Military Culture for Non-Military Psychologists

This workshop will educate psychologists, who have not been in the military, about the culture of the military and the experience of serving in uniform—and how these experiences impact the lives of military families, service members, and veterans. After describing the culture of the American military and contrasting it with that of the civilian society, this workshop will then describe how this culture impacts interactions with psychologists and how an understanding of the culture can help clinicians better connect with this population. Specific examples will be provided on how to improve interactions with the population.

• Explain the differences between the military and civilian cultures and how this will impact their civilian employment interactions.
• Address potential hesitancy to share personal and difficult stories of what they need while they were in uniform.

Nathan D. Ainspan, PhD, and Kristin Saboe, PhD