IWTC Monterey Sailors Employ New Tactics to Enhance Suicide Prevention

Courtesy Photo | 190612-N-XX082-0004 MONTEREY, Calif. (June 12, 2019) Information Warfare Training Command Monterey student volunteer suicide prevention training facilitators pose for a group photo. The facilitators are all students and junior Sailors at IWTC Monterey, specifically selected from within the student population to help create critical peer-to-peer dialogue. Each one was trained to facilitate these conversations by Maj. Wesley Gornall, chaplain for the Defense Language Institute. (U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Raven Lusher/Released)  

MONTEREY, CA, UNITED STATES

06.14.2019

Courtesy Story

Center for Information Warfare Training

By Seaman Nicholas Perry, Information Warfare Training Command Monterey

MONTEREY, Calif. – Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Monterey Sailors engaged in small group and peer-guided discussions over the past three weeks to enhance their approach to suicide prevention training.

Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) 1st Class Joel Kelly, IWTC Monterey’s suicide prevention coordinator, initiated the concept. Sailors gathered into small groups, each with two facilitators. These peer-led groups utilized an article recently ran by the U.S. Naval Institute titled “Navy Rethinking Suicide Prevention as Rates across Military Rise” to commence frank discussions about suicide prevention. They also shared personal experiences and lessons learned.

“The goal was to create a chance for us to have a conversation about a topic that is tough,” said Kelly. “When we do talk about suicide, it is often in a controlled setting like a lecture. It can be effective, but isn’t as effective as candidly discussing with your peers.”

The facilitators are all students and junior Sailors at IWTC Monterey, specifically selected from within the student population to help create the critical peer-to-peer dialogue. Each one was trained to facilitate these conversations by Maj. Wesley Gornall, chaplain for the Defense Language Institute (DLI). The training included strategies and techniques to build thoughtful, ethically-grounded and morally-based thoughts for discussion. Facilitators were expected to observe, interpret, and apply the topic of discussion and the content shared by the group participants. In addition, the facilitators were trained to respond effectively and sensitively while handling discussion challenges presented in their groups.

“We created an environment where they feel free to speak,” said Seaman Aubrianna Suriel, a student facilitator. “In my groups, I noticed that Sailors openly expressed their experiences with depression or suicidal thoughts. Even some of our fleet returnees shared their experiences in the Navy where their shipmates have attempted to take their lives without first seeking help.”

This interactive setting was received as a welcome alternative to traditional forms of general military training; typically dry PowerPoint briefings. IWTC Monterey Sailors appreciated the change of pace, with a relaxed but serious and open forum to discuss a difficult topic and engage with the training on a more personal level with their shipmates.

“Many Sailors I’ve talked to from other divisions said they really enjoyed it,” said Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) Seaman Shelby Sims, a recent graduate of DLI. “We felt that it was helpful and more engaging than the other forms of training.”

According to Department of Defense statistics, the 2018 rate of suicide for active duty Navy Sailors was 21 per 100,000. While the vast majority of Sailors who encounter stress, adversity and/or psychological health challenges do not die by suicide, a single shipmate lost to suicide is one too many. This initiative aims to create an action-oriented message that promotes understanding of suicide risks, encourage active dialogue about suicide and psychological health, and promote help-seeking behavior.

“I think of it like telling a sea story,” said Kelly, “We can lecture you on how a topic is important or how it can affect our shipmates, but instead we’re telling each other an actual story about how this has affected us or our shipmates. I think that brings the point home.”

Parts of the discussions were dedicated to dispelling common myths or rumors surrounding mental health in the Navy. A common myth among students from all services at DLI is that meeting with a mental health professional could jeopardize their ability to obtain the security clearance required to become a linguist. Removing these misconceptions will ensure Sailors feel more confident in seeking mental health care without the fear of negative career impacts.

The program is complete for now, having reached all students at IWTC Monterey. The amount of positive feedback about the sessions has prompted leadership to explore additional topics that can be addressed using the same peer-led discussion format, such as sexual assault prevention.

“I know we laid the foundation for something that can be easily expanded upon,” said Kelly. “We will continue to use this within the divisions to talk about a variety of topics.”

If you or someone you know needs help or someone to talk to, the following free resources are available:

Military Crisis Hotline: [phone]
Military One Source: 1(800)342-9647

IWTC Monterey, as part of the Center for Information Warfare Training, provides a continuum of foreign language training to Navy personnel, which prepares them to conduct information warfare across the full spectrum of military operations.

With four schoolhouse commands, two detachments, and training sites throughout the United States and Japan, CIWT is recognized as Naval Education and Training Command’s top learning center for the past three years. Training over 21,000 students every year, CIWT delivers trained information warfare professionals to the Navy and joint services. CIWT also offers more than 200 courses for cryptologic technicians, intelligence specialists, information systems technicians, electronics technicians, and officers in the information warfare community.

For more on Information Warfare Training Command Monterey, visit http://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/ciwt/IWTCmonterey/ and http://www.monterey.army.mil/Service_Units/IWTC_Monterey.html, or find them on Facebook.

For more news from the Center for Information Warfare Training, visit www.navy.mil/local/cid/, http://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/ciwt/, http://www.facebook.com/NavyCIWT, or http://www.twitter.com/NavyCIWT.

• Date Taken: 06.14.2019
• Date Posted: 06.15.2019 03:55
• Story ID: 327686
• Location: MONTEREY, CA, US