A partnership between the National Center for Telehealth & Technology and the mental health informatics section of the Veterans Administration has developed an interactive educational and life-coaching program. The program, called “Moving Forward”, is an online resource to teach members of the military community coping skills, as well as problem-solving skills. This is achieved through a set of problem-solving exercises.

Moving Forward allows users to navigate through quizzes and problem-solving exercises. For those with chronic stress and chronic problems in their lives, Moving Forward can be the first step on the path to getting face-to-face care.

The skills learned in addressing any one problem can be transferred to addressing a variety of problems. By focusing on recognizing and addressing stress, the exercises give users a way to interact with the course, and learn how stress affects them.

The techniques on the site are based on a problem-solving therapy program that has been used successfully with service members and veterans across the country.

Approximately 20 percent of returning service members experience problems re-adjusting to civilian life. Most often, the problems manifest themselves via depression, anger and post-traumatic stress. The problems can arise at work or home, and often times, may include relationship issues.

One of the benefits of this online program is that it allows the user to remain anonymous, without the stigma that can be prevalent among those in the military. Another advantage is the elimination of waiting to be seen by a professional, which in and of itself can cause stress.

While Moving Forward has been designed to be especially helpful for service members, Veterans and their families, the skills that the user develops from the program can be useful to anyone dealing with issues that seem overwhelming.

To read more about the program, or to get started, click here.