As a world leader in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) research and services, Veterans Affairs (VA) worked with Congress in 2014 to designate June as National PTSD Awareness Month. That effort was an expansion of PTSD Awareness Day, passed by Congress in 2010 in tribute to Army Staff Sergeant Joe Biel who suffered with PTSD and died by suicide following his second tour in the Iraq War. Because the stakes are so high, VA is committed to ensuring the latest research findings help those exposed to trauma, and
VHA TRAIN is one tool to provide free, in-depth continuing education resources for the professional community concerned with trauma.
As world leaders in the field,
PTSD courses are among the most completed and highest rated in VHA TRAIN. In all, nearly two dozen PTSD related courses are available, and new courses/web events are added regularly. Below are a few of courses from the popular PTSD 101 series:
- PTSD and Reintegration Challenges
- The purpose of this knowledge-based educational web course is to close the training gap by describing the stresses associated with different phases of the deployment cycle, with particular attention to the impact of PTSD on the process of reintegration following combat deployments.
- PTSD Military Culture
- This course addresses cultural competence concerns by providing information about how the influence of military culture may impact worldview, assessment and treatment planning for military patients with PTSD.
- PTSD and Experiences of Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault During Military Service
- This web course offers clinicians an opportunity to learn certain principles and tools to improve their clinical practice with military sexual trauma (MST) survivors.
- There is also an in-depth look at two core areas that commonly arise in the course of treating MST-related PTSD and other mental health difficulties: 1) observing and asserting therapists' personal limits, and 2) assessing and treating sexual functioning difficulties. Learners complete the evaluation and post-test after training.
- Treatment of Comorbid TBI and PTSD: Lessons Learned
- This web course provides a brief overview and findings from two recent treatment studies of Servicemembers/Veterans with comorbid TBI and PTSD: the Study of Cognitive Rehabilitation Effectiveness (SCORE) and Cognitive Rehabilitation Trial versus Prolonged Exposure Treatment.
Along with the courses listed in VHA TRAIN, clinicians are highly encouraged to check out VA’s National Center for PTSD, whose mission is to advance the clinical care and social welfare of America's Veterans and others who have experienced trauma. There you will find a wealth of information for patients, professionals and the public, including the AboutFace video series.
Check back often as the course catalog with Veteran-focused training is updated monthly. Those providing care for Veterans are encouraged to subscribe to specific health care training topics. This subscription provides learners with periodic VHA TRAIN e-blasts and other news tailored to their areas of interest, greatly enhancing the Veterans’ ability to receive the exceptional, coordinated and connected care they deserve.