Our
Mission
The mission of the National Guard Psychological Health Program is to advocate, promote,
and guide National Guard members and their families by supporting psychological
fitness for operational readiness.
Our Vision
To honor the commitment our nation has made to protect the American people by ensuring
the National Guard’s soldiers and airmen have the resources and ability to master
psychological health challenges in their lives.
Meet the Psychological Health Program Team
Program Goals
The Psychological Health Program aims to:
- Provide high-quality services that are National Guard member specific; friendly
and comprehensive, while typically increasing state/territory utilization rates
to promote National Guard member readiness
- Assist National Guard program managers and supervisors to improve a National Guard
member’s readjustment to civilian life by managing professional services and/or
overseeing an individual’s mental health needs.
- Provide consultation and support to help address organizational and individual health
care situations, which have a detrimental effect on the National Guard member’s
reintegration to civilian life.
- Offer consultative guidance and support to state and territory National Guard senior
management on state specific mental health needs based on Guard member demographics
and mental health status.
- Provide National Guard oriented mental health training throughout the full spectrum
of the deployment cycle.
Services will be offered in every state and territory and are tailored and delivered
according to the needs of each individual through various combinations of psychological
health resource identification, communication of applicable benefits and other counseling
services within the State and military system framework. Initial contact will have
a greater emphasis on assessment, referral, and resource identification; for example,
connecting the National Guard member or family member with a confirmed appointment
or other mental health resource. Services that address longer term or more complex
problems will also receive support through to the appropriate health care provider.
Challenges We Address
The Psychological Health Program was designed to address the unique challenges that
National Guard members face:
- National Guard armories and wings are community-based and seldom within the catchment
area of military treatment facilities.
- All care is received externally received thru TRICARE, Veterans Health Administration
(VA) and private health insurance provided through a Guard’s member’s or spouse’s
civilian employer.
- National Guard members live the life of a civilian prior to and following deployment;
most train once a month in a small unit that does not have embedded mental health
workers; they must rely on community resources to assist them in their readjustment.
- We recognize that Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),
mental and emotional disorders, alcoholism and/or other drug abuse are treatable
conditions. Anyone suffering from these conditions should receive assistance.
Services are available to individual National Guard members to help with the resolution of personal
problems, and enhance the ability to balance and manage both work and other life
responsibilities, improve operational readiness, and civilian work performance.