Invisible no more: recognizing and engaging women veterans
in behavioral healthcare
Thursday, August 27, 2026
12:00 - 1:00 Pacific
3:00 - 4:00 Eastern
(Virtual access code will be distributed after registration. )
Women veterans are the fastest-growing group within the veteran population, yet many behavioral health systems still default to a male veteran template. Providers often miss the signs, the history, and the specific stressors that shape how women veterans present in care.
This session gives clinicians and health care leaders practical tools to recognize women veterans in their caseload, ask better intake questions, and build treatment approaches that see the whole person in front of them.
About the Session
Women veterans are the fastest-growing group within the veteran population, yet many behavioral health systems still default to a male veteran template. Providers often miss the signs, the history, and the specific stressors that shape how women veterans present in care.
This session gives clinicians and health care leaders practical tools to recognize women veterans in their caseload, ask better intake questions, and build treatment approaches that see the whole person in front of them.
Important Information
To receive the 1 CEU credit, you must log in through the virtual link sent to your email after registering, attend the full program, scan the QR code at the end, and complete the survey. Your certificate of completion will be mailed after survey completion and may take up to 72 hours to arrive.
CEU's are available thanks to our partner Forge VFR Veteran Mental Health & Addiction Support | Forge Health.
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Women veterans are the fastest-growing group within the veteran population, but they're still often overlooked in behavioral health and veteran-serving systems. This session looks at why that happens and gives clinicians and community leaders practical tools to recognize and better support women veterans.
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Behavioral health clinicians and providers, veteran service organizations, peer professionals and recovery support specialists, community support agencies, public health professionals, veteran families and caregivers, and policy makers and program administrators.
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By the end of the session, you'll be able to identify the barriers that keep women veterans under-recognized in care systems, describe how military culture and gender dynamics shape help-seeking behavior after service, recognize signs of isolation and unmet needs, and apply engagement strategies that improve outreach and connection to services.
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One hour, delivered virtually. It opens with a look at how the veteran population is changing and why women veterans remain under-identified, moves into the cultural and systemic barriers to care, then covers practical identification and engagement strategies and community-based solutions, and closes with a guided discussion.
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Sheena Bice, DMSc, LCMHC, MLADC. She's a Marine Corps veteran, leads Veteran and First Responder Services and Growth at FORGE Health, chairs the Women Veterans Coalition of New Hampshire, and serves on NAVFRW's board. Her work focuses on expanding culturally competent care and building the community partnerships that help veterans access behavioral health services.
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A mix of lecture, discussion, case examples, and guided reflection, built for both clinical professionals and community organizations working with veterans and their families.
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Yes, one CEU hour. To receive credit, log in through the virtual link sent after registration, attend the full session, scan the QR code shown at the end, and complete the survey that follows. Certificates are mailed after survey completion and may take up to 72 hours to arrive.
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Registration is $40, with the option to add a donation to NAVFRW.
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Thursday, August 27, 2026, from 12 to 1 PM Pacific / 3 to 4 PM Eastern.
FAQ: Invisible no more, women veterans in behavioral health care
Meet the Instructor
Sheena Bice, LCMHC, MLADC, CCTP holds a master’s degree in mental health counseling from New England College. She has worked in community mental health, private practice, and within the corrections system, providing mental health and addiction treatment to female offenders. She currently works as the Chief Clinical Officer for Forge Health VFR. Her focus is on providing trauma-informed care to our First Responders, Veterans, Service Members, and their families. She served in the United States Marine Corps and is a proud Military Spouse.
Sheena has been a Trauma Therapist since 2012. After graduating from New England College in 2010, she worked in emergency services where she conducted psychiatric emergency evaluations and supported inpatient treatment for high-risk individuals. She continued to hone her therapeutic skills and transitioned to crisis stabilization work and then within the correctional setting. Here, she expanded and improved the wellness initiative for female offenders, developing gender-specific curriculum for this population with the aim of reducing recidivism upon release.
In 2016, she entered the insurance field where she oversaw utilization review and management for specialty care programming. This experience allowed for a deeper understanding and engagement with Managed Care Organizations and requirements for specialty treatments. Following this in 2017, she found her true passion in her work with Veterans, Service Members, First Responders, and their families. As a Veteran, spouse of a Veteran, and family member to law enforcement personnel, this was a calling of personal and professional importance. In addition, creating an intensive outpatient, outpatient, and training program for First Responders to seek mental health and addiction treatment. The training program she developed has helped reduce the stigma this population faces, which has historically prevented them from getting the care they need.
As a clinical leader, Sheena is currently serving on several committees dedicated to improving the lives of our Veterans, service members, and First Responders. The committees include the Justice Involved Veterans Task Force, where she serves as Co-chair. She serves as a voting member on the Joint Military Civilian Partnership Committee and the New Hampshire Provider Association Board. Lastly, a member of the Suicide Prevention Council-Military and Veteran Subcommittee and the Military Steering Committee. Each of these boards and Sheena’s work is dedicated to improving the lives of Veterans and First Responders, increasing access to care, and legislative initiatives related to the health and wellness of those who have fought to protect our country and communities.