ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to elucidate an understanding of military culture and experience, so as to better frame the services offered by civilian clinicians. Service members indoctrinated into such an influential culture can experience adjustment problems upon reentry into the larger society, and thus social workers must be ready to address the reintegration process with Veteran clients. Furthermore, the chapter highlights a few of the major mental health concerns that are prevalent in combat Veterans, especially for those returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation New Dawn (OND), and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF); and presents a brief overview of treatment modalities implemented both within and outside of the military. Practical therapeutic suggestions for clinicians with little or no knowledge of the military are discussed. The objective is to educate and prepare civilian social work practitioners to administer culturally sensitive prevention and intervention services to meet the unique needs of this population.
