Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Adelola Tinubu | 190329-N-RQ450-0070 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Mar. 29, 2019) Anissa Peoples, a deployed...... read more read more
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“I look at behavioral health like a closet. If you stuck a bunch of stuff in your closet and you never cleaned it out, it’s always there. One day, you’re going to open up the door and it’s all going to come flying out at you. The problem is that nobody thinks you should have an organized closet and nobody cares about that organized closet because they think it’s a luxury.”
Anissa Peoples, a deployed resiliency counselor, has been working with military personnel for 20 years and has been aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) for just over a year. She has a master’s degree in counseling and rehabilitation, and has worked with the Veterans Administration, Marines and Sailors.
Harry S. Truman came back from deployment in December 2018 and is back out to sea for a sustainment exercise in order to maintain qualifications in preparation for future operations.
“I think it’s important to have a resiliency counselor aboard because of the stressful environment we are in while deployed,” said Legalman 2nd Class Faith Guidry-Jackson, who met Peoples during a coping course. “It’s great to know there is someone there to talk to, besides someone in the military. It’s like a piece of home away from home.”
Although Sailors have a busy schedule while deployed, Peoples encourages them to take time for themselves to organize their thoughts and feelings.
“Sometimes you just need to have somebody help you understand it’s normal to have a bad day,” said Peoples. “Everybody gets angry.”
Peoples expressed her concern that Sailors think something is wrong with them when they’re having normal emotions, because behavioral health is not normalized.
“When I first checked aboard in 2017, I wasn’t aware of a resiliency counselor aboard,” said Personnel Specialist 3rd Class Junito Rodriguez. “I wish I had someone to talk to about the adjustment issues I was experiencing in my shop as well as on the ship.”
Behavioral health is so significant, but Sailors tend to ignore their feelings and deny themselves the help they need, said Peoples.
“When you have an emotional reaction to something, things happen to your body. And the reason this stuff is just completely dismissed is because its behavioral health; it’s all in your mind,” said Peoples. “That concept has got to be debunked.”
Sailors may enjoy and appreciate having a space where they can talk freely about their feelings without repercussions.
“Now I feel like I have someone that I can openly express myself to without fear of reprisal,” said Rodriguez. “Sometimes you need someone to take you outside of the military mindset, and speak to you as a human being beyond being a Sailor.”
Peoples explained that developing coping mechanisms during times of stress and exhaustion can sometimes be the remedy to a restless mind.
“Things that somebody would normally do to cope, like sleep regularly, eat a favorite food and have a work-life balance, aren’t always possible,” said Peoples. “So, what you have to do is pick and choose. Maybe one day you get an extra hour of sleep, and one day you get to do something you enjoy.”
Peoples encourages Sailors to pick up healthy coping habits like finding time to go outside, maintaining contact with friends and family and finding a mentor on the ship.
“Personally, she taught me about myself,” said Guidry. “She taught us all about our different personalities and temperaments, which then gave me insight on how I interact with fellow Sailors aboard and in the work place. Overall, this helped me to work better with the people around me which led to a better work environment and made it an easier deployment.”
Peoples expressed her enthusiasm about being a point-of-contact for Sailors aboard Truman and said she is always ready to talk to someone in need.
“She’s really a people-person,” said Rodriguez. “Her character is inviting and she creates a trustworthy environment. Most importantly, she listens to you.”
Making an appointment with the deployed resiliency counselor is an informal process, open to every Sailor.
“Talk to me, I’m walking around the ship all the time,” said Peoples. “You don’t have to come to medical to see me. You simply just have to say ‘hey, can I talk to you for a minute?’ There’s absolutely no reason not to. I’m here to help.”
Truman is participating in a sustainment exercise, an integrated, comprehensive exercise designed to ensure the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is ready to meet all mission sets and carry out sustained combat operations from the sea. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/USSTruman or www.navy.mil/local/cvn75/.
| Date Taken: | 03.30.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 03.30.2019 15:22 |
| Story ID: | 316303 |
| Location: | NY, US |
| Web Views: | 493 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Resiliency Underway, by PO2 Adelola Tinubu, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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