Military Service Members, Veterans, and Their Families

Military and civilian psychologists provide essential mental and behavioral health care to service members and their families, and are extensively involved in the training of psychologists and other health care professionals.

Psychological scientists provide vital answers to national security challenges in a broad range of areas, including human-systems interfaces, leadership and teamwork, cybersecurity and behavioral modeling.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is the single largest employer of psychologists working to improve the lives of our nation's veterans. Psychologists provide essential mental and behavioral health care to the veteran population and are extensively involved in the training of psychologists and other health care professionals.

Psychologists tackle issues most relevant to veterans, including posttraumatic stress disorder, substance use and abuse, brain injuries and psychosocial rehabilitation.

• APA hosts Lobby Day for Association of VA Psychologist Leaders

• APA Government Relations staff meets with Division 19 executive committee

• APA science advocates for Veterans Affairs research

• I/O Psychologist Delivers APA’s Senate Defense Testimony 

• APA, psychology education and training programs support White House Joining Forces initiative

• Psychology VA leaders meet with APA staff, Congress

• APA member speaks at conference on community support for veterans

• APA secures congressional testimony of expert members for Veterans’ Affairs hearing

• APA joins forces with White House, other health professions on military issues

• APA collaborates with Rep. Buerkle for military and veteran mental health workshop

• APA Letter to President Obama urging the White House to change their current policy of military condolence letters to include service members who died by suicide in a war zone (PDF, 103KB)

• APA Letter to Members of Congress Encouraging Support of Repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy (PDF, 62KB)

• APA Letter to Defense Secretary Gates Supporting Changes to Implementation of the Department of Defense Policy Concerning Homosexuality (PDF, 62KB)

• Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2009 (PDF, 94KB)

• APA FY 2009 Request for the Center for Deployment Psychology

• APA Highlights Military Service Member and Veteran Suicide Issues

• Bill Summary: Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act

• APA Member Jeff Pollard, PhD, ABPP, Testifies Before Important U.S. House of Representatives’ Veterans’ Affairs Health Subcommittee

• APA-sponsored Hill Briefing on Mental Health Needs of Returning Military Personnel

• APA Caregiver Briefcase: Caregivers of Families of Service Members and Veterans

• Division 18 — Psychologists in Public Service

• Division 19 — Society for Military Psychology

• Educating and Training Psychologists to Meet the Needs of America’s Military (PDF, 119 KB)

• Military and Veterans Mental Health Resources

• Press Release: Repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Will Lift Heavy Psychological Burden, APA Says

• Association of VA Psychologist Leaders

• Caregivers of Veterans — Serving on the Homefront Report of Study Findings (PDF, 2.5 MB)

• The Center for Deployment Psychology

• Department of Defense

• Department of Veterans Affairs

• Give an Hour

• National Center for PTSD

• National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN)

• Real Warriors Campaign

• Strategic Outreach to Families of All Reservists (SOFAR) 

• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

• Veterans Health Council