Advances in Applied Sociology, 2023, 13, 309-316 https://www.scirp.org/journal/aasoci ISSN Online: 2165-4336 ISSN Print: 2165-4328 DOI: 10.4236/aasoci.2023.134019 Apr. 27, 2023 309 Advances in Applied Sociology Defining Elemental Components of Veteran Cultural Competency for Mental Health Professionals Kevin Cameron 1,2 1 Anchor Therapy Clinic, Sacramento, USA 2 Cameron Constructs, Sacramento, USA Abstract Veterans and Military Service Members are separate and independent cul- tures. As a principle element, clinicians seek to become culturally competent to develop therapeutic rapport and improve treatment outcomes. Previous research has identified that mental health providers must be culturally com- petent to treat the Veteran population effectively. There are vital elements that need to be assessed: culturally specific contextual knowledge, profession- al competence, and confidence in working within the population. This re- search sought to identify the elemental components of cultural competence by evaluating a Veteran-specific cultural training program called “Healing Our Heroes”. The results concluded that direct military experience was not a significant factor in the ability to work within the population; however, pos- sessing Veteran specific contextual knowledge was critical in obtaining cul- tural competence. Keywords Veteran, Military, Culture, PTSD, VA 1. Introduction The Veteran population is committing suicide at an estimated rate of 22 lost lives per day (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2021). The Veteran Administra- tion estimates that about 30 percent of all military members who have spent time in designated combat zones will experience PTSD at some point during their ca- reers. Veterans represent a culture of their own within the United States, yet few health service organizations identify Veterans or Military Service Members as How to cite this paper: Cameron, K. (2023). Defining Elemental Components of Veter- an Cultural Competency for Mental Health Professionals. Advances in Applied Sociol- ogy, 13, 309-316. https://doi.org/10.4236/aasoci.2023.134019 Received: February 15, 2023 Accepted: April 24, 2023 Published: April 27, 2023 Copyright © 2023 by author(s) and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access