APA partnered with the White House Joining Forces Initiative, headed by First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden during their time at the White House, to support the psychological needs of our service members and their families. As part of this initiative, APA’s Education Directorate offered this presentation which looks at the problems experienced by returning war veterans, discusses key challenges in assessment and treatment of PTSD and related problems, describes aspects of effective treatment of veterans, and shares useful Internet and smartphone educational resources for veterans and their families and the psychologists who work with them. Free webinar Improving Care for Veterans with PTSD
The APA has made a “commitment to prepare current and future psychologists to provide evidence-based, culturally competent clinical services as well as to advance scientific knowledge, promote health and train other health professionals in deployment psychology.”
- Overview of Military Culture (PDF, 1.5MB) Acknowledgement: Jeanette Hsu, PhD, and the Veterans Affairs Psychology Training Council
- Watch Caring for the Military Family: What We All Should Know About Military Culture and the Stress of Deployment a two hour video from the American Psychological Association. 2 Continuing Education credits.
The APA provides a workshop called “Caring for the Military Family: What We All Should Know About Military Culture and the Stress of Deployment,” to provide an overview of military culture including its history, organizational structure, core values, branches of the service, mission, and operations. In addition, it examines military deployment and the unique experiences that service members, their spouses and their children face throughout the deployment cycle. The presentation incorporates research findings to discuss stressors and challenges associated with separations, reunions, and reintegration.
