DoD Offers Mental Health Support for Transitioning Troops
Military reassignments, deployments, retirements, and separations can be stressful. Some struggle more than others when it’s time for big life changes, a DoD program can help.
inTransition is a Military Health System (MHS) program designed to support service members by providing mental health resources, coaching, and assistance with various transitions. This includes permanent change of station (PCS) moves, returning from or preparing for deployments, transitioning from active duty to reserve component service, and preparing to leave the military.
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Support For First-Timers and Experienced Veterans
Veterans who need mental health services can use inTransition, whether they are seeking care for the first time or need to modify their existing care arrangements. It offers support to those navigating the mental healthcare system, including those seeking initial care or needing to change providers.
Enroll in inTransition by calling their 24/7 hotline, which is available from any location. Healthcare providers can also refer to inTransition.
Contact inTransition
- 800-424-7877 (within the United States)
- 800-424-4685 (toll-free outside the United States)
- 314-387-4700 (collect call from outside the United States).
- Visit inTransition online
inTransition is a Voluntary Program
Eligibility for inTransition is broad, encompassing active-duty personnel, National Guard members, Reservists, veterans, and retirees. The program explicitly states that it supports all service members and veterans, regardless of their length of service, time since discharge, or discharge status.
These services are available to all qualifying individuals, with automatic enrollment for any service member who has received mental health care within the year before retirement or separation from military service.
However, service members retain the right to decline participation.
When to Use inTransition
Military health professionals are encouraged to refer patients to inTransition in several situations, particularly when transferring service members with existing mental health conditions or concerns who are currently under care. Other circumstances that may prompt a primary health care provider to refer a service member include:
- When a patient receiving psychological health care is scheduled for a PCS or extended temporary duty assignment;
- When a patient is receiving or has received psychological health care before returning to their home station from a military treatment facility, Warrior Transition Unit, or Department of Veterans Affairs facility;
- When a patient receiving or having received psychological health treatment is separating from active duty or transitioning to VA or TRICARE
- When a patient in the reserve components is being activated and requires a transition of behavioral health care from the VA to a military treatment facility or the TRICARE network;
- When a patient receiving psychological health care is undergoing any transition from one location to another, including deployment, and does not fall into any of the categories above.
inTransition does not provide therapy or counseling directly. Instead, it serves as a bridge, connecting individuals with the appropriate care providers and resources. This can be particularly beneficial for those who are new to the mental health system or feel apprehensive about seeking help. Coaches assist clients in setting care goals, developing care plans, gaining a better understanding of mental health issues, and exploring treatment options.
The program’s services, as described on its official website, include an intake process to gather essential information about current or new healthcare providers and demographic details; telephone-based coaching sessions to support clients in maintaining their mental health care and enhancing their overall well-being.
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When You Sign Up for inTransition
When you start the program, you are assigned a dedicated one-on-one coach who maintains regular contact, typically weekly, until a care relationship is established with a mental healthcare provider.
In cases where a caller experiences a mental health crisis while utilizing inTransition phone services, the program has a protocol in place to partner with the Military Crisis Line (1-800-273-8255).
This collaboration helps callers get “promptly connected” with a counselor who can provide immediate assistance.
Are Family Members Eligible to Use inTransition?
inTransition’s services are primarily focused on military members, veterans, and other eligible individuals, but family members are also encouraged to contact the program on behalf of their military loved ones when necessary.
What to Know about inTransition
Upon enrollment in inTransition and throughout the coaching process, clients are encouraged to schedule an initial appointment with their referred care provider, if applicable.
If a new mental healthcare provider or other relevant resource has not yet been identified, inTransition coaching staff will conduct research and assist the service member or veteran in understanding the receiving organization’s transition process.
They may also offer assistance in scheduling the initial appointment once a suitable care provider has been located.
inTransition coaches are qualified professionals. They hold licenses and credentials in psychological health. They typically have a minimum of three years of post-college experience.
They possess training and/or experience in areas such as motivational interviewing, military culture, mental health issues, substance abuse, community and military resources, TRICARE options, the Early Identification Program, and the Military Health System, including Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Medical Centers, Veterans Benefits Administration Vet Centers, and no-cost community resources.
Contact inTransition
- Within the United States: 1-800-424-7877
- Outside the United States (Toll-Free): 800-424-4685
- Outside the United States (Collect Call): 314-387-4700
- Visit inTransition online
>>Never miss a military benefits update.
About the author
Editor-in-Chief Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a former reporter/editor for Air Force Television News and the Pentagon Channel. His freelance work includes contract work for Motorola, VALoans.com, and Credit Karma. He is co-founder of Dim Art House in Springfield, Illinois, and spends his non-writing time as an abstract painter, independent publisher, and occasional filmmaker.
