Support and Care for Veterans and their Families: Suicide Prevention, Bipolar Disorder and Depression

Description:  Veterans Health Administration, the Department of Defense (DoD) and several other leading professional organizations have developed evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for specific mental health problems experienced by Veterans as a result of exposure to military services experiences, injuries and other conditions that can compromise mental health.  CPGs are intended to improve care by reducing variation in practice and systematizing “best practices”.   The use of guidelines must always be in the context of a health care provider's clinical judgment in the care of a particular patient. For this reason, the guidelines may be viewed as an educational tool to provide information in shared decision making.  This module is one of two that will cover CPGs.  The CPGs in this Module include Assessment and management of Suicide, Bipolar Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder.  The information included is a summary of the full CPGs which can be found in the Resources file for this course. 

CE Credits: 6 CE (NBCC Hours - 6)

CE Broker #: 20-590828

Methods:  Study guide, pre and posttests, evaluation, Q and A by email.

Purpose: To prepare social service (mental health, peer support, and allied professionals) practitioners to provide knowledgeable and competent intervention with Veterans and their families who present with problems and concerns related to their military service experiences.

Target Audience:  The target audience includes all Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Defense (DoD) providers, private health care professionals (to include nurses, advance practice nurses, social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists) who work with Veterans and their families.