Everyone who joins the Navy joins with intentions of having a successful career and serving honorably, whether that is for one enlistment or for a 20-year career.

However, this plan does not come to fruition for some, when instead they go down the wrong path - one that leads to legal problems and less-than-honorable discharges.

Facing these issues can be extremely difficult. Research has shown that those facing legal problems are more prone to experiencing stress and mental health symptoms, like depression and anxiety and even the risk of suicide. To combat these issues, the Service Member Justice Outreach Program was created.

The Service Member Justice Outreach program is currently in its pilot phase, and the Mental Health Department at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth is hosting the program for the Navy, which was chosen for the large number of personnel stationed in Southeastern Virginia. The other two program sites are at Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.

SMJOP was designed to ensure service members are screened and receive mental health support services as needed. The program also helps ensure a smooth transition to civilian life, including transition to receiving health care through a civilian facility or Veterans Affairs.

Each pilot site has an assigned social worker; which for NMCP is Susan "Willow" Gallenz, a licensed clinical social worker.

"The SMJOP was initially developed based on a VA/DoD Mental Health Summit held in 2009," Gallenz said. "At that meeting, service members facing disciplinary action that could lead to separation from the military were identified as a population at higher risk for mental health problems whose needs were not being adequately met. The Task Force recommended a DoD-wide policy to ensure a 'chain of care' for service members facing disciplinary action."

According to Gallenz, the SMJOP is based on the Veterans Justice Outreach Program, which is a program that was developed to work with veterans faced with legal issues related to mental health and substance abuse issues.

Midway through the first year of the program, SMJOP was opened to other service members being administratively separated for non-legal cases, such as Physical Fitness Assessment and Substance Abuse Rehabilitation Program failures.

With the SMJOP currently more than halfway through the two-year pilot phase, the interim report completed in August is proving the program to be successful.

"Clinical outcome measures completed by members participating in the pilot have shown significant overall improvement, Gallenz said. "The project has also been shown to improve knowledge about available mental health resources. Given that most of the service members seen by this program will lose their veterans benefits due to the nature of their discharge, this is particularly important."

So far, Gallenz has worked with several service members. She cited several feedback surveys given to program participants that show the effectiveness of the program.

One Sailor reported, "I have enjoyed talking with Ms. Willow very much. I believe this program will benefit junior Sailors the most, but all Sailors in some way."

Another Sailor said, "She (Gallenz) gives me different ways of viewing the problems presented to me. Also, she has given me multiple resources to succeed in the civilian world."

After the completion of the pilot program, the intention is to expand the program not only Navy-wide, but military-wide.
Gallenz said the referral process is simple.

"Anyone can refer - the command, legal, the service member themselves, chaplains, or health care providers," she said.
While the program is completely voluntary and the service member can refuse participation, Gallenz is ready to help anyone in need.

"I feel truly honored to be a part of this program and to help these service members," Gallenz said. "One of my favorite parts of being a licensed clinical social worker is advocating for others and helping them through difficult times, and I get to do just that with the SMJOP."

For more information about the program at NMCP, contact Gallenz at susan.a.gallenz.ctr@mail.mil.

For more news from Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, visit www.navy.mil/.