Programs and Support For Our Military CommunityThe Military and Veteran Psychology Area of Emphasis (MVP) is a coordinated array of efforts to train culturally competent mental health professionals to provide services to military service members, veterans, and their families. The program also aims to provide a supportive community for student veterans, family and friends of military personnel, and for those interested in working with veterans and military families. MVP requires students to complete focused academic coursework (Military Psychology and Culture; Military Families and the Cycle of Deployment; Trauma and the Military; Psychoactive Substance Abuse in Military and Veteran Communities), to participate in 2 years of non-academic personal development activities with other students, to provide relevant direct services through field training, and to conduct research in the areas of military and/or veteran matters.
Our veterans flagship program Train Vets to Treat Vets® (TVTV) is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Veteran Services to train William James College student veterans to become clinicians effective in working with veteran populations, to outreach to service members and veterans to consider careers in mental health, while simultaneously educating them about the mental health needs of veterans returning from deployment, to create a supportive community for student veterans, family and friends of military personnel, and for those interested in working with veterans and military families. The program also offers state-wide training conferences for mental health professionals to expand awareness of veterans' mental health needs.
The MVP Area of Emphasis at William James College is open in its entirety to students enrolled in a PsyD in clinical psychology or a MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, whether they are veterans or civilians. The coursework associated with this emphasis is also available to all graduate students who have completed the necessary prerequisites.
The Military & Veterans Psychology (MVP®) Program is offered as a concentration in the following academic programs:
Masters level students in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program may apply to enter the MVP concentration prior to the end of fall semester year one.
Students in the doctoral program in Clinical Psychology apply to MVP prior to their second-year practicum search, or by the end of fall semester year one for students entering with advanced standing.
Area of Emphasis (9 credits)
For Clinical Psychology PsyD students
CLI SB522 - Addictive Disorders: Theory and Treatment (credits: 2)
CLI MV522 - Substance Abuse and Addictions in Military and Veteran Communities (credits: 1)
CLI TR522 - Psychological Trauma: The Individual and Society (credits: 2)
CLI MV540 - Trauma and the Military (credits: 1)
CLI MV545 - Military Psychology and Culture (credits: 2)
CLI MV515 - Military Families and the Cycle of Deployment (credits: 1)
Area of Emphasis (5 credits)
Clinical Mental Health Counseling MA Students
CLI MV545 - Military Psychology and Culture (credits: 2)
CLI MV522 - Substance Abuse and Addictions in Military and Veteran Communities (credits: 1)
CLI MV540 - Trauma and the Military (credits: 1)
CLI MV515 - Military Families and the Cycle of Deployment (credits: 1)
MVP students are required to participate in an experiential learning group facilitated by MVP faculty. Veteran-only groups and non-military student groups will meet for 15 hours per semester for one academic year. These are offered at no fee to students and are not graded. Veterans are strongly encouraged to take part in their first year; other students are advised to do so while working with veterans in the field.
Cases involving veterans or their families must comprise at least 20% of the entirety of MVP students’ WJC fieldwork. Students who secure a training position in a veteran-only clinic, center, or hospital will fulfill this requirement in a single year. When access to veterans or their families is limited or not possible, students will work with training and field education directors to gain additional experience with trauma, depression, and substance abuse. Service learning projects will complement and extend the contact that students have with the veteran community. The concentration director will determine if field placement and service learning experiences fulfill MVP requirements. Doctoral students should apply to MVP veteran-only field sites for year three.
MVP students will do six small service or community learning projects over a 2-year period. The Associate Director of Veterans Relations (Travis Bickford) will assist students in the planning and evaluation of their service learning projects. Students with outstanding independent involvement in the veteran community may apply to waive this requirement.
