Professional CE Training

Military Culture Training
Built for Real Providers

Accredited CE courses that give community counselors, peer specialists, and VSO staff the tools veterans actually need.

View Courses Our Approach
CE Accredited
APA, NBCC & ASWB pathways
Northern Plains
Built for rural SD providers
Next-Day Ready
Apply with real clients immediately
Why We Exist

The Gap Between Good Clinicians and Veterans Who Need Them

South Dakota has one of the highest veteran populations per capita in the country. The VA facilities in Sioux Falls, Fort Meade, and Hot Springs serve thousands — but the waiting lists are long, and rural providers fill the gap daily.

Those providers — the licensed counselors, peer support specialists, and VSO staff who already show up — often tell us the same thing: "I want to help my veteran clients, but I didn't get military culture training in grad school."

Groundwork Institute exists to close that gap. Not with another generic webinar, but with practitioner-built curriculum grounded in the actual clinical landscape of the Northern Plains.

Counselor in a therapy session, attentively listening to clients indoors.

"Training that meets providers where they are — not where a federal grant says they should be."

Groundwork Institute
1 in 11

South Dakotans is a veteran — one of the highest rates in the U.S.

57%

Of veterans who seek care use community providers, not the VA directly.

0 hrs

Military culture training required in most clinical graduate programs.

Our Curriculum Framework

What Providers Learn That They Never Got in Grad School

Every Groundwork course is built around the specific clinical gaps community providers face when working with veterans — not checkbox compliance or general trauma basics.

01

Military Culture Literacy

Understand rank structure, unit cohesion, and the code of conduct that shapes how veterans communicate and seek help. Learn to read what clients won't say directly.

02

Moral Injury vs. Standard Trauma

Differentiate combat-related moral injury from civilian trauma presentations. Apply evidence-based frameworks that map to actual veteran experience — not generic PTSD protocols.

03

Transition Stress and Identity

Recognize the specific stress of leaving service — loss of purpose, community, and structure. Equip clients with tools to rebuild civilian identity without erasing who they were.

04

MST and Family Dynamics

Navigate military sexual trauma (MST) with informed sensitivity. Understand the unique family and caregiver dynamics that active duty and veteran households carry into the room.

Military veterans engaging in a supportive group therapy session indoors.

"Practitioners leave our courses with specific tools — not just awareness."

CE Credits for LMHC, LCSW, LPC, NBCC
Who This Is For

Built for Providers Who Already Show Up

Licensed Counselors

LMHCs, LCSWs, and LPCs who see veteran clients but received no military culture preparation in their clinical training. Earn CE credits and close the competency gap.

Peer Support Specialists

Frontline staff at veteran nonprofits and community organizations who need structured clinical frameworks to complement lived experience.

VSO Staff

American Legion, VFW, and local VSO counselors and volunteers who engage veterans daily and want evidence-based tools to recognize and respond to mental health needs.

A diverse group of adults attentively participating in a training workshop, taking notes and engaging.
How It Works

From enrollment to your next client session

1

Choose your course track

Select from self-paced online modules or cohort-based live sessions designed around your license type and practice setting.

2

Complete practitioner-built curriculum

Work through case studies, clinical tools, and frameworks grounded in real Northern Plains veteran care — not hypotheticals.

3

Earn CE credits, apply tomorrow

Receive accredited CE documentation and walk into your next veteran client session with specific, tested tools in hand.

Start your training

Your veteran clients are already in your caseload.
Give them the care they deserve.

Join community providers across South Dakota and the Northern Plains who are building real military culture competency — with CE credits that count toward your license.

Get Early Access Ask About Group Workshops
CE Accreditation in progress
Built for rural Northern Plains providers
First cohort forming — limited seats