Course Agenda

    1. Instructions

    1. Pretest Instructions

    2. Pretest

    1. Course Overview

    1. Print Posttest Study Guide

    2. Introduction

    3. Required Video: Honoring Women Veterans—Leading from the Front (10:40 minutes)

    4. A Brief History of Women’s Roles in the Military

    5. Required Video: Meet Women of US Infantry Just Days from Their Historic Deployment to Front Lines (3:16 minutes)

    6. Roles and Responsibilities in the Military and at Home

    7. An Overview of Mental and Behavioral Health Issues

    8. Optional Report: When Women Veterans Return Home

    9. Terminology: Woman vs. Female

    1. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

    2. Traumatic Brain Injury

    3. Optional Resource: TBI and PTSD—Navigating the Perfect Storm (PDF)

    4. Trauma Treatment Training for Providers

    1. Depression

    2. Substance Use

    3. Moral Injury

    4. Suicide

    5. Required Video: The Factors Behind Alarming Suicide Rate Among Women Veterans (2:29 minutes)

About this course

  • $36.00
  • 53 lessons

Course Details

Course Description

The number of women choosing to serve in the United States military has increased, and the number of women veterans is expected to double in the near future. In recent conflicts, women have served in combat roles and have been subjected to the same combat stressors as men. However, women are at higher risk than men for combat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), military sexual trauma (MST), traumatic brain injury (TBI), depression, unemployment, and suicide. Additionally, women veterans are the fastest-growing cohort among homeless veterans. In recent years, three out of four women veterans chose not to seek care from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) but instead sought care through community-based health and behavioral health services. For this reason, community service and treatment providers must understand the nexus connecting military service–related trauma, mental health needs, and the unique experiences of women in the military. The content explores common issues for all veterans, with an emphasis on behavioral health issues, cultural competency considerations, screening tools, unique treatment considerations, pertinent video clips, and valuable resources.

Target Audience

This online content is designed for social workers and behavioral health practitioners who provide or wish to provide women veterans with treatment and services.

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, readers will be able to do the following:

  • Identify the demographics of women veterans and those currently serving in the United States military.
  • Identify increased risk and protective factors among women veterans for posttraumatic stress disorder, military sexual trauma, traumatic brain injury, substance abuse, depressive disorders, intimate partner violence, unemployment, and homelessness.
  • Understand cultural factors, stressors, and trauma specific to women veterans that impact their adjustment to civilian life.
  • Understand common barriers to care in the veteran and civilian systems of care.
  • Identify outreach, retention, and client communication techniques, as well as unique treatment considerations, to improve behavioral health treatment.
  • Identify resources and referrals for women veterans.

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