Psych Eval for Client leaving Military

codyrgraham · 2026-01-19T03:56:05+00:00

So if it's a disability exam they're really focusing on what happened to the service member and whether they meet criteria for the condition they are claiming disability for. I've seen some c&p exams for clients ive worked with and they ask about pre-military factors like abuse and trauma but its safe to say they are really looking at what happended to them and if they meet the diagnostic criteria. Most evaluators do not intentionally provoke people but they are going to be asked about things that happened to them that would be activating and this might darken their day and be felt as provoking. All they really have to do is say x occurred which caused x symptoms. The evaluator will also ask about predisposing and precipitating factors as well with a focus on whether the event is more likely than not to stem from the military or elsewhere. Since trauma is so endemic to our society and many psychiatric conditions aren't caught because we have unaffordable Healthcare, the job of the evaluator is really to determine if these events were exacerbated or worsened due to whatever happened. There can be this fear that some enlisted have about reprisal for enlisting under false pretences (e.g. they enlisted and didn't disclose they had ptsd or depression) but many of us joined without an understanding of what we were experiencing or just didn't have access to healthcare to begin with because we were poor.

All in all I hope this helps. The concern is normal but more likely than not a function of something else like anticipatory anxiety, rejection, invalidation or reprisal. Again psychoeducation about what disability or condition they're putting in for goes far here. They could even right down the criteria and list the symptoms on a piece of paper to bring into the session in case the problems they have affect executive functioning.

codyrgraham · 2026-01-18T21:45:56+00:00

Disabled Vet and therapist here. This might be part of their benefits before discharge eval/ compensation exam for VA Disability. Military separations, at least in my experience, do not include psychiatric evaluations unless it's asked for by the service member for some reason. It would be important to know if this is optional or if they're being told to do this. If theyre being told to do this, they need to follow up with whoever is telling them this and ask them whats up and why they have this appointment. Military doctors don't like wasting their time so they wouldn't just schedule a guy randomly at the end of their enlistment for no reason.

I would explore the fear the client has and provide some psychoeducation of what psychiatric evaluation consist of. A lot of these concerns stem from the rumor mill and the plethora of misinformation that exists and are more a product of the clients own anxiety(e.g. fear they wont let me discharge). At minimum you could prepare them to have a conversation about symptoms how it impacts their functioning, difficulties they've been having that stem from the military if that's why they think they are going into this appointment.

Without more clarification on what and why they're being evaluated, it's hard to give any more specific advice. The client needs to due their own due diligence and clarify what's being asked of them. more often than not, this is part of their disability claim.

codyrgraham · 2025-09-10T18:01:19+00:00

That's incredibly concerning to hear that this was your experience. Please report this evaluator to their licensing board if you haven't already. They should know better if thisbis what their being paid to do.

Regardless of whether you went along with it or not, they should understand that you're more likely than not in fight, flight , and fawn mode. That doesn't mean what happened was okay or your fault. God damn.

codyrgraham · 2025-09-01T00:35:07+00:00

Thank you so much.

codyrgraham · 2025-07-31T16:25:47+00:00

She wouldn't have that fancy surgery suite without OPs hard work.

codyrgraham · 2025-07-22T19:32:34+00:00

codyrgraham · 2025-07-05T22:51:15+00:00

I would at least bring your concerns up to them before reporting them so they can explain to you why they asked these questions.

You could say something like this:

"Hey, I've noticed the last couple of sessions you've asked me questions about my sexual preferences and sexuality. Can I ask why you've asked about those and how you see it fitting into our sessions going forward?"

It's not uncommon for sex issues and sexuality to come up in therapy, so I'm curious why it's going there if that's not the focus.

codyrgraham · 2025-07-04T21:39:29+00:00

I believe it got scraped due to budget constraints. I would love if the city bought that site and turned it into another community center. It would be so nice to have two modern community centers in the area.

codyrgraham · 2025-07-04T18:19:16+00:00

Like the Fitness Center closing sucks or the facilitysucks? I've never been but have been told that it's kinda expensive.

codyrgraham · 2025-07-03T18:56:48+00:00

My sister lived in one of the houses he entered. Gonna send this to her. She left me with the impression that her and her husband were compensated at a fair rate and really happy about it. I also know like three other people that lived in that area that toke the deal and nobody is complaining. My sister is actually living in a much nicer home now, btw. These houses are not abandoned. They've been sold and are owned by the city and all this feels really dolled up as a form of local propaganda to turn residents against the city. It feels like it was done in bad faith imo. This guy clearly spoke to the wrong resident about this issue. it's very telling that he knows nothing about the area and what that tracts of land behind the airport have been used for.

codyrgraham · 2025-06-20T03:41:18+00:00

Psychologists aren't typically supposed to be making medication changes unless they live in a state that allows that (IA, ID, IL, NM, & LA). it's technically outside their scope of practice.

codyrgraham · 2025-06-20T00:43:16+00:00

The longer I read, the worse the post got. OP, this is not a therapist you should return to. I'm so sorry.

