Clinical Psychology Commons^™

Service Members’ Perspectives On Treatment: Bridging The Military-Civilian Divide, Kevin R. O'Leary

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The difficulties some service members have reintegrating into and reconnecting with civilian society are well established across the literature. Despite the veteran’s voices describing these struggles to connect with civilians and the current zeitgeist in psychotherapy on the therapeutic relationship and multicultural competence, little attention has been given to the implications of the civilian military divide in therapy. This study used a mixed method approach to conduct an exploratory study of 70 service members’ perceptions of working with a civilian and active duty or veteran therapist and what factors contribute to therapeutic alliance. Of interest are service members’ beliefs about …