[Editor’s note: The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides 24/7, free, and confidential support via phone or chat for people in distress or crisis, resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for mental health professionals. For the Military Crisis Line and the Veterans Crisis Line, dial 988 and press “1,” or text 838255. For Spanish, press “2.” Online chat is accessible from anywhere in the world.]

The military provides a continuum of care for service members and families who may face unique mental health challenges coping with daily life. This means the right resource is out there to match warfighters and families to the care they need.

“The wonderful thing in the Department of War is that we have a lot of different modalities, and so we can individualize treatment and find out what is going to work best for them,” said Navy Capt. (Dr.) Elle Marie Schollnberger, a psychiatrist and director of mental health for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Health Services Policy and Oversight.

Personalized care can strengthen resilience and improve overall health, said Dr. Marjan Holloway a clinical psychologist and the director of the Suicide Care, Prevention, and Research initiative at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland, adding that mental health care is “delivered in the context of what is the best evidence there is for the treatment that's being provided.”

Military Health System is there for you wherever and whenever you need help

Therapy can take many forms, such as nonmedical, toll-free advice, nurse advice lines, and lifestyle coaching to provide support and connect with professionals before issues become severe. Along the spectrum of care, support can include interactive mental therapy, medications, and hospitalization, if needed. The MHS Mental Health Hub provides information on resources that can be accessed around the world 24/7, and via telehealth.

The care and prevention components come together “such as that we all work as a team and do a better job in the context of suicide prevention,” Holloway said. “While sometimes, it is a one-on-one setting, there are people all around you that are willing to help, be they a barracks buddy, platoon leader, or a volunteer on a free 24/7 telephone line dedicated to helping military mental health.”

The aim of these efforts is to make military life fulfilling at a high level.

“Allow our mental health clinics and other professionals like Military and Family Life counselors, Military OneSource, and all those other support agencies to serve you and make you a better version of you,” said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jacob Cote, a mental health flight chief at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C.

To reach that better version, you have to give these military support programs “that chance,” Cote said. If you don’t feel comfortable with the first or second resource or program, “That’s OK, there are other resources service members can utilize, too.”

MHS mental health professionals emphasize a ready military force must be at its best physically and mentally to be most effective in action.

“The human weapon system is one of the most valuable systems that we have in the United States,” observed Air Force Tech. Sgt. Martina MooreTerry, also a mental health flight chief at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. “Mental health and readiness go hand in hand in the military.”

Mental health professionals are “ready to take care of that fight downrange, ready to take care of those individuals in their hardest and darkest of times,” she added.

“If an individual doesn’t take care of their mental health, and only focuses on the physical aspect — how can we expect them to go out and perform their duties, day in and day out? If one is not psychologically resilient, the DOW is at risk of failing, and readiness could be directly impacted,” concurred Cote.

Service members may find themselves hesitant to take the first step toward mental health support. “Being hesitant is normal. I cannot stress that enough,” said Cote. “It is OK to feel hesitant. It is OK to feel cautiously optimistic. It is OK to wonder if it will help you. Let us show you that it can and does work.”

According to Schollnberger, there are a variety of therapy types that can help. Individual therapies available at military clinics include cognitive behavioral therapy, prolonged exposure therapy, or psychoanalysis. There are also group therapies, which “can be very beneficial for individuals to have an understanding that they're not alone in what they're facing and really get support from the group,” she explained.

There are other ways to learn coping … we also have virtual therapy. So, for those folks in remote locations, we do have the ability to make sure they have access to therapy as well,” she noted.

Nonmedical resources are also available and are ideal to look at or consult with if a service member or family member thinks they may need mental health help, said Navy Cmdr. Stephanie Long, a clinical and medical psychologist, U.S. Navy director for psychological health.

“I think partially because when we think about mental health and mental health care, a lot of times we think straight to the clinic or the military treatment facility and the specialty mental health care that is there, but there are tons of other resources that can still provide care,” Long said. For example, she noted, are Military and Family Life counselors and chaplains who are often trained in pastoral care.

With Military and Family Life counselors, “they’re confidential to a point just like mental health, but they have the ability to meet you where you're at on base and do not document what is discussed,” Cote said. The first step can be to ”shop around, for example, living in the National Capital Region, there are tons of resources to best fit your needs,” Cote stressed.

He noted that mental health professionals are skilled at "meeting you where you’re at on your mental health journey, coming to your level, and showing you that ‘I'm here for you while you are on this journey’ and that it is OK to not be OK.”

If you’re still unsure about which resources to try — or feeling emotional distress — Cote said “call your local mental health clinic. They will be able to help match you with the most appropriate resource.”

Available MHS mental health resources

The MHS Mental Health Hub provides a comprehensive listing of mental health services and resources available throughout the MHS. This includes options to seek care, tips from experts, and in-depth information on a variety of resources. You can connect directly to mental health support services near you with one click.

• Targeted Care. This new process connects you to the specific type of care you need after an initial evaluation — and can be an individual appointment, in-person group therapy or virtual group therapy. Targeted care is now available at many military mental health clinics.
• TRICARE covered mental health services are available through its worldwide network of civilian providers. To set up a mental health appointment through TRICARE, visit the mental health doctors and appointments page.
• Virtual care: The Defense Health Agency continues to expand mental health services available to service members at remote installations. One example is BRAVE, the DHA’s Behavioral Health Resources and Virtual Experience, provides tele-mental health services at 84 locations around the world by connecting service members with counselors through virtual sessions.
• inTransition is a confidential program that offers specialized coaching and assistance for active duty service members, National Guard and Reserve members, veterans, and retirees, who are receiving mental health or traumatic brain injury care and experiencing disruption in their lives, like a PCS (permanent change of station) move, separation, or retirement.
• The Real Warriors Campaign, a Department of War public health initiative, strives to decrease stigma, increase psychological health literacy, and encourage early mental health help-seeking behaviors in the military community.
• The Warrior Care Recovery Coordination Program, executed by the three branches of service, provides holistic care to wounded, ill, or injured service members and their families and caregivers. Recovery Care Coordinators serve as a guide through recovery, rehabilitation, and transition or reintegration by facilitating a comprehensive recovery plan. This plan covers needs associated with daily living, career, family, finances, health, legal, military issues, and spirituality.
• The Brandon Act is a law that empowers service members to receive the help they need confidentially by seeking a referral for a mental health evaluation through their commander or supervisor. This guidance helps with the process. The purpose of the Brandon Act is to reduce the stigma associated with mental health.
• Military OneSource. Service members and their families can also receive referrals to nonmedical support such as a chaplain, financial advisor, or a Military and Family Life counselor through Military OneSource, a one-stop 24/7 gateway to trusted resources, information, and confidential help. Call 800-342-9647. Military OneSource can also help with referrals such as the impact of a parent on deployment to a child’s health and happiness, or a substance abuse issue.
• CHAMP, the Uniformed Services University’s Consortium for Health and Military Performance, offers dozens of fact sheets, articles, and infographics to help you strengthen mental health and grow from adversity or crisis.
• Mobile apps are there whenever needed, providing tools for coping, monitoring your health, and managing stress.