Supporting the Nation's Transitioning Veterans: Narrative Review of Practices and Recommendations for Psychotherapy and Counseling of Veterans Separating From Military Service

Each year, approximately 200,000 service members transition out of military service and return to civilian life. For many, the stresses of this military-to-civilian transition are vast and include instabilities in mental health, relationships, employment, education, and housing. Given their unique t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological services 2023-11, Vol.20 (4), p.876-888
Main Authors: Edwards, Emily R., Goldsmith, Matthew M., Tran, Hannah N., Bulanchuk, Nicole K., Epshteyn, Gabriella, Wrobleski, Joseph, May, David G., Snyder, Shayne, Lee, Alice S., Schofield, Katharine F., Gorman, Daniel, Dichiara, Ariana, Geraci, Joseph C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Counseling
Employment
Housing
Human
Life Changes
Medical personnel
Mental health
Mental health professionals
Military hospitals
Military Personnel
Military service
Military Veterans
Mitigation
Narratives
Privacy
Psychosocial factors
Psychotherapy
Servicemen
Veterans
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Summary:Each year, approximately 200,000 service members transition out of military service and return to civilian life. For many, the stresses of this military-to-civilian transition are vast and include instabilities in mental health, relationships, employment, education, and housing. Given their unique training, mental health professionals often find themselves on the front lines of efforts to support this population. However, to date, literature to guide work with this population has been scant and disorganized. This narrative review provides practitioners both within and outside the Veterans Health Administration with an overview of relevant literature in this area and offers concrete, practical recommendations for how to best support transitioning Veterans through psychotherapy and counseling. Three major themes are reviewed: (a) Engagement strategies, including clinical style, mitigation of privacy concerns, and consideration of broader psychosocial issues; (b) contextual considerations, including challenges of the "Thank You for Your Service" phenomenon, identity considerations, and circumstances of discharge; and (c) information about available services. Impact Statement Mental health professionals are uniquely trained to provide psychosocial supports to service members and veterans struggling to navigate the transition from military service to civilian life. However, the empirical literature to guide provision of such support has been scant and disorganized. Through a narrative review, this article offers recommendations around engagement strategies, contextual considerations, and available services to consider in service of this population.
ISSN:1541-1559
1939-148X
DOI:10.1037/ser0000701