Tele-Health Mental Health Support for Airmen/Navy and their families (Focus Area 18, Joint Navy/Air Force)

Personal relationships and the support of real humans are key components to mental health. For Airmen, the very nature of the Mission makes these connections a challenge. In addition to everyday life, dealing with frequent temporary duty trips, ever-lurking deployments and permanent reassignments from one end of the globe to the next can be both physically and mentally taxing for service members. Often separated from family and social support systems, Airmen encounter various stressors throughout their career. The stigma of seeking mental health support impacts an Airman's choice to get help with areas they struggle, or to found resources to improve their ability to manage the intrinsically stressful life of service.  Airmen who do find the support of a mental health professional loose that safety net each time they are deployed, reassigned, or moved.  Finally, many Airmen simple live or work a long distance from mental health options.  We solve for each of these barriers by offering remote, interactive mental health services via a secure connection on a Airman's smartphone, tablet, or computer. An airman can find a counselor who is available based on that Airman's availability, and conduct sessions on the members smartphone via secure video call, or secure chat.