Psychological, personal, and professional development needs of military mental health clinicians: Identifying implications for wellbeing and best practice utilizing the Delphi method.

Abstract

Improving pathways of care should be based on a recognition of the distinct and specific groups of professionals within the military environment. This study looked to explore the types of development needs of military mental health providers, examine the implications of unmet needs, discover mitigating factors, and evaluate barriers and challenges experienced by uniformed healthcare staff. This research project used a mixed-method approach utilizing the Delphi Method to find consensus and measure importance. A group of 23 senior international military mental health experts (N = 23) took part in the study. Findings revealed that growth, respect, sense of belonging, satisfaction, competence, expertise, good communication, time for self-care, physical training, rest, and nutrition, were the most important needs. Main ways to mitigate the aversive effects of unmet needs were effective lines of communication and consideration of needs. The study found that neglecting the needs of clinicians caused wide-ranging implications, mainly burnout and stress, but also poor work motivation, poor treatment outcome, decreased morale, and lack of trust and belief in the organization. The Delphi methodology revealed that within the organizational domain, leaders' general support, having a team, and good relationships were crucial, while resilience, independence, sense of purpose, and sense of meaning were the key factors in the professional attribute category. Subject matter experts (SMEs) agreed that overwhelming demands posed the biggest challenge for this group of professionals.