Promoting access, adherence, and treatment engagement for military service members and other hard-to-reach individuals.

It has been estimated that nearly 75% of service members and veterans with mental health disorders do not seek treatment. With the suicide rate among veterans at an all-time high, there is an increasing need to improve engagement levels and access for men and women who have served in the armed forces.

Dr. Stecker’s program of research has centered on developing strategies to promote access, adherence, and treatment engagement for hard-to-reach populations. Working with military service members, Dr. Stecker has developed an individualized cognitive-behavioral intervention to improve behavioral health treatment seeking among veterans outside the VA system. The intervention is currently being implemented in primary care settings in VA hospitals. The efficacy of Dr. Stecker’s intervention has been demonstrated with veterans suffering from PTSD and is currently being tested with service members at risk of suicide.