Mental health offering transitional assistance

  • Published
  • By Steve Pivnick
  • 81st Medical Group
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Keesler Medical Center mental health providers offer assistance to military members who are involved in a variety of transitional situations.

Capt. Daniel Jacobson, a psychologist with the 81st Medical Operations Squadron
Mental Health Flight, said under the InTransition Program, the flight staff helps those returning from deployment; transitioning to or from active duty; service members separating from the military or temporarily relocating; wounded warriors transitioning back home following care at military treatment facilities, VA facilities or warrior transition units; and those changing health-care systems or providers due to a permanent change of station.

According to the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE), which manages the program and its support coaches, "InTransition is a voluntary program providing be¬havioral health-care support to service members and veterans as they move between health-care systems or providers. Personal coaches, along with resources and tools, assist service members during the transition period, empower them to make healthy life choices and are available 24/7 via toll-free calls. Family members are also encouraged to call the program to find out how their service member can get started with inTransition."

Information provided by the DCoE said the Defense Department developed the program in re¬sponse to its Mental Health Task Force recommenda¬tion to 'maintain continuity of care across transitions' for service members and veterans."

The Keesler mental health staff recently received an introduction to the InTransition Program during a teleconference with a member of the DCoE staff. Jacobson explained the session provided information about how Keesler providers can access the program's services.

"The mental health staff offers basic counseling and life-coaching service to help patients better manage transitions in life."

Jacobson added, "All providers can refer to these services when a patient mentions they are in a transition situation."