Counselors not prepared to handle vet issues
By CCTIMES, Published August 31, 2008

Returning war veterans don’t think mental health professions are equipped to help them, and mental health professional agree, according to a new survey.

Mental health professionals said that they feel under-prepared to help veterans. Only 18 percent said they feel “very prepared” to help returning servicemembers with post-combat and re-entry issues, according to the survey. Less than half have any experience working with such clients, and only 22 percent had counseled more than five veterans after combat duty. 

About 75 percent of polled mental health professions said they have read research or scholarly works on the subject, consulted with other mental health professionals with more experience in the area or took a class, seminar or workshop on the topic.

Catherine Morris, a former Marine who now works as a veterans counselor at Sierra College (California), agreed that few mental health professionals have had the training to work with combat veterans.

“They might have the best intentions, but they’re not prepared,” said Morris, noting that it’s an area that community colleges and other higher education institutions will have to start addressing.

Mental health professionals indicated in the survey that more education and training should be offered to improve care and to help reduce the stigma associated with treatment. That includes increasing the number of mental health care providers who know veterans’ needs, educating veterans and their families on symptoms, coping strategies and the value of mental health treatment and increasing awareness among those in the general public about military mental health needs.

Veterans are often reluctant to seek help because of the stigma attached to it.

Morris said that former soldiers are reluctant to seek help because they see it as weakness.

“These are hard-core warriors. It’s difficult for them to seek help,” she said.

Morris said she often tells veterans about services available to them, but they respond that they want to work it out on their own.

“I hear that every day,” she said.

The survey indicated that setting a goal—such as earning a degree or focusing on a new career—can help veterans adjust to post-combat life. About a quarter of polled veterans said finding other opportunities to use their leadership skills, such as volunteering in the community, was a good activity.

Enrolling in classes often helps veterans connect with other veterans, Morris said. That, in turn, helps them build friendships, and with that support they often decide to seek professional help to cope with their problems, she said.

 To make seeking treatment more appealing, veterans surveyed recommended:

• Cutting waiting time and paperwork.
• Providing services at convenient places and times to allow servicemembers to seek care off military bases if they fear the stigma of seeking care through military providers.
• Offering services and support to families of veterans.
• Using outreach programs, marketing and public service announcements to encourage veterans to seek mental health treatment or assessment.

Often, veterans don’t know where to seek help and are given bad guidance, Morris said.

“They’re told, ‘Go to the VA.’ That’s like saying, ‘Go to the IRS.’ It’s a huge bureaucracy that they will get lost in,” she said.

Instead, Morris begins by interviewing each veteran and assessing whether he or she has any physical injuries, mental issues or need special services. She then connects the veteran with local agencies.

Capella University (CU), an online institution, funded the survey. CU said that mental health and military communities comprise a large portion of its students and alumni.

For further discussion and better understanding of the mental health and re-entry issues of returning troops, CU has created an online public forum, www.joiningforcesamerica.org, where anyone can contribute ideas and suggestions.

A summary survey, “Joining Forces America: Community Support for Returning Servicemembers,” is also available at the site.