PTSD: National Center for PTSD
MISSION Act Section 133: PTSD Course for Community Providers
Continuing Education
This section brings together free in-depth Continuing Education resources for the Professional community concerned with trauma.
MISSION Act Section 133: PTSD Course for Community Providers
- Date Created: 07/ 1/2020
- Time to Complete: 3 hours
- Credits: ANCC, APA, ASWB, ACCME, NBCC, Other Orgs
- Skill Level: Basic
- Course Series: MISSION Act

Description
This three-hour accredited course supports non-VA providers in treating Veterans with PTSD. The online course offers basic information on diagnosis and treatment, describes clinical considerations for PTSD and co-occurring conditions and provides resources that community providers can use in their work.
The course includes interviews with Veterans describing their PTSD symptoms as well as brief documentaries on Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and EMDR—the 3 treatments with the highest level of support in the VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline.
Registration Required
You must register for the VHA TRAIN MISSION Act curriculum and enter your National Provider Identifier (NPI) number to access the course. This course was developed by the National Center for PTSD under the auspices of the MISSION Act, which gives Veterans greater access to care in the community.
Goals and Objectives
- Describe the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, risk factors and associated symptoms and problems.
- Identify and select reliable and valid PTSD screening tools and assessment measures for diagnosing PTSD and monitoring treatment outcomes.
- Identify treatment recommendations of the VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline including core components of trauma-focused treatments, recommended medications and shared decision-making.
- Apply specific recommendations for modifying or integrating strategies to address clinically challenging comorbid conditions within trauma-focused treatment for PTSD.
- Select resources that can aid in treatment selection, engagement and retention including the National Center for PTSD Consultation Program.