Defining Elemental Components of Veteran Cultural Competency for Mental Health Professionals

Veterans and Military Service Members are separate and independent cultures. As a principle element, clinicians seek to become culturally competent to develop therapeutic rapport and improve treatment outcomes. Previous research has identified that mental health providers must be culturally competent to treat the Veteran population effectively. There are vital elements that need to be assessed: culturally specific contextual knowledge, professional competence, and confidence in working within the population. This research sought to identify the elemental components of cultural competence by evaluating a Veteran-specific cultural training program called “Healing Our Heroes”. The results concluded that direct military experience was not a significant factor in the ability to work within the population; however, possessing Veteran specific contextual knowledge was critical in obtaining cultural competence.