LIVE: Veteran Identity and Mental Health: Initiation into the Military - Part 1

May 7, 2024  |  2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Pacific

Presented By Kristen J. Vescera, PhD, MPH, MA
Kristen J. Vescera, PhD, MPH, MA

May 7, 2024
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM Pacific

2 Hours | 2 CEs

$125 Registration | $100 Early Registration (through April 30th) | Live Training via Zoom

Kristen J. Vescera, PhD, MPH presents a live virtual professional training program on Veteran Identity and Mental Health: Initiation into the Military - Part 1.

“I didn’t serve. I can’t understand what my Veteran clients went through.” The Veteran Identity and Mental Heath training series follows a Veteran through three transition points.

This training takes the audience through the initiation process of a Veteran’s identity shift from civilian life into the military. The remaining programs will explore transitions that may occur while in the military -including trauma experiences- and the return to civilian life. Each transition point impacts the Veteran’s identity beyond their service. This includes expectations at each transitional stage of service that, if fulfilled or not, may impact one’s sense of self as a Veteran upon discharge.

This program provides the context of Veteran culture through the lens of the military experience and asks the learner to think about the Service Member through experiential exercises in order to get “comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Broad military-culture-related definitions and terms will be explored through the context of development and identity formation. This unique learning experience offers the opportunity for learners to explore their own attitudes and beliefs about the Veterans they work with.

This training is intended for professionals who work (or live) with Veterans at any stage of their career and can benefit from the unique perspectives available in this learning experience.

Training outline:

  • Introduction
  • Imaginal Exercise- lead the audience through a scenario of what it would be like to join the military
  • Provide context of Veteran identity and define the difference between military and Veteran culture
  • Discuss reasons why people join the military
  • Discuss enlistment processes
  • Discuss core components of the military
  • Describe basic training (with video support)
  • Describe transition challenges
  • Discuss the context of Veteran identity at this transition stage


Personal experience, case studies, research, and credible online resources will be shared throughout the discussion

Intended Audience

This live program is intended for mental health and other allied professionals.

Experience Level

This live program is appropriate for beginner, intermediate, and advanced level clinicians.

CE / CPD Credit

APA, ASWB, CPA, NBCC: Click here for state and other regional board approvals.

Presented By

Kristen J. Vescera, PhD, MPH, MA

Dr. Kristen Vescera is a combat Veteran having served overseas in Afghanistan in 2012-2013. She spent ten years enlisted in the United States Army Reserve as a Psychological Operations Staff Sergeant and Instructor. She received her PhD in clinical psychology at Palo Alto University in 2021 where sh...

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this program you will be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of Veteran identity within the context of military culture

Describe several reasons why Service Members join the military

Describe knowledge of multiple transition challenges from civilian life into the military

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Live Event Policy

Registration for our live events is covered for one (1) person per purchase. If you would like to purchase for a group, please contact our group training team.

Event Communications

Event Communications

When registering, use an email that is active and that you check regularly. We are not responsible for communications not being received; if you do not add caps@paloaltou.edu to your email safe sender list, our emails are likely to end up in your spam or junk folders.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellation Policy

Have a sudden change of plans and are unable to attend live? No worries; you will be given access to the on-demand version of the program once available. Please note that if you attend live, no access to the recording will be given.

Event Conduct

Event Conduct

Professional conduct is expected during our live programs. Our goal is to make our events as interactive as possible for all participants. We reserve the right to remove any participants who are disruptive, act unprofessionally, or who we are unable to verify their purchase.

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