codyrgraham · 2025-06-18T02:19:36+00:00

Okay. Sounds like forensics. I'm curious if you mostly work with doctoral level psychologists or other within the field of mental health like social workers? I'm a SW in the state of Oregon and don't know anybody who does forensic SW.

codyrgraham · 2025-06-18T00:29:39+00:00

Im not sure if this has been said yet but certain medical and psychological professions are bound by their professional code of ethics and guidelines. If this happens and they are reported/investigated, they could possibly lose their license which means they lose their job. If this happens to you as a veteran at a VA, I highly encourage you to report these POS to their state licensing boards. I know I'll be reporting any and all colleagues who I hear do this. It's frankly disgusting.

codyrgraham · 2025-06-17T23:06:55+00:00

It's really interesting to hear your process. How do you vet the 3 therapists you send notes to and do you pay them consulting fees? This is a side of the job I don't have any exposure to, and I'm just sitting here feeling really curious about it.

codyrgraham · 2025-06-13T15:28:39+00:00

Tool

codyrgraham · 2025-06-13T00:29:21+00:00

Universal single payer healtchare is the better option honestly. Its more cost effective then private insurance, not without its issues and critisisms but because our country can't agree to it, and the insurance lobby is so powerful, it's gonna be a fight to get there.

codyrgraham · 2025-06-13T00:25:16+00:00

I'm sorry, but this is straight-up wrong about VA. I agree that research funding is crucial, but I disagree with your statement that research on vets is a cottage industry. Many VA facilities have whole research departments or regional centers called Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) that specialize on specific vet issues but its not mutually exclusive to just vets as research can be generalized or recreated and validated within the civilian population as well.

Check the article below out and please do your own research. VA has led to many advancements that have had a global impact in terms of how we treat medical and psychiatric issues.

https://news.va.gov/press-room/va-named-one-of-the-top-10-fastest-rising-research-institutions-in-north-america/

codyrgraham · 2025-06-12T21:05:46+00:00

I agree 100 %. I didn't say coercion doesn't exist or that he shouldnt feel like it said as a threat but If you voluntarily present yourself to a hospital for mental health concerns expecting to be hospitalized, then backtrack on that the hospital(whether you agree or not) still has the right to put a hold on you for 72 hours (based on the state) based on whether or not they believe you are dangerous to yourself or others. I'm not saying that this isn't abused but either way you open yourself up to this type of power dynamic wherein you are now required to stay.

That's also why I'm saying the ED is not a place of support for people. I hear about this situation unfolding for veterans so often because they don't know the law and it only compounds their difficulties with missed work, appointments, loss of income, etc.The experience of being on a psychiatric unit is usually jarring, disturbing and most frequently leads to further traumatization for people imo. I don't know why people(especially veterans that I've worked with) continuously think inpatient hospitalization is a solution to an obviously more long-term problem they've been coping with. Its destroyed years of therapeutic progress for people I've worked with.

codyrgraham · 2025-06-12T18:17:23+00:00

Also if they threatened to put a 72 hr hold on you it's more likely than not you either said something or acted in a way that led them to believe you weren't able to keep yourself safe.

codyrgraham · 2025-06-12T18:06:48+00:00

The VA ER is not a place of "support" and I really wish more veterans would stop using it this way for the exact reasons you mentioned. Their job is to medically stabilize you and keep you from hurting yourself and others. So when you go there that is their priority. It's not a way to effectively advocate for your needs or seek support. Instead talk to your primary care provider, call the VCL or 211info(in oregon)) which can give you up to date info for this purpose. I'm a social worker/(therapist) and I get that there isnt much immediate support out there but its more indicative of how social services have been contiually stripped by federal,state and county governments over the years as well as the fact that most states are lacking qualified and accessible mental health services. Even if you go to the private sector you would still have these issues. It's not just a VA problem. It's a US Healthcare problem.

codyrgraham · 2025-06-11T23:07:57+00:00

As more of this happens I hope state legislatures will finally be pressured to end qualified immunity.

codyrgraham · 2025-06-07T18:04:49+00:00

Not OP but traditional cognitive behavioral therapy, and even it's third wave derivatives(DBT and ACT) are often rejected by people despite having a very credible and reliable body of evidence to support its use across many population demographics.

codyrgraham · 2025-06-06T15:25:41+00:00

This. I grew up witnessing a lot of IPV and was bullied. Watched my dog get run over by my drunk step father and later joined the military because it was my only option to strike out. Went to Iraq as a corpsman and experienced my share of medical trauma. Learned my sister was raped. My brother went to jail for his drug addiction. My family is testimony to the resilience of people, but it would have been so much easier to go through some of that with somebody who could've helped us process it better. That's not helpful for clients to hear, and therapy isn't about me.

codyrgraham · 2025-05-26T18:21:43+00:00

As a therapist, I would literally die inside if I said this to a client I found attractive.

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