Mental health is considered as one of the critical issues affecting a significant number of servicemen and women in the military, especially after they have been exposed to traumatic events such as wars (Rausch, 2014). In such cases, the possibility of these military population facing risks of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increases significantly; thus, creating the need for counseling. Other common health issues that shape the demand for advice among military populations include depression, anxiety, anger management, and substance abuse. The leadership in the military has been at the forefront in the development of strategic programs that seek to target counseling the military population. The programs are created in a manner that would be considered as being useful in ensuring that they can target the military communities. The plans also seek to target the military families taking into account that mental health issues affecting servicemen and women impact their personal lives.
However, it is essential to take note of the fact that the counseling military populations introduce a wide array of issues that are likely to impact the success of the counseling interventions adopted. Some of the common problems that this report will seek to discuss include multicultural counseling, military culture, and the stigma of mental health, chain of command, and confidentiality. Each of these issues creates a challenge for the military populations to receive the best possible counseling services that would match their intended mental health demands. The report will also seek to evaluate some of the interventions that have been put in place in a bid to help military populations. The responses to be considered are cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), group therapy, and family and couples therapy.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Issues of Counseling Military Populations
The demand for counseling of the military population has created several key issues that are affecting the counseling programs put in place within the structure of the military. The following is an analysis of some of these issues:
Multicultural Counseling
The military population has become much more diverse concerning race, culture, and ethnicity of the servicemen and women, who are serving within different ranks of the military (Bonar & Domenici, 2011). That has raised a pressing issue in the area of counseling, as it has created the demand for having to adopt a structured approach through which to promote multicultural counseling. However, the majority of the counseling programs in the military today do not take into consideration cultural diversity. The outcome is that this creates a high possibility of failure, considering that cultural diversity often creates differentiated demands in terms of counseling needs for the clients involved.
Military Culture and Stigma of Mental Health
Military personnel often view themselves as being some sought of ‘ warrior ,’ which has contributed to the stigma around mental health issues (Currier, Pearce, Carroll, & Koenig, 2018). During military training, the populations are provided with training that allows them to internalize their feelings with the intention being towards ensuring that they remain combat-ready. However, this has had a significant challenge in the area of mental health, as a considerable number of military personnel view mental health issues as a sign of weakness. The ultimate result is that a significant amount of those facing mental health issues often do not seek help through counseling, as they believe that this would expose them as being weak. Consequently, this highlights the extent to which this military culture is affected by advice when dealing with military populations.
Chain of Command
In the military, the personnel is expected to adhere to a strict chain of command that seeks to highlight authority and responsibility for the different servicemen and women. The tight chain of leadership creates a significant challenge in dealing with mental health, considering that it limits the possibility of high-ranking military personnel seeking counseling from lower-ranking staff. The high-level personnel often expect the lower-ranking team to show them the respect that they deserve based on their authority. Consequently, this has created a situation where a significant number of high-ranking military personnel find themselves suffering from mental health issues in silence. The ultimate result is that they often find it hard to engage in their expected duties resulting from a wide array of mental health issues that can be treated through counseling.
Confidentiality
When seeking counseling services, clients often expect high levels of privacy concerning the information that they share as part of the treatment process. In the military, counselors should share any information that they find relevant to the performance of the military personnel with their superiors. That has created a significant challenge in seeking to engage some of the military personnel, as they believe that any information they provide will be shared with their superiors. In such cases, some of the military populations often consider the option of having to suffer in silence, which tends to have very severe outcomes if not treated early. The issue of confidentiality has pushed a significant number of the military populations away from seeking counseling, as they believe that the information they share will not remain confidential.
Interventions Used for Military Populations
The United States Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has put in place several critical responses that are specifically targeted at military populations. These include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the notable counseling interventions that has been adopted when dealing with servicemen and women dealing with PTSD, especially after their exposure to a traumatic event (Capuzzi & Stauffer, 2016). The use of this intervention seeks to create an avenue through which to ensure that the persons can understand and change their thoughts and beliefs concerning the traumatic events. In most cases, exposure to such traumatic events often leads to issues that include depression, anxiety, and insomnia, which affect the military personnel in a significant way. The adoption of CBT is seen as a strategic approach through which to maximize the overall process through which to engage in effective counseling of military populations.
Group Therapy
Group therapy has also been considered as one of the critical interventions that have been used when dealing with military populations. The idea of using group therapy is to help create an environment in which servicemen and women can feel much safer when sharing information relating to their mental health issues. The use of group therapy is considered as being useful in dealing with the stigma surrounding mental health in the military, as it allows the person to understand that they are not alone in the journey to dealing with mental health issues. Additionally, group therapy also creates an avenue for the connection of different personnel that is facing similar challenges in dealing with mental health issues.
Family and Couples’ Therapy
The military leadership understands that mental issues affecting servicemen and women tend to have a significant impact on their families, which has created the need for having to introduce interventions targeting families and couples (Hall, 2016). If a service member is going through mental health issues, the immediate family may be allowed to seek counseling, as this will be of great value towards ensuring that the family would serve as a support to promote effective treatment. The effectiveness of this intervention can be seen from the fact that it allows spouses and other family members to understand the nature of challenges that the military personnel is experiencing in a bid to advancing the overall possibility for providing the necessary support.
Conclusion
Mental health remains a significant challenge for the military populations attributed to the considerable number of persons that find themselves suffering from different mental health issues. The leadership in the military has been at the forefront in the development of strategic programs that seek to target counseling the military population. The counseling military populations introduce a wide array of issues that are likely to impact the success of the counseling interventions adopted. The problems often create a challenge for military personnel affecting their capacities to seek necessary counseling to help them deal with mental health issues. Some of these issues include multicultural counseling, military culture, and the stigma of mental health, chain of command, and confidentiality. The central interventions that have been adopted to help military populations deal with mental health issues are cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), group therapy, and family and couples therapy.
References
Bonar, T. C., & Domenici, P. L. (2011). Counseling and connecting with the military undergraduate: The intersection of military service and university life. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy , 25 (3), 204-219.
Capuzzi, D., & Stauffer, M. D. (2016). Counseling and psychotherapy: Theories and interventions . John Wiley & Sons.
Currier, J. M., Pearce, M., Carroll, T. D., & Koenig, H. G. (2018). Military veterans’ preferences for incorporating spirituality in psychotherapy or counseling. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice , 49 (1), 39.
Hall, L. K. (2016). Counseling military families: What mental health professionals need to know . Routledge.
Rausch, M. A. (2014). Contextual career counseling for transitioning military veterans. Journal of Employment Counseling , 51 (2), 89-96.
