Pathways to Military Behavioral Health Careers: The Summer Institute is a five-day course designed to enhance the awareness of doctoral students in clinical or counseling psychology, social work students, and early-career social workers about the roles of psychologists and military social workers in the Armed Forces. The program aims to improve their competitiveness for active duty behavioral health provider positions within the Armed Forces.
The course is:
Offered at no cost including lodging for the entirety. (Students are responsible for covering their own travel, meals, and incidental expenses).
● Hosted at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences located in Bethesda, MD
● Offered at no cost
● Intended for 1st 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th year doctoral students in clinical or counseling psychology
● Strengthen trainees’ backgrounds in military behavioral health as they gain first-hand knowledge of military culture and the work of military psychologists who treat active duty service members
Program Goals:
The Center for Deployment Psychology’s Pathways to Military Behavioral Health Careers program is aimed at doctoral students in clinical or counseling psychology students to raise awareness of what it would be like to serve in the military.
● Students who are seriously exploring the possibility of applying for a military internship at one of the ten training programs situated within the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force.
● Participants cultivate valuable military insights that increase their competitiveness toward being selected for military service.
● Learn about presenting problems most common among military personnel and evidence-based strategies to treat them
● Develop skills for working with military clients consistent with evidence-based practice and conceptualizing cases through a cognitive-behavioral framework
● Discover how military life affects not only the service member, but also the family system
Curriculum Highlights:
● Interact with Training Directors representing different branches of the military
● A panel discussion with Training Directors from each of the service branches where students can ask questions about military internships
● A discussion of military life experiences for those with family members
Application Requirements
● Be a U.S. citizen
● Students must complete an application
● Enrolled in a doctoral program in clinical or counseling psychology that is APA accredited
This course is NOT appropriate for students who plan to begin their internship in the fall of 2024.
Please note: Students are encouraged to apply for either the Summer Institute or the Winter Institute but are not eligible to attend both. The student must select which program they wish to attend.