Are Private Counselors Comfortable Treating Combat-Related Trauma?

Between 40% and 90% of Americans will experience at least one traumatic event at some point in their lifetime (Breslau et al., 1998; Ford, Stockton, Kaltman, & Green, 2006; Kessler, Sonnega, Bromet, Hughes, & Nelson, 1995; Resnick, Falsetti, Kilpatrick, & Freedy, 1996), with an adult average of four traumatic events (Breslau et al., 1998). However, certain subgroups of the population may be even more vulnerable to experiencing traumatic events and to developing a trauma-related mental health issue. In particular, over half of individuals with combat experience will develop a serious mental health issue; this number may jump as high as 96% depending upon the war in question (Sutker & Allain, 1996). Furthermore, the greater the intensity of the traumatic exposure to war, the greater the likelihood that an individual will develop a serious mental health issue as a result of their war-related trauma (Sutker, Uddo-Crane, & Allain, 1991).