Cohen Veterans Network: Culturally Responsive Care for Diverse Military Clients

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CVN: Culturally Responsive Care for Military Clients

The Challenge

Cohen Veterans Network (CVN), a national not-for-profit mental health network serving post-9/11 veterans, active-duty service members, and their families, needed a training solution for clinicians working with a highly diverse military population.

The training had to reflect not just clinical best practices, but also cultural awareness, identity-informed care, and trauma sensitivity. It needed to balance introductory-level content with deep opportunities for reflection, and serve a wide network of therapists, many of whom expressed uncertainty around how to address identity, race, gender, and sexual orientation in clinical practice.

The Solution

We designed an interactive, LMS-based eLearning course that provided both foundational content and practical, reflective tools for clinicians.

  • Anchored in real-world clinical cases
    The training centered on a fictional case study of Dave, a 24-year-old Marine Corps veteran experiencing PTSD, complex family dynamics, and challenges with identity and belonging. The scenario offered multiple points for reflection and clinical judgment.

  • Responsive, reflection-driven design
    Each module included built-in opportunities for personal reflection, such as a Digital Notepad where learners could write questions and insights to guide case conceptualization. Notes were not stored in the LMS, preserving confidentiality and encouraging honest self-reflection.

  • Expert-led, inclusive content
    Based on survey data from clinicians across the U.S., we prioritized the topics they wanted most: race, ethnicity, gender identity, and sexual orientation. The training included voices of subject matter experts and veterans, grounding theory in lived experience.

  • Modular structure for flexibility
    The course included 7 modules, a conclusion, and a final quiz. Most segments were under 30 minutes and had to be completed in sequence. A minimum score of 80% was required to pass.

  • Accessibility features and learner support
    The course player featured a guided tour, support for note saving, and progress memory for learners who needed to pause and resume.

The Outcome

This course now supports hundreds of clinicians across CVN’s national network in delivering more culturally responsive care. It has become a foundational training tool that helps bridge the gap between clinical expertise and lived cultural experience—especially for providers serving LGBTQ+ veterans, BIPOC service members, and those coping with stigma or mistrust of the medical system.

The training reinforced CVN’s commitment to equity, empathy, and informed care, and gave clinicians concrete tools to better serve one of the most complex, resilient, and diverse populations in healthcare today.

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