Strengthen Your Ability to Serve

The U.S. military population includes roughly 30 million people: active military and civilian personnel, veterans and their family members.1,2

You may be among them. You might know and love people who are. You might never have met them, but your commitment to serving others is a driving force in your life and work.

Heighten your expertise. Improve your career potential.

The greater your skill set, the more you can accomplish. William & Mary’s Military and Veterans Counseling (MVC) specialization builds on the Clinical Mental Health Counseling concentration. It adds to your professional toolkit and prepares you for licensure without extending the duration of your program.

With military-focused counseling proficiency, you’ll be equipped to serve a larger population, meet more diverse needs, and step into a broader array of opportunities.

Military Mental Health: Need by the Numbers

America’s military community faces a pressing, growing need for top-tier mental health care. The 2.8 million Americans deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001, for example, continue to cope with profound challenges, including:3

STRAINS IN FAMILY LIFE - 48%

SUDDEN OUTBURSTS OF ANGER - 47%

DIFFICULTY ADJUSTING TO CIVILIAN LIFE - 44%

TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY - Up to 23%

POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER - Up to 20%

DEPRESSION - Up to 15%

The Impact of PTSD Counseling for Veterans

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)—“the development of characteristic and persistent symptoms along with difficulty functioning after exposure to a life-threatening experience”4—can result from military combat, terrorist attack, abuse or violent personal assault.

Skilled therapy has been shown to be effective in 60% of veterans with PTSD by helping them change how they react to memories of trauma and learn to cope with fear- and stress-inducing situations4

Find Out More

Military and Veterans Counseling at William & Mary

The Military and Veterans Counseling specialization augments the core foundation of the Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree with military-focused elective courses and a military-focused internship. Through them, you’ll become proficient at:

  • Addressing the unique behavioral health needs of active-duty military personnel and veterans
  • Assessing and treating trauma-related disorders
  • Counseling military couples and families

Extend Your Skills, Not Your Time in School

Learn to help people who have faced acute, often prolonged trauma.

By including this specialization in your Clinical Mental Health Counseling concentration, you’re choosing to take on greater expertise and richer opportunities—without delay.

Complete the program in as few as three years (60 credit hours), including:

  • A one-semester practicum (100 clock hours)*
  • A two-semester internship (600 clock hours)*

You’ll graduate as a culturally responsive agent for social change, equipped to make a meaningful difference in the lives of your military and civilian clients.

Explore the Class Lineup

*In addition to the hours conducted in the field site placement, you’ll have additional synchronous supervision and course requirements.

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The Distinction of the Military-Focused Curriculum

Help meet an unmet need. Strengthen your professional acumen with the tools to support your clients through challenges from trauma-related disorders to major life transitions. The three focused courses in the Military and Veterans Counseling specialization will prepare you to serve and support your military clients with particular sensitivity.

A line of army soldiers in uniform saluting

Military Life, Culture and Challenges

Delve into the history and mission of U.S. military branches, including their values, social structures, chains of command, work ethics, job demands and vocabularies.
Veteran in civilian clothing smiling

Military-to-Veteran
Transition

Gain working knowledge of federal, state and local support resources, and become adept at helping military families make the change from active duty to veteran status.
Civilian hand shaking hand of uniformed army soldier

Supervised Internship in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Put your classwork into practice. Demonstrate and improve your counseling skills through 600 hours in a community agency setting, under university and field supervision, serving military, veteran and civilian populations.

Join Your Partners in Military Counseling

William & Mary’s counseling students come from all walks of life. Your colleagues will have military and civilian backgrounds, with varied professional experience in diverse fields. Some are looking to advance in their current careers, while others want to start new careers entirely. Regardless of your age, hometown or professional resume, if your passion is for counseling, your place and your people are here.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE YOU CAN MAKE

Man and woman speaking with counselor

The Mental Impact of Military Service

Read the Blog Post

Uniformed soldier in camouflage seated on couch in front of counselor writing with pen on pad of paper

Trauma Counseling for Veterans

Read the Blog Post

People seated in group counseling session

Your Guide to Becoming a Military Counselor

Read the Blog Post

“Public Ivy” Excellence

For more than three centuries, the William & Mary name has been synonymous with world-class academics and diversity—two of the core values of the university and the School of Education.

Online and on campus, we welcome students from all backgrounds, including those with and without military experience.

CACREP Accreditation

The Military and Veterans Counseling specialization is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). This accreditation is awarded as recognition that the program provides all classroom and clinical instruction required by Virginia and most states for licensure as a professional counselor.

Please review any additional requirements for your intended area of pursuit and state of practice.

World-Class Faculty

William & Mary’s award-winning faculty members are your expert allies, mentors and guides. Your career will benefit from their deep knowledge of military challenges, marriage and family counseling, critical race theory in counselor education, spirituality and meditation, violence prevention and intervention, legal issues in counseling, and other vital areas of focus.
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Are You Ready To Apply?

Important Dates for Counseling

FEB
9
Priority Application Deadline
February 9
Summer 2024 Term
APR
5
Application Deadline
April 5
Summer 2024 Term
MAY
6
Next Start
May 6
Summer 2024 Term

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