Military Sexual Trauma: Understanding, Healing, and Advocacy

Military Sexual Trauma: Understanding, Healing, and Advocacy for Survivors and Those Who Serve Them

Military Sexual Trauma (MST) affects service members and veterans across all branches, ranks, and identities. The experience of MST can leave deep emotional, physical, and spiritual wounds.

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About This Course

Military Sexual Trauma (MST) affects service members and veterans across all branches, ranks, and identities. The experience of MST can leave deep emotional, physical, and spiritual wounds — but with understanding, support, and trauma-informed care, healing is possible.

This course was created by Shelby Cook, LISW-S, LCSW-QS, CCTP, Army veteran, clinician, and CEO of Cook Counseling and Consulting Inc. It’s designed for both survivors seeking guidance and professionals who support them.

Through evidence-based education, compassionate storytelling, and practical tools, this course explores:

What MST is and how it impacts the mind, body, and spirit
Understanding the Office of Special Trial Counsel (OSTC) and the current military legal systems
Legal and advocacy resources, including Combat Sexual Assault and other national organizations
The impact of MST across diverse populations — gender, race, sexual orientation, and rank
How empowerment, advocacy, and trauma-informed care foster long-term healing
Grounding techniques, journaling prompts, and reflection exercises to strengthen resilience

Learners will leave with an understanding of how MST affects individuals and systems, and with actionable strategies for trauma-responsive care, self-advocacy, and community change.

Whether you are a survivor reclaiming your voice or a professional seeking to serve with integrity and compassion, this course will help you learn, heal, and lead with courage.

Course curriculum

1. How to use this course
2. Before we begin...
3. Test your learning
4. Healing and Support for Military Sexual Trauma Survivors and Their Families
1. Understanding MST
2. Prevalence of MST in the Military
3. Recognizing the Signs of MST
4. The Impact of MST on Diverse Populations
5. Barriers to Reporting MST
1. Impact of MST on Survivors
2. Types of Trauma Caused by MST
3. Secondary Trauma for Providers and Loved Ones
4. Impacts of MST on Mental Health
1. Self-Care Strategies for Survivors
2. Therapeutic Approaches for Healing MST Trauma
3. Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
4. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
5. Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)
6. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
7. Group Therapy
8. Art Therapy and Expressive Therapies
9. Mindfulness-Based Therapies
10. Complementary and Alternative Therapies
11. Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
12. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
13. Written Exposure Therapy (WET)
14. Choosing the Right Approach
1. The "Right" Way
2. Comprehensive Plan for Developing Coping Skills
3. Healing and Growth
1. Acknowledging MST
2. Identifying Traumatic Events
3. Impact of MST
4. Symptoms and Reactions
5. Coping Mechanisms
1. Legal Implications for Perpetrators
2. Receiving Justice is HARD!
3. Lack of Justice for MST Survivors
4. Office of Special Trial Counsel (OSTC): What It Is—and How It Can Impact MST Survivors
5. What is the Military Doing?
6. Legal Resources for MST Survivors: Understanding Your Rights and Options
1. Purpose
2. Understanding Empowerment After Trauma
3. What Advocacy Looks Like
4. Empowerment Practices to Integrate
5. Reflection Questions
6. Key Takeaway
1. Community Support
2. VA Support and Services
3. Conclusion
4. Army SVC Informational Flyer
5. The CATCH Program
6. Cook Counseling and Consulting Inc. MST Guide
7. DoD Initial Information for Victims and Witnesses of Crime
8. Court-Martial Information for Victims and Witnesses of Crime
9. DoD Post Trial Information for Victims and Witnesses of Crimes
10. DoD MST Forms
11. DoD SAPR Policy
12. DSAID Basics
13. IRC-SAM for MST in the DoD
14. Loving Someone Who Has Sexual Trauma
15. Men Overcoming MST
16. MST Disability Filing- VA
17. MST Prevention Guide
18. MST Sources Overview
19. MST General Brochure
20. MST Factsheet
21. MST Support for Recent Events (2020)
22. MST Women's Infographic
23. DoD Sexual Assault Response Flow Chart
24. Top 10 Things Healthcare Professional Should Know About MST
25. Victim Reporting Options for MST
26. MST Victim Assistance

About this course

Free
73 lessons
0 hours of video content

What to Expect

This course is not about reliving trauma — it’s about understanding it, contextualizing it, and transforming it into personal and systemic change. You’ll find education grounded in empathy, recovery rooted in empowerment, and a community dedicated to safety and hope.

Trauma-informed and veteran-led instruction
Practical grounding and journaling exercises
Legal system navigation and advocacy resources
Intersectional exploration of MST’s impact across populations
Designed for survivors, therapists, social workers, advocates, and military leaders

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