DoD, services ramp up mental health support

[unhappycamper]

DoD, services ramp up mental health support
By Karen Jowers - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Oct 19, 2007 19:30:57 EDT

When military chaplains look into the faces of military family members, they are beginning to see “the same 100-mile stare that we’re seeing with soldiers with ,” the Army chief of chaplains said at a recent family forum. “This is a tough war, a long war.”

There are resources inside the gate and outside, “but sometimes it’s an issue of an individual who is so tired, we must walk them to the help they need,” said Maj. Gen. Doug Carter.

Military chaplains are a central element in the confidential assistance provided to families. They offer counseling as well as education on issues such as maintaining strong relationships during and after deployments.

But with multiple deployments compounding stress on families, defense and service officials have recently ramped up some other confidential counseling options for military families.

As of Sept. 15, active-duty members, mobilized reservists and their families can get free nonmedical professional consultations over the phone, said Mike Hoskins, special assistant in the Pentagon’s office of military community and family policy.

“We asked Military One Source to expand counseling to include telephonic consultation,” he said. “Some can’t make it to face-to-face sessions.”


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/10/military_mentalhealth_071019w/



uhc comment: They are at last least trying starting to tackle the PTSD problem.

[JohnnyLib2]

1. I'm in that field and can only quote old John Mitchell R from Nixon

days, "Don't watch what we say, watch what we do."