Fundamentals of Military and Veteran Psychology Certificate Overview
The advanced practice certificate, fundamentals of military and veterans psychology, supports mental health professionals in providing essential services to active and veteran military personnel and their families.
This military psychology counseling program is designed for clinical mental health counseling professionals who seek foundational knowledge and trauma counseling skills within the military population. As a professional counselor, you will work among military members and military families, and engage in veteran services.
Program Highlights
Pathway to a Master’s
The credits from this military counseling certificate coursework can be applied toward earning your master of science degree in forensic behavioral science or forensic leadership administration.
Offered Online
The military psychology counseling program is offered online giving you the flexibility to complete your coursework virtually.
Evidence-Based Support
Get the training you need to conduct interventions to support returning military personnel and assess the complex trauma in service personnel and veterans.
Admissions
Learn About Admissions Requirements
Faculty
Get to Know Our Diverse Faculty
Degree Information
Curriculum Plan
Course One: The History, Structure, and Culture of the U.S. Military
This course provides an overview of the evolution of the U.S. military, its current structure and culture, and the systems of treatment. Emphasis will be placed on the manner in which military culture and training foster both protective and risk factors impacting the psychological health of service military members and veterans.
Course Two: Assessment of Complex Trauma in Service Personnel and Veterans
This course explores the types of conflict and associated stressors commonly experienced by military personnel, and examines typical psychological and physiological responses to extreme circumstances and environments. Students will engage in evidence-based assessment of not uncommon psychiatric responses, including acute stress, depression, substance use disorder, combat-related PTSD, and traumatic brain injury.
Course Three: Interventions to Support Returning Military Personnel
This course will focus on the epidemiology, identification, prevention, and treatment of psychiatric conditions including combat-related PTSD, substance use disorder, traumatic brain injury, and depression. Contemporary research establishing empirical links between combat exposure and elevated risks for specific psychiatric conditions will be explored, as will evidence-based treatments, including internet-based interventions and veterans’ courts. The effects of military service on interpersonal relationships, particularly relationships with spouses and children will also be examined. An overview of the impact of the deployment cycle on attachment, based upon a myriad of variables—length of marriage, number of children, age of children, prior exposure to military culture—will be explored. Evidence-informed intervention models to enhance military and veteran family functioning will be reviewed.
Links and Downloads
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this course taught online or on-campus?
The military counseling certificate program is offered online. All classes and coursework can be completed virtually, allowing you flexibility with your schedule.
Are scholarships and financial aid available?
Yes, there are private and public scholarships to help you meet the cost of your education and Alliant offers institutional scholarships for many of our students. Learn more about these scholarship opportunities here. Additional financial aid is available for those who qualify in the form of loans, grants, federal work study, and military aid. Learn more in our Financial Options Guide.
Why Alliant
At Alliant, our mission is to prepare students for professional careers of service and leadership and to promote the discovery and application of knowledge to improve lives. We offer an education that is accredited, focused on practical knowledge and skills, connected with diverse faculty and alumni, and aimed at the student experience.
Why CSFS
CSFS is dedicated to graduating rigorously educated and trained professionals who impact society, public opinion, and policy by applying science in preventing, investigating, and mitigating conflict and violence. CSFS is a corporate partner of the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA), and many of our advanced practice certificates are eligible for continuing education credit.
