Practically Speaking: Behind the Episode - Special Considerations for Working With Guard/Reserve Service Members
Have you ever been curious about working with the National Guard or Reserves? Not entirely sure what service in the Guard or Reserves entails? Maybe have some questions about how you can best serve this population? Well are YOU in luck! In this not-to-miss episode of Practical for your Practice, we sat down with CDP’s own Jennifer Nevers who not only serves as an integral team member of CDP’s Star Behavioral Health Providers Program (SBHP) that aims to expand the availability of high-quality behavioral health services, especially for those in the reserve components BUT Jennifer is also a Major in the Indiana Army National Guard serving as a Behavioral Health Officer (BHO). Jennifer shares her “WHY” with us, both why she chose to join the National Guard as well as why she’s passionate about improving access and quality of care for this population.
Listen to the full discussion here: Special Considerations for Working With Guard/Reserve Service Members
There are over 770,000 selected reserve members who serve in the Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, and Coast Guard Reserve (Source: 2022 Demographics Profile of the Military Community, Department of Defense). The selected reserve are considered “part-time” military compared to those on active duty and navigate engaging in both a civilian and military career. While there are many benefits of reserve service such as the ability to stay rooted in a community while serving one’s country, diversity of experiences within a career (or ability to explore a different career), education benefits, additional pay (drill, bonuses), low-cost healthcare and retirement pay, there are also a myriad of challenges that this crucial component of our military face to include balancing the demands of their military and civilian career, the expectation and desire to maintain operational readiness, difficulties accessing military services and supports, less “eyes on” to check on unit members and frequent deployments, many or which might fall outside of our preconceived notion of what that experience entails as Nevers explains:
“One of the things that I think we can oftentimes overlook is the fact that even if someone hasn't had perhaps a combat deployment or a deployment as we would typically define it, outside of the continental United States, National Guard deploys and mobilizes frequently within the continental United States. And those missions can be life-threatening. Those missions can be traumatic. And those experiences can shape that person just the same as those other types of deployments and things that we give a lot of visibility to. And so recognizing that part of it, not ignoring that potential to have those traumatic events, even if they haven't had that typical service experience that would make you believe that they may have PTSD or have those combat or military traumatic experiences.”
Nevers goes on to offer some helpful suggestions when providing behavioral healthcare to someone serving in the Guard or Reserves (and their family) as we discuss nuances of the Selected Reserve military culture, good to ask questions, as well as resources to support providers to more effectively work with this population, such as the SBHP program. So take a listen to hear more about the unique opportunities and challenges of serving in the reserve component as well as actionable intel to strengthen the work YOU do with this important population.
Listen to the full discussion here: Special Considerations for Working With Guard/Reserve Service Members
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.
Jenna Ermold, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist working as the Associate Director of Online Training, Technology and Telehealth for the Center for Deployment Psychology at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland.
Have you ever been curious about working with the National Guard or Reserves? Not entirely sure what service in the Guard or Reserves entails? Maybe have some questions about how you can best serve this population? Well are YOU in luck! In this not-to-miss episode of Practical for your Practice, we sat down with CDP’s own Jennifer Nevers who not only serves as an integral team member of CDP’s Star Behavioral Health Providers Program (SBHP) that aims to expand the availability of high-quality behavioral health services, especially for those in the reserve components BUT Jennifer is also a Major in the Indiana Army National Guard serving as a Behavioral Health Officer (BHO). Jennifer shares her “WHY” with us, both why she chose to join the National Guard as well as why she’s passionate about improving access and quality of care for this population.
Listen to the full discussion here: Special Considerations for Working With Guard/Reserve Service Members
There are over 770,000 selected reserve members who serve in the Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, and Coast Guard Reserve (Source: 2022 Demographics Profile of the Military Community, Department of Defense). The selected reserve are considered “part-time” military compared to those on active duty and navigate engaging in both a civilian and military career. While there are many benefits of reserve service such as the ability to stay rooted in a community while serving one’s country, diversity of experiences within a career (or ability to explore a different career), education benefits, additional pay (drill, bonuses), low-cost healthcare and retirement pay, there are also a myriad of challenges that this crucial component of our military face to include balancing the demands of their military and civilian career, the expectation and desire to maintain operational readiness, difficulties accessing military services and supports, less “eyes on” to check on unit members and frequent deployments, many or which might fall outside of our preconceived notion of what that experience entails as Nevers explains:
“One of the things that I think we can oftentimes overlook is the fact that even if someone hasn't had perhaps a combat deployment or a deployment as we would typically define it, outside of the continental United States, National Guard deploys and mobilizes frequently within the continental United States. And those missions can be life-threatening. Those missions can be traumatic. And those experiences can shape that person just the same as those other types of deployments and things that we give a lot of visibility to. And so recognizing that part of it, not ignoring that potential to have those traumatic events, even if they haven't had that typical service experience that would make you believe that they may have PTSD or have those combat or military traumatic experiences.”
Nevers goes on to offer some helpful suggestions when providing behavioral healthcare to someone serving in the Guard or Reserves (and their family) as we discuss nuances of the Selected Reserve military culture, good to ask questions, as well as resources to support providers to more effectively work with this population, such as the SBHP program. So take a listen to hear more about the unique opportunities and challenges of serving in the reserve component as well as actionable intel to strengthen the work YOU do with this important population.
Listen to the full discussion here: Special Considerations for Working With Guard/Reserve Service Members
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.
Jenna Ermold, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist working as the Associate Director of Online Training, Technology and Telehealth for the Center for Deployment Psychology at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland.