Sexual Abuse In The Military (2 CE hours)

Description:

Sexual abuse and harassment within the United States military represent an urgent and ongoing public health crisis, one with profound consequences for individual service members and for institutional readiness, cohesion, and trust. Despite decades of policy reform and prevention programming, rates of unwanted sexual contact remain alarmingly high, reporting continues to decline, and conviction rates remain abysmally low. Certain populations, including LGBTQIA+ service members, junior enlisted members under age 21, and women across all ranks, face disproportionate risk.

This 2-hour continuing education course provides a comprehensive, evidence-based overview of sexual abuse and harassment in the US military. Drawing on Department of Defense data, independent research, and clinical expertise grounded in trauma-informed and sex-positive practice, participants will examine prevalence rates, underreporting dynamics, the psychological and sexual impacts of military sexual trauma, and the systemic barriers survivors face when seeking justice and support. The course concludes with practical strategies for supporting those who have experienced sexual assault and harassment, fostering cultural change, and building prevention-oriented practices within institutional and clinical contexts.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the current prevalence of sexual assault and harassment among active-duty US military personnel, including rates by branch, sex, age group, and sexual orientation, using data from the Department of Defense and independent research.
2. Explain the significant gap between estimated prevalence and formal reporting rates of military sexual trauma, including the key barriers that prevent service members from coming forward.
3. Distinguish between the three categories of the Tripartite Model of Sexual Harassment (gender harassment, unwanted sexual attention, and sexual coercion) and apply this framework to understanding patterns of harassment in military environments.
4. Identify populations at heightened risk for military sexual trauma, including LGBTQIA+ service members and junior enlisted members under age 21, and articulate the specific vulnerability factors affecting each group.
5. Analyze the two-level nature of betrayal in military contexts — interpersonal and institutional — and describe how institutional betrayal compounds mental health outcomes including PTSD, moral injury, and suicidality.
6. Summarize the short-term and long-term emotional, psychological, and sexual impacts of military sexual trauma on survivors, including PTSD, depression, trust difficulties, sexual distress, and mixed emotional responses.
7. Describe the current landscape of military reporting options (restricted vs. unrestricted reporting), prosecution trends, and conviction rates, and analyze how systemic factors affect survivors’ decisions about disclosure.
8. Apply at least two evidence-informed strategies for supporting survivors of military sexual trauma in clinical, educational, or institutional settings.

Activity Schedule

0:00–0:05: Welcome & Introductions 

0:05–0:20: Prevalence of Sexual Assault in the Military (DoD data, independent research, reporting rates)

0:20–0:35: Rates by Demographics: Branch, Sex, Age & LGBTQIA+ Risk Lecture + Data Review

0:35–0:50: Sexual Harassment: Definition, the Tripartite Model & Military Rates Lecture

0:50–1:00: Reporting, Prosecution & Conviction Rates; Repercussions of Reporting

1:00–1:30: Emotional Impact of Military Sexual Trauma (Short & long-term psychological and sexual impacts)

1:30–1:45: Betrayal in the Military Context: Interpersonal & Institutional Betrayal

1:45–2:00: What Can We Do? Supporting Survivors & Fostering Change; Q&A & Closing Discussion

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Laney Knowlton (she/her), LMFT-S, CST, CSAT-S, CPTT-S, CCPS, CCRDS-S, CCBRT, RAE, holds a master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy and a PhD in Clinical Sexology from Modern Sex Therapy Institutes. Having worked in the mental health field since 2009, she specializes in Problematic Sexual Behaviors (PSB), infidelity, betrayal, and sexual abuse. She is the creator of the Connected Recovery® model — an attachment-focused framework integrating PSB treatment, betrayal recovery, relational counseling through an EFT lens, and sex therapy. Dr. Knowlton has authored multiple books, most recently Healing from Betrayal, Infidelity, and Problematic Sexual Behaviors (Routledge, 2025), and contributed to edited volumes. She is an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist and the current President of the Society for the Advancement of Sexual Health (SASH). An internationally recognized presenter and educator, she bridges clinical practice and professional development.

Class originally recorded: 5/16/2026

Social workers completing this course receive 2 clinical continuing education credits.