Working Systemically with Military, Veterans, and their Families: SPARK Group
12 weeks, 90 minutes per session.
Thursdays at 9am-10:30 from September 11, 2025 to November 13, 2025.
Eligible for 18 CEs | Live On Zoom
Facilitator: Rick Hendricks, LMFT
Program Dates: 9/11, 9/18, 9/25, 10/2, 10/9, 10/16, 10/23, 10/30, 11/6 & 11/13/25
Cost of Program: Free for NEAFAST Members; $90 for nonmembers. Become an NEAFAST Member!
Cost of 18 CEs: $235 for NEAFAST members; $270 for nonmembers.
About Working Systemically with Military, Veterans and their Families:
There are approximately 18 million active duty service members and veterans in the United States. When considering military families, the number of individuals impacted by military service may be in the range of 25 million to 30 million. As such, it is quite likely a Veteran or active duty Service member has been or will be seeking the services of our civilian therapists.
Military and veteran families face unique challenges, including deployment stress, reintegration issues, and mental health concerns. This peer consultation group can provide a supportive environment for professionals working with these families, fostering collaboration, sharing best practices, and enhancing service delivery. It is incumbent upon a therapist to be culturally competent and the military has its own unique culture.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this program, participants will be better able to...
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Understand the unique needs of military and Veteran families.
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Navigate the benefits and services available to Veterans and their families with special emphasis on mental health.
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Practice cultural competence in working with diverse military populations.
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Share experiences, challenges, and successes in working with military and veteran families.
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Exchange resources, tools, and strategies that can improve service delivery.
Materials to be used:
The program will utilize Couple-Based Interventions for Military and Veteran Families: A Practitioner’s Guide. (Guilford Press. Snyder, D.K., & Munson, C.M. (Eds.). (2012). It will not be required to purchase this to attend the group but will serve as the guide for the discussions. It can be purchased for $49.
About the Instructor:
 Rick Hendricks, MA, LMFT, seeks the connection in all things leveraging the system to impact the individual and society. He currently is in private practice as the owner of Two Birches Relationship Therapy & Counseling in Vermont. He recently retired from the Department of Veterans Affairs as a Deputy District Director overseeing 21 behavioral health clinics in New York and New Jersey working with combat veterans and their families. Prior roles include a marriage and family therapist for the VA Readjustment Counseling Services, an graduate-level instructor, member of a group practice, director of an EAP for firefighters, and a therapist in community mental health doing intensive in-home family therapy. This followed his retirement from the U.S. Army having served almost 28 years. Rick has been on numerous boards and volunteer organizations serving in various leadership positions desiring to use his privilege in service to others. He is a founder and past president of the New England Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (NEAFAST).
POLICY DISCLOSURES & PARTICIPANT EXPECTATIONS
This activity has been pre-certification by the New England Association for Family and Systemic Therapy (NEAFAST) on behalf of the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Allied Mental Health & Human Services Professions for LMFT professional continuing education.
This activity may be retroactively approved for CEs for Massachusetts LMHCs at https://www.mamhca.org/page-18363
This activity is not pre-certified for continuing education for Massachusetts LCSW/LICSWs.
Please note: It is the participant’s responsibility to check with their individual state boards to verify CE requirements for their state.
Attendance Policy: All participants seeking continuing education credit must attend the entire program. NEAFAST may, in cases of medical emergencies or other extenuating circumstances, offer partial credit if 80% of the overall credit hours were completed. Please speak to the instructor/facilitator as soon as possible about this if necessary. Those attending as a free member benefit should still plan to attend all meetings to optimize learning and cohesion for all group members.
Cancellation Policy: There will be no refunds. It is the participant's responsibility to plan to attend all meetings.
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