PSY 797 - Testing, Assessment, and Treatment in DOD and VA Healthcare Systems

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Psychological and neurological assessment of active duty, veteran, and retired military service members and their families is the focus of this course. Assessment methodology includes integrative, objective, and performance-based personality assessments and self-report measures. Students will learn about the theoretical basis, current military population-specific issues, ethics, and clinical use of a variety of assessment strategies focused on the unique service-related demands and probable comorbidities. Students will be trained in military- specific best practices in the proficient administration, scoring, and military service-in- formed interpretation of commonly used tests in the Department of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare systems. Concurrently, students will be presented with a brief exploration of the structures, function, and policies of these federally administered medical and behavioral health delivery systems. In addition, students will learn about direct service delivery to active duty service members on base, off base, and in theaters of war, as well as in the VA healthcare system’s direct service delivery to military veterans, retirees, and their families in the United States. Moreover, this course will focus on the delivery of empirically supported behavioral health treatments in the DoD’s and VA’s healthcare systems. These best practices in treating military personnel, veterans, retirees, and their families may address any of the following: depression, anxiety, addictions, suicidal ideation, combat-related stress, post-traumatic stress symptoms, acute stress disorder (ASD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and accompanying comorbidities, among others. Note: Satisfies program requirement as a general elective.

Prerequisites: PSY 785 or permission of the Military Emphasis Coordinator.