GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba -- Life in the military can be challenging. Spending months away from your family and working long days can be taxing, both physically and mentally. Without a way to blow off steam and relax, some service members can burn out quickly.
For service members deployed to Joint Task Force Guantanamo, the Joint Stress Mitigation and Restoration Team provides a venue to vent frustrations and seek help before stress becomes overwhelming.
"JSMART's primary mission is to provide 24/7 mental health services to personnel assigned to JTF-GTMO," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Joshua Kenton, JSMART officer-in-charge. "We put an emphasis on ensuring individual and unit readiness."
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Parker, lead petty officer of JSMART and a psychiatry technician, believes the department is as beneficial to a Trooper as higher education.
"People go to college to learn more about other topics," Parker said. "Why not come in to JSMART and learn something about yourself?"
Using services provided by JSMART, including anger management and informal counseling sessions, service members are able to deal with their issues in a constructive way – before the issues becomes debilitating.
"There's a lot of stress here for the guards and other members while deployed away from [home]," said Seaman Maikol Vega, psychiatry technician with JSMART. "If there's something wrong, not [getting help] can make [the problem] worse."
According to Parker, there is often a stigma associated with seeking help for mental stress. While visiting the JSMART office is the one way to seek help, there are also less formal ways to do so, too.
"You can pull me aside anywhere and we can talk or you can come in," Parker said. "It's not bad for your career; it can help."
The JSMART staff is ready to assist service members with a myriad of problems, ranging from the occupational to the domestic.
"Personally, I think that with the team we have here, there is almost no subject that we have not seen or dealt with on a personal or professional level," Parker said. "The only challenge will be helping the individual understand that no matter how overwhelming the problem, we can work on a plan to cope with it in a positive way."
| Date Taken: |
04.30.2010 |
| Date Posted: |
05.05.2010 09:59 |
| Story ID: |
49165 |
| Location: |
GUANTANAMO BAY, CU |
| Web Views: |
196 |
| Downloads: |
150 |
PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, Keeping Service members mission ready, by Zachary Harris, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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