Social Work and Military Veterans Application Admission Essay

Total Length: 736 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 2

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The connection between combat experience and mental health has been extensively researched, and the literature is clear and consistent: veterans are a critically underserved population. A 2014 Rand study revealed a “woeful lack of understanding mental health providers have about military members, veterans and families they treat,” (Eckhart, n.d., p. 1). The results of the Rand study may come as no surprise to military families and ex-combatants, but social workers and psychologists do remain critically untrained in the issues specific to American veterans. For this and other reasons such as stigma related to seeking mental health services, veterans continue to be the most vulnerable to mental health issues. When their mental health issues like PTSD, which alone accounts for a full half of all clinical diagnoses (Savitsky, Illingworth & DuLaney, 2009), remain unidentified or untreated, the results can be disastrous. Almost 150,000 American veterans each year experience homelessness each year (Jackson, 2013). Suicide rates are already alarmingly high and continue to rise. Coping with daily life and reintegrating into their communities is challenging, leading to behavioral problems, substance abuse, and criminality (Savitsky, Illingworth & DuLaney, 2009). I know; I have been on the front lines. I now wish to deepen my level of service and commitment to helping US veterans as a social worker.

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After serving as a US Army combat medic for six years, I received honorable discharge due to a medical disability and since then have worked squarely in the mental health sector to serve other veterans. For the past four years, I have specialized as a chemical dependency counselor. I have a Bachelor’s degree in psychology, which laid the foundation for my counseling work as well as my future career in social work. The next stepping stone in my career will be a Masters degree in social work. I have selected Capella because its program best represents my philosophy of applied social science in helping the veteran community. Having identified the core problems facing veterans, I want to participate in the solution building process by working with veterans and their families. In addition to promoting early intervention, treatment, and diagnosis, I hope to eventually transfer my skills to policy analysis. I believe that evidence-based policy can be created within the social work professions, to bolster understanding of military issues specifically, and also within the military, to improve access and awareness of mental health services. Ultimately, I….....

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Latest APA Format (6th edition)

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"Social Work And Military Veterans Application" (2017, September 14) Retrieved May 3, 2024, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/social-work-military-veterans-application-2165905

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"Social Work And Military Veterans Application" 14 September 2017. Web.3 May. 2024. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/social-work-military-veterans-application-2165905>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

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"Social Work And Military Veterans Application", 14 September 2017, Accessed.3 May. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/social-work-military-veterans-application-2165905