Military Veteran

Military Veteran

The focus of the military veteran’s curriculum is application of resilience strategies and social support as these are protective of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and suicide, yet also improve academic retention and student success. The resilience course, an introduction to psychological resilience, is offered in conjunction with learning theory and leadership to encourage transfer of learning, that is, the ability to relate a concept from one subject area to another. The instruction uses a learner centered approach to problem based learning (PBL). PBL does not focus on defined solutions, rather it encourages group collaboration and communication by clarifying problems, brainstorming and structuring solutions. A cohort-based social framework provides a support system that reduces hyper-arousal and makes use of “veteranism,” or comradery, and trust. This approach does not pathologize readjustment, but instead focuses on resilience and education to practice positive adaptation in a nonclinical setting.