace-of-mind-inc.com/index_files/Page530.htm