Date of Conferral

2-28-2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Counselor Education and Supervision

Advisor

Katarzyna Peoples

Abstract

Over the past 20 years, the number of female veterans in the United States has doubled. Research has shown a gap in the literature regarding the lived experiences of female veterans seeking mental health care services in rural areas. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of female veterans seeking mental health services in rural areas. A hermeneutic phenomenological theoretical framework through the lens of health care utilization theory was used to guide the study. Nine women meeting the inclusion criteria of being a veteran, being 18 years or older, having at least 2 years of active duty, residing in the rural United States, and seeking mental health care services participated in semi structured interviews. Giorgi’s five step data analysis was used to identify six main themes: (a) finding good gender-specific Veterans Administration (VA) therapies, (b) difficulties finding and scheduling gender-specific VA mental health care, (c) rural locations negatively affecting benefits, (d) difficulty in finding non-VA gender-specific care, (e) finding rural locations good for mental health benefits, and (f) finding good non-VA resources. Findings may encourage positive social change for rural female veterans returning to civilian life through the shared advocacy of military and civilian stakeholders and may inform policy changes for post deployment transitions.

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