WESTFIELD – Westfield State University will host Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and author Mark Nickerson as he gives a lecture on his book “The Wounds Within: A Veteran, a PTSD Therapist, and a Nation Unprepared” on Tuesday, April 7 at 6:30 p.m. in the Savignano Auditorium in Wilson Hall.
Mark Nickerson is a local psychotherapist and is known internationally for his expertise in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He conducts lectures, trainings, and consultations with people who wish to seek treatment for problematic anger, hostility and violent behavior, problematic behaviors, trauma, family conflicts, men’s issues, as well as he provides to meet the needs of combat veterans and their families. Outside of his practice, Nickerson works to help remove the social stigma often associated with veterans suffering from PTSD.
Nickerson’s book, “The Wounds Within” depicts the story of Marine Lance Corporal Jeff Lucey, a patient of Nickerson’s and brother of a Westfield State alumna, who committed suicide after returning home from a Marine Reserve deployment in Iraq.
Recent alumnus, Jim Keedy organized the event after having a personal connection to Lucey’s story. Growing up in the same hometown as the Lucey family and being an Army veteran, Keedy has a “sincere belief in the importance of PTSD awareness.”
“As an Army veteran, I’ve seen firsthand the effects that post-traumatic stress disorder can have on returning servicemen and women,” said Keedy.
“Many civilians don’t fully realize, and can’t comprehend the internal struggles of many returning combat veterans,” Keedy continued. “I figured that as one of the highest ranked public universities for veteran students, Westfield State was the perfect place to teach and inform people about an issue as prevalent and misunderstood as PTSD.”
The book discusses Jeff and his family’s experience while exploring the broader issues of war, trauma, and the need for services to assist those recovering from PTSD. Nickerson explains the various forms of PTSD for veterans and in one chapter, writes about a particular case where he was able to successfully treat a traumatized veteran for PTSD using “eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing” (EMDR). His book goes into detail about suicide prevention strategies and other challenges veterans and their families may face after returning home, and preaches about how to raise awareness, on local and national levels, of veterans’ needs.
EMDR is Nickerson’s therapy of choice for those suffering from PTSD. It is a non-traditional and innovative form of treatment for PTSD and does not involve verbal communication or medication. Instead, EMDR involves the movement of the psychotherapist’s fingers in front of the patient’s eyes as they recall a negative or traumatizing event, which helps to diminish the negative power of emotionally charged memories.
In addition to counseling and writing, Nickerson co-founded the Men’s Resource Center of Western Mass., is the Director of Parent Education for the Hampshire County Court’s Bar Association, and has designed and facilitated creative and effective programs to reduce the conflict between separate families, including co-parenting classes. Nickerson is the 2014 President of the International Association for EMDR – a leading form of treatment for victims of PTSD.
Keedy’s main goal in organizing this event is to, “help foster support and understanding for our local veteran population, and more importantly the families of veterans.”
The event is sponsored by the Westfield State University Office Advancement and University Relations in coordination with the Westfield State Foundation, the Department of Social Work, the Department of Psychology, and the Office of Veteran Services.
