Psychological Health Program

The Psychological Health Program was designed to address the unique challenges that National Guard members face. Its mission is to support the psychological fitness of Guard members and their families for operational readiness. Whether you’re dealing with stress, work or family issues, the Psychological Health Program can help.

The Psychological Health Program supports National Guard members and their families with any psychological health need. Psychological health directors in each state are also able to respond to training requests and critical incidents, and provide unit briefings and consultations.

Use the lookup function below to type in your state and search for the Psychological Health Program near you.

The Psychological Health Program aims to help National Guard members readjust to civilian life by managing professional services and overseeing their mental health needs. The program also supports National Guard senior management on state-specific mental health needs, helps address issues with health care and provides National Guard-oriented mental health training throughout the deployment cycle.

Services are tailored to individual needs and include assessment, referral and resource identification. Services that address longer term or more complex problems will also receive support through the appropriate health care provider.

The Psychological Health Program addresses challenges unique to National Guard members and their families, such as living far from military treatment facilities. Most Guard members train once a month in a small unit that does not have embedded mental health workers and must rely on community resources to assist them in their readjustment.

All care is received through TRICARE, Veterans Health Administration and private health insurance through a Guard member’s or spouse’s civilian employer.

Get answers to questions about the Psychological Health Program.

Service members have access to several programs that support their well-being.

National Guard members may weather a number of unique challenges related to their military service, including difficult duty assignments, long separations from loved ones, combat stress, physical injuries and others. Many service members also contend with issues at home that may affect their families, jobs and local communities.

By identifying fitness areas and learning valuable skills to improve and maintain them, service members are better able to cope with stress, navigate life changes with greater ease and be proactive in preserving overall resiliency.

These fitness areas are known as the “Pillars of Wellness.” Click on each pillar below for more information and learn about skills you can develop to assist you on your path to overall fitness.

The need for spiritual wellness is often downplayed as less important than emotional, physical or social wellness, but vital to the overall wellness of every service member in the National Guard is a sense of hope and belonging — of purpose.

Signs of spiritual distress

• Loss of direction
• Sense of emptiness/feeling alone in the world
• Hopelessness and helplessness
• Withdrawal from family and friends
• Self-destructive language
• Bitter or jaded outlook on life
• Fearfulness, dissociation
• Anger at God/higher power

Tips for improving spiritual wellness

• Find some “quiet time.” It’s easy to feel encumbered at the end of a long day, especially for service members experiencing stressors related to deployment or managing the balance between military and civilian life. Fit some quiet time into your day to recharge your inner battery, where you can observe the present moment, pray or read something uplifting.
• Say something. Preferably out loud. Many faiths believe you can shape your world by speaking aloud the world you want to manifest. In psychology, the same idea is behind the recitation of affirmations. For many religions, it is achieved through prayer, chanting, liturgy and singing among other audible modes of expression. Whatever you believe, speaking your intentions out loud can change your thoughts and ultimately affect your life.
• Ask the big questions. “What am I doing here?” “What does it all mean?” The quest for greater truth begins with big questions, and you’re not only allowed to ask, you’re allowed to answer. Contemplating the meaning of life and seeking your greater purpose teaches the importance of the present moment and opens you to the infinite possibilities that lie ahead in your life.
• Find out what you believe. Determining a set of values begins with discovering what’s important to you. Is tolerance important? Is it important to defend those who cannot defend themselves? Is love important above all things? Defining your values gives you a framework to live by — and it’s important to revisit them from time to time to see if they’ve changed.
• Be true to yourself. Living authentically can offer tremendous benefits. When you honor your true self, you are stronger in adversity, a better leader to your peers and reap the added benefit of a clear conscience. Best of all, your confidence will rub off on your friends.

Transition Assistance
Learn about the benefits, resources and information available to help you transition to civilian life.

National Guard Employment Support
Learn about Joining Community Forces, a community outreach program connecting service providers to local resources.