Mental Health
Military Sexual Trauma: Community Providers

Military Sexual Trauma
Community Provider Toolkit
This toolkit summarizes key educational and outreach resources for providers in the community who want to learn more about MST and VA’s free MST-related services.
MISSION Act 133: A Core Training on MST for Community Medical Professionals
- This brief 0.5-hour accredited course for community medical professionals reviews the specific healthcare needs of MST survivors and highlights strategies to improve patient-provider communication. Note: You will need to create an account including your NPI, if you have one, and may need to select the VHA and “Veteran Community Care Provider” groups in your profile to access this training.
MISSION Act 133: A Core Training on MST for Community Mental Health Providers
- This 1.5-hour accredited course for community mental health providers reviews the specific healthcare needs of MST survivors and highlights strategies and resources to improve assessment, treatment, and patient-provider communication. Note: You will need to create an account including your NPI, if you have one, and may need to select the VHA and “Veteran Community Care Provider” groups in your profile to access this training.
National Center for PTSD course: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Experiences of Sexual Assault During Military Service
- MST is an experience, not a diagnosis, and many survivors do not have PTSD. However, PTSD is commonly associated with MST. This course reviews the mental health impacts of sexual trauma, unique issues for female and male survivors, and implications for care. There are also other PTSD 101 courses here including “Military Culture and PTSD”, which will help you understand the context in which survivors experience MST.
Online MST course from PsychArmor Institute
- This training provides a general overview of MST and is designed to be applicable to healthcare providers broadly. It defines MST, describes the health and general impact of MST, provides information on how to screen for MST, and describes the MST-related services available through VA. Requires free registration on the PsychArmor website, which offers access to many other helpful courses.
MST Overview for Civilian Providers
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This presentation gives an overview of key information and resources related to military sexual trauma for medical providers. It also provides helpful guidance for how to understand and respond to patient behaviors, how to screen for MST and respond to disclosures, and how to adapt care to meet survivors’ treatment needs.
Building Hope and Resiliency online course
- Helps active duty Service members begin to recover, heal, and enhance their resiliency after a sexual assault. Also useful for providers working with active duty Service members.
“Resources” tab of this website
- Has downloadable brochures for survivors, educational tools for providers, and articles that help survivors and providers learn more about MST and VA’s free and confidential MST-related services. The “Other Resources” section of this tab also has links to other online resources for Veterans and current service members.
The PTSD Consultation Program
- Any provider treating Veterans with PTSD can ask experts a question or request consultation by emailing PTSDconsult@va.gov or calling (866) 948-7880. The PTSD Consultation Program also has a free online lecture series on topics relevant to treating PTSD.
Training Opportunities at Your Local VHA Facility
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Some facilities may have training opportunities that are open to community providers. Call your local VA health care facility and ask to speak to the Employee Education System specialist or MST Coordinator to learn more.