How frequently do psychologists serve military service members and veterans?

• In 2015, 23 percent of licensed psychologists reported providing services "frequently" or "very frequently" to veterans. Four percent reported the same for active-duty military.¹
• Female psychologists (28 percent) were more likely to provide frequent services to veterans than male psychologists (15 percent), whereas male psychologists were more likely to provide frequent services to active-duty military (6 percent) than female psychologists (4 percent).
• In addition, psychologists with disabilities (26 percent) were more likely to provide frequent services to veterans than psychologists without disabilities (18 percent).
• Psychologists working in organized human services settings — including VA medical centers — were more likely to serve veterans (27 percent) than psychologists in private practices (16 percent) or other settings (16 percent). Almost all psychologists (98 percent) in VA medical centers provided frequent services to veterans and 13 percent provided services to active-duty military.

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¹APA (2016). Survey of psychology health service providers [Unpublished special analysis]. Washington, DC: Author. Respondents were asked about the frequency of providing services to active-duty military, returning servicemen/servicewomen, and retired military/veterans in a typical week: never, rarely, occasionally, frequently or very frequently. Missing values were excluded prior to the analysis. All statements in this report are based on χ2 test results.

Editor’s note: This story has been amended. The original version contained a category called “returning service members” that does not accurately reflect military service categories.