MSP Addresses Increased Numbers and Treatment Barriers

Twelve thousand Connecticut soldiers have served in Afghanistan and Iraq since both operations commenced. Standing behind each soldier are family and friends.

“The term family members, it’s a very loose interpretation. It can be their in-laws, their best friends, it can be a neighbor that saw this person grow up and is now concerned about them.” said Fran Simcic, community clinician with Connecticut’s Military Support Group.

Multiple deployments have now become an established practice. Within the Connecticut National Guard, 4,500 reserve soldiers have deployed.

Large numbers of Connecticut soldiers being deployed have shown increases in soldier, family and friends needs. Connecticut had to implement additional programs to combat the increase need for assistance in military families and friends.

The Connecticut National Guard Family Program Office has services dedicated to helping soldiers, families and friends. The mission of the program is to “establish and facilitate ongoing communication, involvement, support, and recognition between National Guard families and the National Guard in a partnership that promotes the best in both.”

Melissa Tetro, Family Programs Specialist, coordinates the Family Program Office at the William A. O’Neill Armory in Hartford, Conn. “We are actually an information and referral agency. Are main thing is that we are not subject matter experts we refer a lot of people to people who can help them.”

Tetro refers clients to a variety of programs. The National Guard offers counseling options like the Family Readiness Group, Military One Source, Child and Youth Program, Military Support Program, Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program, VET Centers, and Chaplin Services.

“Our counseling program has gotten huge. We’ve grown tremendously” Said Tetro. With large numbers of soldiers, families and friends to accommodate, the Family Program Office uses outside counseling services to assist the large number of clients.

Simcic said, “The legislature in their wisdom felt that the National Guard and the reservists would be such a high number that the VA in West Haven would not be able to handle them.”

In 2006 the Connecticut Legislature created the Military Support Program. Simcic said, “We work very closely with the National Guard leadership as well as the Vet Center and the VA Medical Centers. It is really a collaboration of efforts to get treatment for the soldiers and their family members.”

It became apparent that along with the large increase in volume of calls, there was a stigma associated with receiving mental health care. The Military Support Program addresses the increase need for services and attempts to eliminate the stigma associated with mental health care.

A study done by the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Additive Services, DMHAS, showed that Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are twice as likely to perceive a stigma and increased barriers to receiving care.

Simcic said, “Some of the soldiers’ wouldn’t want to access treatment at the VA. They would want to get it from an independent clinician that wasn’t affiliated with the state. Preserve the confidentiality as well as the concern of the effects of the treatment, if it would negatively impact their careers.”

The Military Support Program contacted local clinicians who were previously affiliated with government agencies. The 235 independent clinicians who responded became the backbone of the Military Support Program. Simcic said, “We call them clinicians but they range from psychologists psychiatrists, marriage services as well as clinical social workers.”

The program allows clients to receive mental health care without having to disclose the treatment to family or friends. For those clients who may need assistance with payments, the Military Support Program has a fund to assist clients.

Simcic said, “If they have private insurance we actually encourage them to use their own primary insurance so that our resources go a lot further. A lot of times they don’t have insurance or they don’t want their insurance carrier to know they are getting clinical services, behavioral health services. So those are the reasons why we would use the program even if they have private insurance.”

Working as a call referral center Simcic said, “I get all the demographic information from the caller and ascertain what their needs as far as the clinical intervention they need. And I match the person with three clinicians in our panel that have that expertise and specialty.”

The Military Support Program functions as a short-term intervention program. Every participant is allotted 15 sessions. For some clients there is a need beyond the number of sessions permitted.

Simcic said, “If there is someone who might have a long term clinician need, someone who might suffer from PTSD, TBI, we can help those callers. What we have to do is to transition them to a longer term program that they would need on an ongoing basis.”

The difference between the National Guard Programs and the Military Support Program is the level of disclosure that is required to participate. State-run programs can require higher levels of disclosure.

The Military Support Program strives to keep their clients treatment as confidential as the client would like. Simcic explained, “They also get what’s called an authorization screen number, which is like a pin number for banking which provides confidentiality for them so people don’t have any information regarding them accessing any kind of behavioral health services.”

Results of the study done by DMHAS showed soldiers and family members would be more likely to utilize mental health services if they were easier to access.

Simcic said, “The VA had traditional hours 8-4 and 9-5, and they were looking for clinicians that had evening hours and in some cases, actually most cases, weekend hours available for clinician services.”

The clinicians who are apart of the program have donated their time to aid soldiers and their families on weekends and after their regular business hours.

Simcic said, “The clinicians are well versed in military culture, the clinicians want to make a difference. They are reaching out to help out this population and it’s a real win-win program for everyone involved. I feel like we are making a big difference.”








Vignette: Family Readiness Group (1-800-858-2677)

The Family Program oversees the Family Readiness Groups, which are in place in most of Connecticut’s National Guard companies. Michelle Niewiarowski has been the FRG leader of the 248th Engineering Battalion since November of 2008.

Niewiarowski said, “I focus on building unity within the FRG members and the soldiers. If and when a deployment occurs I would function as a large extended family, working through it together and providing support.”

