Military Cultural
Competence*
This interactive online training course provides an overview of military culture to include organizational
structure, rank, branches of service, core
values, and demographics as well as similarities and differences between the Active and Reserve components. It is
intended to assist civilian mental health
providers in better understanding, communicating and effectively interacting with Service members and their
families.
From
Soldier to Student: Easing the
Transition of Service Members in Campus* This report, from the American Council on Education (ACE) and partners, offers a snapshot of the programs,
services, and policies that campuses have
in place to server Veterans and military personnel. Their findings reveal many things that higher education is doing
well in addition to several areas for
improvement.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can occur after someone
has experienced a traumatic event. PTSD symptoms usually start soon after the traumatic event, but they may not
happen until months or years later. They
also may come and go over many years. Symptoms of PTSD include reliving the event, avoiding places or things that
remind you of the event, feeling numb,
and feeling keyed up (also called hyperarousal).
PTSD is one of the challenges that your Veteran students may face. Below are some good resources for learning
how to address the unique needs of
your Veteran students who may have PTSD.
National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD) NCPTSD aims to help America’s Veterans and others through research and education on the prevention,
understanding and treatment of trauma and PTSD. The Providers and Researchers
section contains training materials for counselors as well as information about evidence-based assessment and treatment for PTSD.
Military Sexual Trauma (MST)
Military sexual trauma (MST) is the term that the Department of Veterans Affairs uses to refer to sexual assault or repeated, threatening sexual
harassment that occurred while the Veteran was in the military. It includes any sexual activity where someone is involved against his or her will – he or she
may have been pressured into sexual activities (for example, with threats of negative consequences for refusing to be sexually cooperative or with implied
faster promotions or better treatment in exchange for sex), may have been unable to consent to sexual activities (for example, when intoxicated), or may have
been physically forced into sexual activities. Other experiences that fall into the category of MST include unwanted sexual touching or grabbing;
threatening, offensive remarks about a person’s body or sexual activities; and/or threatening or unwelcome sexual advances.
VA MST Services (PDF) This brochure includes information on the top 10
things all healthcare and service professionals should know about VA services for Veterans who experienced MST.
MST Webpage This page provides additional information on MST, including brochures and
information sheets for Veterans.
Professional Organizations
American
Council on Education
(ACE)* ACE helps college and university presidents and their campuses confront the broad scope of today’s
challenges by providing timely and
relevant information, programs, and services—serving as a unifying voice, a principled advocate, and an
essential resource for college and university
leaders.
Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA)* NASPA is a professional association for student affairs administrators, faculty, graduate and
undergraduate students who are a voice for student
affairs administration, policy, and practice, and affirms the commitment of the student affairs profession to
education the whole student and integrating
student life and learning. Their mission is to provide professional development and advocacy for student affairs
educations and administrators who share
the responsibility for a campus-wide focus on the student experience.
National Association of Veteran Program Administrators (NAVPA)* NAVPA is an organization of institutions and individuals who are involved or interested in the operation
of Veterans Affairs programs and/or the
delivery of services to Veterans as school certifying officials across the country. The purpose of NAVPA is to
promote professional competency and
efficiency through an association of members and others associated with, and involved in, Veterans educational
programs; to promote the development,
improvement and extension of opportunities to any Veteran or dependent of a Veteran for his or her personal growth
and development to its fullest
potential.
Association Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD)* AHEAD is a professional membership organization for individuals involved in the development of policy and
in the provision of quality services to
meet the needs of persons with disabilities involved in all areas of higher education.
Council of College and Military Educators (CCME)* CCME was founded 36 years ago to promote, encourage, and deliver quality education to service members and
their families in all branches of the
armed services. CCME’s mission is to promote and provide educational programs and services and to facilitate
communications between the membership
and the DoD educational support network.
*Links will take you outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs web site. VA does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of the linked websites.
