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The Psychological Health Center of Excellence offers information and psychological health readiness resources for military mental health providers.
Barriers to Care
Despite the benefits of seeking mental health care, approximately 60-70 percent of military personnel who experience mental health problems do not seek mental health services. This underutilization may be ascribed to many types of barriers to care. Through PHCoE, the Department of Defense strives to better understand the barriers to care that service members face regarding mental health diagnoses and treatment. Seeking care early can help address mental health conditions before they worsen and is therefore an important component of readiness.
Chaplains Committee
From February 2011 until May 2021, PHCoE offered a webinar series to provide chaplains from DOD and VA, as well as civilian chaplains and mental health providers, with information on the latest evidence-informed tools and strategies that can help better address the psychological health issues of service members and their families. The webinars covered topics such as PTSD and moral injury, substance misuse, suicide prevention, psychological health, violence prevention and other topics for specific populations such as National Guard. In addition, PHCoE facilitated monthly meetings with Chaplains from DOD and VA, as well as civilian chaplains and mental health providers to discuss differing perspectives on pertinent topics and better ways to address the psychological health issues of service members and their families. Links to the webinars as well as other helpful resources can be accessed with CAC or federal government email address via Max.gov.
Combat and Operational Stress Control
Service members experience a variety of physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral reactions, adverse consequences, or psychological injuries following exposure to stressful or traumatic events in combat or military operations. In order to enhance readiness and mission performance; increase individual and unit resilience; conserve fighting strength; and prevent or minimize adverse effects of combat stress on service members’ physical, psychological, behavioral, and social health, DOD requires that each service implement combat and operational stress control policies and programs. PHCoE is tasked with overseeing the COSC mission. This section provides an overview of the natural and expected reactions to combat and operational stressors and describes efforts to optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of COSC policies and programs.
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Last Updated: February 13, 2024