{"id":45031,"date":"2023-03-01T02:08:57","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T02:08:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/03\/01\/navy-issues-new-playbook-for-addressing-sailors-mental-health-needs\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:58:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:58:38","slug":"navy-issues-new-playbook-for-addressing-sailors-mental-health-needs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2023\/03\/01\/navy-issues-new-playbook-for-addressing-sailors-mental-health-needs\/","title":{"rendered":"Navy issues new \u2018playbook\u2019 for addressing sailors\u2019 mental health needs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Navy released a \u201cMental Health Playbook\u201d Tuesday that aims to facilitate mental health conversations<\/a> between commanders and their sailors and eliminate the oft-perceived stigma associated with seeking help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis playbook is designed to assist Navy leaders in preventing, mitigating or addressing mental health issues within your commands,\u201d it states. \u201cThis work begins well before a mental health issue occurs. It starts with the climate our leaders create and how you lead the people in your care.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To that end, it delineates three roles expected of every leader, from the deckplate to the command triad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2666 It requires leaders to set conditions by creating a \u201cclimate of trust and respect with open, two-way communication; challenging inappropriate conduct or poor leadership; and eliminating stigma for seeking help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2666 It encourages them to use empathy and have conversations that go beyond professional performance; engage in active listening during challenging conversations<\/a>; to be on the lookout for behavior changes, and to consult with chaplains and clinicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2666 It creates an expectation that leaders will help their sailors get care, if needed, and keep them on the team. It also provides guidance on ways to connect sailors with available mental health resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effort to address sailors\u2019 mental health issues comes following a series of suicides last year aboard the aircraft carrier George Washington. Simply hiring more mental health providers<\/a> is not a realistic option, given the nationwide shortage of such professionals. Leaders, at all levels, must be willing to step up, according to the Navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Navy\u2019s Mental Health Playbook, February 2023<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re aware of the challenges that many have experienced in getting sailors to the mental health resources available to them,\u201d Rear Adm. Brett Mietus, director of the Navy Culture and Force Resilience Office, told reporters Monday. The playbook is \u201ca solution to addressing some of these challenges, putting tools in the hands of every Navy leader, no matter the rank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur goal is that everyone in our great Navy develops a shared understanding about how to conduct mental health preventative maintenance for our people, and then where to go for additional resources,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018Rooted in our culture\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The playbook directly addresses the stigma that can be attached to seeking help with mental health issues in the military, and urges leaders to \u201cuse appropriate language that does not stigmatize\u201d and to refrain from becoming judgmental as these conversations become more normalized.<\/p>\n\n\n\t