WHEN THE GOING IS TOUGH, GET HELP


For those like Cunningham who work with the Army’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and its parent, the Army Substance Abuse Program (ASAP), the pandemic provides an opportu- nity to better inform the Army enterprise—both within and beyond acquisition—about the availability of those programs. More importantly, the enterprise should know that help from an impartial and confidential person is available when it’s needed.


OVERCOMING STIGMA Tere’s a belief among a lot of Army civilians and military personnel that seeking counseling or other mental health care is a career-ender, said Doryan Dixon, an alcohol and drug control officer with ASAP at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.


Tat isn’t true, she said in an interview. However, there are things that counselors are bound by law to report—such as when some- one could be a danger to themselves, others or the mission. When first talking with someone looking for help, counselors will tell the client what must be reported and warn that if the client tells the counselor any of those things, they must report it.


BE PERSISTENT Te Army offers lots of benefits to both military and civilian personnel, but sometimes finding them can be more difficult than taking advantage of them. In the interest of full disclo- sure, it took a few days for anyone to reach out to Army AL&T after we called the EAP phone number listed on the Fort Belvoir garrison’s homepage and left a message in late January requesting


Stressors that affect one person may not affect another. People who live alone face deep isolation or risk their health to be with others. Families may be spending more time together than they ever have. Such are the stressors that this virus is adding to the usual.


information. Tat was because her program was short-staffed at that moment, Dixon said.


“I’m really hopeful that we could have someone on within the next two to four weeks,” she said. “But let me make sure that I clar- ify: We are providing limited services at this time. I’ve actually done intakes and follow-ups and making contacts and provid- ing referrals for physicians.” But Fort Belvoir EAP and ASAP are not presently “doing the full gamut of the program” because of the pandemic.


CRISES CAN’T WAIT


Those in crisis who need to speak to someone imme- diately can use the Military Crisis Line (go to https:// www.veteranscrisisline.net/get-help/military-crisis- line) to phone or chat. In the U.S., call 800-273-8255 and press 1. From the Military Crisis Line website:


In Europe, call 00800-1273-8255 or DSN 118. In Korea, call 0808-555-118 or DSN 118. In Afghanistan, call 001-800-273-8255 or DSN 111.


You can also use the Crisis Chat and request a call from a responder.


The Veterans Crisis Line “is a free, confidential resource available to any Veteran, even if they are not enrolled in VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] health care or registered with VA. Care does not end when the conver- sation is over. The Veterans Crisis Line can connect Veterans to their local suicide prevention coordinators, who follow up to coordinate care.”


That main number, 800-273-8255 (TALK), is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, intended for the general public. Pressing 1 takes callers to the Veterans Crisis Line, which is for both service members and veter- ans. According to the Resilience Directorate’s website, text chat is also available. Those in crisis, or with loved ones in crisis, can text 838255 to initiate a conversa- tion. The site advises limiting texts to 160 characters.


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Army AL&T Magazine


Spring 2021


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