The goal of the FRG groups is to facilitate and create a community within the unit of soldiers. The leaders look to create a strong system of support and reduce social isolation. During a deployment the FRG leaders play a significant role in keeping families of deployed soldiers’ briefed.

Niewiarowski said, “I have regular contact with the Unit's Commander and he briefs me of any updates with this topic, I pass any information along to the FRG members.”

The FRG looks to bring together the families of deployed soldiers during all stages of the deployment while enhancing a feeling of belonging, self-esteem, self-control and support.


Vignette: Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program

The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program looks to aid families and soldiers throughout the deployment cycle. Tetro said, “We are here for them at all times. The deployment cycle is pre-deployment and post deployment so we are here to assist them in anyway we can no matter what time.”

Created by The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 08, the program has three phases, pre-deployment, deployment and post-deployment. All Yellow Ribbon Events are mandatory for service member.

The Pre-Deployment events include:

365 Days Prior to Mobilization: “Service members will be required to attend Soldier and Family Briefings. This is a full day event that will cover Education, Military Pay, the Military Support Program, the Deployment Cycle, the Judge Advocate General, State Benefits, TRICARE, Dealing with the Media, Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, the Family Program Office, the Child and Youth Program, Casualty Notification, Transition Assistance, Military One Source, and Operational Security. This event is mandatory for all service members and their family members are invited and highly encouraged to attend.”

90 Days Prior to Mobilization: “Services members will be required to attend another day of Soldier and Family Briefings. The information covered at this event will be the same information that was covered at the 365 days prior to mobilization event. Again, this event is mandatory for all service members and their families will be invited and highly encouraged to attend.”

During deployment monthly meeting and seminars are held by the FRG and the Child and Youth Programs to aid families while their soldiers are deployed.

Upon returning to Connecticut the company enters the Post-Deployment phase

The Post-Deployment event include:

Demobilization: “Once returned to Connecticut, service members will be required to attend a two day demobilization program. During this two day process, soldiers will attend one day of briefings and one day of Reverse Soldier Readiness Processing stations.”

14 Day Call: “14 days after the service member returns, the Family Program will call each primary point of contact to see how reintegration is going. The Rear detachment will be connecting with each service member.”

30 Days Post Mobilization and 60 Day Post Mobilization: “Service members will be required to attend a one day training event that will include workshops on Marriage Enrichment, Reconnecting with your Children and Single Soldier Readjustment. They will also have the opportunity to meet with service providers to ask any questions. The Child and Youth Program will hold a program concurrently for children ages 3-18 and family members are also encouraged to attend."

90 Days Post Mobilization: “Service members will go through a medical screening (TD and PDHRA), have one on one counseling with Vet Center staff and participate in the unit’s Freedom Salute Ceremony. This ceremony will honor the men and women who served and acknowledge the sacrifices they have made.”

180 Day Check: “180 days after the unit has returned from combat, each service member will attend one last day of briefings that is connected to their deployment. During this drill, the service member will be re-evaluated and be able to follow up with any concerns that they are having. This will include a follow up on their Post Deployment Health Reassessment, a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder brief, a medical readiness evaluation and a VA counseling follow up.”

*All quotes taken from National Guard literature outlining the Yellow Ribbon Readiness Program

Vignette: Literature on Counseling Options with Family Program Office

CT Military Support Program: 1-866-251-2913
www.ct.gov/msp
Free, confidential counseling services for spouses, significant others, children, parents, grandparents, and siblings. They are able to provide referrals to a counselor in your area for: relationship and family issues; depression, stress and anxiety; child and youth issues; and substance abuse.

Military One Source: 1-800-342-9647
www.militaryonesource.com
Military One Source provides service members and their dependents with master’s level consultants to provide support on relationship issues, deployment and reunion, preparing for a new baby, or buying a car. This service is offered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and is at no cost to you or your family. Military One Source will provide a customized, confidential response via a private consultation in person or over the phone.

Military and Family Life Consultants: 1-888-755-9355
Solider and Family Life Consultants is an Army program designed to provide anonymous, confidential support to Soldiers and their family members, especially those returning from deployments. This program serves active duty and mobilized National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers and their families. This service is free and confidential.

TRICARE North: 1-877-874-2273,
www.hnfs.net/common/home/ or www.mytricare.com
TRICARE is the Health Insurance Company that National Guard service members are enrolled in while assigned to active duty for more then 30 consecutive days. Service members may enroll their dependents prior to deployment. Please call 1-877-874-2273 to find a participating health care provider in your area.

Chaplain Referrals: 24 Hour Chaplain Hotline: 860-694-3777
For those families wishing for spiritual support and guidance, please call the Chaplain hotline.

VET Centers:
Norwich: 860-887-1755, West Haven: 203-932-9899, Wethersfield: 860-563-2320
Vet Centers provide readjustment counseling and outreach services to all veterans who served in a combat zone. Services are also available for their family members for military related issues. Veterans have earned these benefits through their service and all are provided at no cost to the veteran or family.

Family Readiness Group Support: 1-800-858-2677
Family and friends of deployed service members are invited to join Family Readiness Groups to gain support and establish relationships with other family and friends who are experiencing deployment too. FRG meetings are held monthly throughout the state of Connecticut. Please call the main office to find a location that works best for you.