By Patricia Kime

Change can be hard. And for some with mental health conditions, it can be overwhelming - especially in a military environment that is often in constant flux.

Knowing that troops may have trouble transitioning from military to veteran status, relocating or deactivating after a deployment, the Department of Defense created inTransition, a support program designed to provide referrals and coaching for those needing mental health services.

The program initially was designed to ensure that active duty troops receiving mental health treatment were given a “warm hand-off” to Department of Veterans Affairs mental health providers when they left the service. Program referrals were made by military mental health providers.

But in 2014, the program was expanded to include any servicemember receiving mental health services or seeking them, if they wanted such support.

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InTransition counselors don't provide mental health care counseling themselves; they provide support and coaching to patients during circumstances when they otherwise might not have access to mental health care. Coaches provide referrals at the new location and support patients in navigating their new medical care programs and systems, according to Maj. Aimee Ruscio, USA, a psychologist with the DoD Psychological Health Center of Excellence.

“A servicemember can self-refer at any time, even if they aren't in any kind of mental health care and are wanting to engage in care, they can contact us and we will help them get connected,” Ruscio said.

Since its 2011 inception, 18,433 people have been referred or enrolled in the program and roughly 650 people a month are using the coaching service, according to Ruscio.

All coaches are master's level behavioral heath care professionals who are trained in knowing the benefits and programs available to military service members, she added.

InTransition is as important and needed now as it was when it was first conceived, Ruscio said. Research indicates that veterans are their most vulnerable to suicide during the first year of transition from service, and data show that veterans not enrolled in VA health care have a higher incidence rate of suicide, so it makes sense that the Defense Department and VA would want this type of coordination, she said.

“There's absolutely a need for this program and we're proud to be one piece of the solution,” she said.

Are you active duty, National Guard or reservist who needs access to mental health care during a transition or a military member, veteran or retiree who needs a new mental health provider or a provider for the first time? InTransition can help. Call (800) 424-7877 to enroll within the U.S. Outside the U.S., call the international toll free number, (800) 424-4685.