Army Reserve leadership fights stigma attached to seeking help

Photo By Capt. Olivia Cobiskey-Haftmann | Lt. Gen. Jeffrey W. Talley, chief of the Army Reserve and commanding general of Army Reserve Command and Barbara Van Dahlen, Ph.D., founder and president of Give an Hour sign a Memorandum of Understanding at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va., July 29. Through this partnership, Give an Hour and the Army Reserve Private Public Partnership Office (P3O) will work to increase awareness of available services and to recruit additional service providers to build the capacity of the Give an Hour network. Additionally, Give an Hour and the Army Reserve will continue to address the stigma associated with using mental health services by leading education, training and outreach efforts in military communities.  

UNITED STATES

07.29.2015

Story by Capt. Olivia Cobiskey-Haftmann 

Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs           

JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. – The mental and emotional health of Army Reserve Soldiers and their family members continue to be a priority, said Lt. Gen. Jeffrey W. Talley, chief of the Army Reserve and commanding general of Army Reserve Command.

“After over a decade of conflict there are daily reminders of the struggles that our Soldiers and family members encounter,” said Talley, during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Give an Hour, a non-profit network of licensed mental health professionals who will provide complimentary counseling services to Army Reserve Soldiers, families and veterans, July 29.

Through this partnership, Give an Hour and the Army Reserve Private Public Partnership Office will work to increase awareness of available services while continuing to reduce the stigma associated with using mental health services. They will do this by leading education, training, and outreach efforts in military communities.

“Partnerships with organizations that support physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual readiness provide alternative means to enable our Soldiers to reach out during times of difficulty, building a more resilient force,” said Erin Thede, director of the Army Reserve Private Public Partnership (P3).

According to Thede, these partnerships empower and encourage Soldiers, civilians, and their Family members to increase their readiness and resiliency, while providing training, tools, and resources to improve their overall health.

Col. Adam L. Rocke, special assistant to the chief of staff of the Army and director, Soldier for Life Program, agreed a resilient Reserve Soldier makes a resilient employee.

“Through private public partnerships, communities understand the value of veterans,” said Rocke. “This is beneficial to both the Soldier and the community: not only do Soldiers, veterans and their families feel comfortable and embraced by their neighbors and employers, they step up and continue to serve and lead as the professionals the Army trained them to be, bettering the systems around them.”

The Army Reserve’s partnership with Give an Hour will provide Army Reserve leaders access to a nationwide network of individuals to establish a culture free of stigma and encourage help-seeking behavior utilizing P3 resources.

Give an Hour providers are psychiatrists, substance abuse counselors, psychologists, pastoral counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, psychiatric nurses, and licensed mental health counselors. They are available throughout the nation to provide free counseling to active duty, National Guard, Army Reserve members, and veterans. Give an Hour also offers free services to parents, siblings, unmarried partners, and grandparents.

“We’ve found that working with strategic partners is critical in ensuring the successful reintegration of military families back into their communities,” says Barbara Van Dahlen, Ph.D., founder and president of Give an Hour.

In addition to direct counseling services, the partnership will work with the Army Reserve to provide training and education on the psychological and emotional issues affecting soldiers and their families

Dahlen said teaching Army Reserve Soldiers the signs that indicate that someone close to them is suffering emotionally is key.

“Those men and women are going to become ambassadors in their communities, they’re going to teach those signs to the kids they coach, they’re going to teach them to their co-workers, they’re going to see when people around them are in need: their battle buddies, their family members, members of the community they live in,” Dahlen said. “So, once again our military will lead the way as we change the culture of mental health in America.”

• Date Taken: 07.29.2015
• Date Posted: 08.02.2015 22:51
• Story ID: 171899
• Location: US