Dr. Steinberg-Oren is a psychologist, Dr. Krasnova is a psychiatrist, and Mr. Krasnov is a volunteer in the General Mental Health program, all at the VA Los Angeles Ambulatory Care Center campus of the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System (VAGLAHS) in California. Mr. Baker is a psychology technician in the VA Department of Research, and Dr. Ames is a psychiatrist and program leader of the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center, both at the West Los Angeles campus of the VAGLAHS. Dr. Steinberg-Oren is a clinical adjunct professor in the Graduate School of Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Dr. Krasnova is an adjunct clinical professor at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Dr. Ames is a professor in residence in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Science at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Author disclosures The authors report no actual or potential conflicts of interest with regard to this article.
Disclaimer The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Federal Practitioner, Frontline Medical Communications Inc., the U.S. Government, or any of its agencies. This article may discuss unlabeled or investigational use of certain drugs. Please review the complete prescribing information for specific drugs or drug combinations—including indications, contraindications, warnings, and adverse effects—before administering pharmacologic therapy to patients.
Acknowledgments The authors thank the many people involved in Dance for Veterans. Robert Rubin, MD, had the creative foresight to assemble the program; Donna Ames, MD, invited her coauthors to undergo training and provided them with research support; Sarah Wilbur, PhD, (program in Culture and Performance, Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance, University of California, Los Angeles) developed the class and handbook as well as showed the authors how to run it; Sandra Robertson, RN, MSN, PH-CNS, (principal investigator, Integrative Health and Healing Project, VA T21 Center of Innovation Grant for Patient-Centered Care) provided the funding and initiative to develop and implement the class; and (Christine Suarez Suarez Dance Theatre, Santa Monica, California) developed the class and the handbook and trained instructors.
The authors also thank all the VAGLAHS veterans and staff for their help with the class—especially Andrea Serafin, LCSW; Rosie Dominguez, LCSW; Retha de Johnette, LCSW; and Donna Ames, MD, all part of the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Programs; Dana Melching, LCSW, Mental Health Intensive Case Management; and Vanessa Baumann, PhD (Vet Center).