糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock grad helps veterans through VA fellowship
Ever since Robbin Cochran decided to become a social worker, she hoped to use her skills to help veterans as a tribute to her many relatives who have served this country.听鈥淢y husband is a veteran of the Iraq war, and my father and stepfather are veterans of Vietnam,鈥� Cochran said. 鈥淢y grandfather was in World War II, and my great-grandfather in World War I. My mother is in the Daughters of the American Revolution, so I have ancestors who served all the way back to the Revolutionary War.鈥�听Cochran, a May graduate of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock鈥檚 Master of Social Work program, is spending the next year helping veterans as part of the Psychology Postdoctoral and Interprofessional Fellowship at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System.听After earning her bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology from the University of Central Arkansas, Cochran enrolled at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock in 2017.听鈥淭he faculty at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock is amazing. The School of Social Work goes above and beyond for their students,鈥� Cochran said. 鈥淢ay Atkins was an amazing influence. She was my faculty liaison with the VA and definitely helped me a lot. Dr. Catherine Crisp was an excellent diversity professor, and Elizabeth Fowler was invaluable to me in helping arrange my internships. Any student should definitely consider social work as a field.鈥�听Her extensive experience through multiple internships is one of the reasons Cochran received the fellowship. She completed a one-year social work internship and two summer AmeriCorps programs with Our House, a program for the working homeless that serves more than 1,800 clients annually. Cochran also served as an intern in the Outpatient Mental Health Clinic with the Central Arkansas Veteran Healthcare System during the 2018-19 school year.听In her fellowship, Cochran follows the psychosocial rehabilitation/serious mental illness track. Fellows will develop clinical skills utilizing a recovery oriented service approach and learn unique skills specialized in providing mental health services to veterans.听鈥淲e are currently having a suicide crisis among veterans. I believe it鈥檚 the result of trauma that has not been addressed. People come back from war and reintegrate into society without dealing with the issues they have faced in war,鈥� she said. 鈥淧TSD is also a huge issue among veterans right now as well as depression, anxiety, and panic disorder.鈥�听After the completion of her fellowship in August 2020, Cochran plans to continue to work for the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System.听鈥淚 hope to remain involved with Veterans Affairs,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very important issue for me. It鈥檚 in my family lineage.鈥�
