Counseling Can Address the Mental Health Needs of Veterans

By Michael Nytz, PhD, LPC, NCC 

Fundamental to our professional counselor identity is taking a holistic approach to turning challenges into opportunities for clients. We help them break down overwhelming challenges into smaller, actionable steps that empower, provide hope, offer a sense of progress and equip them with problem-solving skills. 

Professional counselors have a responsibility to integrate Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCC) into their work with clients to ensure we meet the needs of marginalized populations. 

In 2017, Faulkner University researchers Gerald Conner and William Walker examined four marginalized populations: African Americans, Hispanics, LGBTQ+ and military veterans. Their research explained that these populations underuse mental health services based on fear of being misunderstood. Also, they have disproportionally elevated rates of anxiety, depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and substance use driven by external prejudice. Conner and Walker stated this requires counselors to approach these populations with cultural humility, and their research proved that cultural competence is an adaptable clinical skill set that counselors can use to serve a wide variety of populations.

The Mental Health of Veterans

Census data shows that the United States has approximately 18 million veterans who make up 7% of the population. This diverse group is 75% Caucasian, 12% African American, 8% Hispanic and 10% women. Statistics show that the suicide rate was 1.5 times greater for veterans than non-veterans, due to the multitude of mental health challenges they face. 

Sometimes counselors incorrectly assume that all veterans receive their mental healthcare through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA); however, only 9 million veterans are enrolled in the VA health care system. More concerning is that many veterans need mental health treatment, but a large number of those needing treatment do not seek professional counseling due to a variety of barriers. The VA’s workload is more than it can handle despite decades of effort, and they have been requesting help from community-based mental health providers since 1979. 

How Counselors Can Bridge the Gap

The mental healthcare challenges facing veterans create opportunities for counselors to apply a holistic approach through the MSJCC to veteran clients. Counselors can help veterans address their mental health needs in several ways: 

Counselors can educate themselves on military culture and get training on evidence-based therapies (EBTs). This can help build and maintain a trust-based therapeutic relationship that veterans seek. Research proves that veterans will drop out of treatment for mental health after just one session if they perceive a counselor to be incompetent in military culture or perceive they lack the needed skills to help them. 

Training is available through providers such as the VA, Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CACREP and other CACREP-approved programs with elective courses in military culture or EBTs, and Williams & Mary’s specialization program. 

1. Counselors-in-training can seek internship opportunities with the VA. This can create a training and employment pipeline for professional counselors within the VA system, where counselors currently account for only 4% of mental health professionals.
2. Counseling supervisors can ensure counselors-in-training are competent in military culture and EBTs are effective with veterans.
3. Counselors can advocate for veterans by conducting research and getting involved in political initiatives. For example, despite the need for mental health professionals in the military, professional counselors are not authorized to serve as mental health officers in the U. S. military. 

Counselors are not required to join the military or be a veteran but should have an interest in serving the veteran population. Counselors are required to be licensed and complete a course on military culture. 

The challenges of addressing the mental health needs of our military and veterans can seem overwhelming, and one can assume that the VA can handle the enormous workload. However, counselors can use a holistic approach to mental healthcare through the MSJCC lens and discover how to turn challenges into opportunities that can benefit veterans and expand the reach of professional counseling. 

Note: Opinions expressed and statements made in this blog do not necessarily represent the policies or opinions of ACA and its editors.