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[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.]
Mental health professionals are not immune to the pressures associated with deployments or their care of service members and their families. Many specialists put their own advice into practice, seeking support when faced with mental health challenges.
One of the most important first steps they can take is finding someone to help ease the load. That’s the advice of Navy Cmdr. Stephanie Long, a clinical and medical psychologist who is the director for psychological health for the U.S. Navy.
Long said she found it challenging to reconnect with her family after a deployment to Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. She and her spouse discovered couples’ counseling through their local Fleet and Family Service Center that combined with resources for their toddler.
The couples’ counseling “made such a difference, because I knew what I wanted, and I knew that it was important for me to reconnect. I just didn't know exactly how to do that,” Long said. “Just a little bit ironic, given what I do, but we all need help sometimes.”
Therapy helps resolve bad experiences
Long praised her experience seeking support. “Therapy can be so helpful for folks, whether they're struggling with relationships, anxiety, depression, or trauma-related symptoms. In some ways, it forces us to confront our problems.”
“Most of us want to compartmentalize our issues. We don't want to think about our negative past experiences and problems. We want to distract ourselves or focus on career or something else,” Long said. “Therapy gives us that dedicated time and space to talk through something, to gain that awareness, that insight.”
Therapy can identify what is contributing to a mental health challenge. “Having someone guide that process helps,” said Long. “We do it together because it's not easy to figure it out on our own.”
“I think focusing efforts on strengthening true connections, and having service members supporting others can go a long way,” she said.
“I’ve seen mental health (counselors) … it’s not a secret and I’m wildly open about it,” said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jacob Cote, a mental health flight chief at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., noting that he sought care through military family life counselors and Military OneSource.
Mental health professionals are “not perfect. We all feel overwhelmed?” Cote said. “Seeking these resources has been beneficial in that I can treat my patients better now.”
Long said her own success with counseling could parallel with anyone who needs support — wherever they are in their mental health journey.
“Connection with others — true, deep, meaningful connection with others — that’s one of the things that can draw people to the service,” she said.
Long said fears of losing security clearances, not promoting, or separation from the military may hinder a service member from seeking help. However, a study from 2021 to 2023 by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency found barely 1/100th of 1% of cases resulted in security denials or revocations were due to psychological health and additional conditions.
In fact, DCSA said seeking support leads to recovery and is more likely to enhance a military career than harm it, because of the openness demonstrated by the applicant in the process.
Get help early to boost recovery
Unfortunately, some people don't seek help until they're in crisis mode, which can make recovery harder. “Not impossible,” Long said. “But it requires so much more work to intervene later versus earlier.”
“Getting help early is critical and connecting with someone is such an important protective factor against suicide,” Long said. “There's so much more opportunity to get to work on something, to improve before it becomes a crisis.”
Available Military Health System mental health resources
The MHS Mental Health Hub provides a comprehensive listing of mental health services 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 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 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.
| Date Taken: | 12.10.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 12.10.2025 13:14 |
| Story ID: | 553727 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 83 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Mental health expert: ‘We all need help sometimes’, by Janet A. Aker, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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