Delivering Psychological Services to Military Members

Abstract

Military members are immersed in an all-encompassing culture and required to make countless personal sacrifices, often experiencing trauma or other stressors that most civilians will never face. Over the past two decades, a grateful nation has provided unprecedented levels of support for the many brave servicemen and women who choose this career path. It may therefore come as a surprise to some that, despite this support, many military members remain underserved in the area of mental health. Challenges include system and access barriers; health providers’ lack of familiarity with military injuries, needs, and culture; and military members’ own stigma-related reluctance to seek treatment. This chapter provides mental health clinicians with suggestions for practice. We outline the challenges and detail the qualities necessary to work effectively with psychotherapy clients who are military members.