When we think about alcohol or substance abuse in the military, most of us jump to familiar explanations: PTSD, deployment trauma, combat stress. These are the headline drivers we expect to see on intake forms and clinical assessments. But lurking quietly, often unnoticed and unspoken, is another powerful risk factor, one that rarely makes it onto the paperwork or into clinical interviews: boredom.
This summer I had the incredible opportunity to step into three different professional roles to gain insight into what it means to be a psychologist for the military. My name is Harmony and I am a high school senior from Oklahoma with a deep interest in Psychology. I hope to earn a Ph.D. in psychology, and after that, I want to focus on forensic psychology. Over the summer, I worked closely with the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP), served as a junior teaching assistant (TA) for Dr. Patrick DeLeon’s public policy class, and volunteered at the Verizon Youth summer program, all while touring colleges in preparation for fall applications.
I’m a military spouse—a dependent, as we are often referred to in the military community. That word frequently comes with a sting, implying passivity, lack of contribution, and sometimes even entitlement. But my story, like many others, is much more complex than being defined by a label.
Considering a career as a military social worker can raise a lot of questions. It can also seem like the more you find out, the more questions you have. The career of a uniformed social worker comes with the expectation that you not only work with service members, but that you are a service member. This is different from someone who would work in private practice or with an organization that has scheduled hours and tasks, and typically stays in one location. It is different from only considering the best interests of your patient and performing social work duties. So how does someone learn what to expect?
Cultural competency training is an essential component of all behavioral health training curriculums and often a requirement for continuing education for licensed providers. But how often do those training opportunities include “military service” in the mix of cultural dimensions of identity that influence or shape an individual’s experience? Not often enough.
Listen to the episode: Sharpening our EBP Focus Through the Lens of Military Culture