With a Little Help From Your Peers: Military Connection

By Debbie Gregory.

Now you can talk to someone who gets it: Military OneSource has expanded confidential services for service members and their spouses through a “peer-to-peer” specialty consultation service. This is the newest resource to support and connect service members and their families with professionals who understand military life.

Peer support can promote wellness, healthy stress navigation, stronger social connections, and improve overall quality of life—all built upon a foundation of trust.

The military’s unique life, in which deployments, relocations and transitions are commonplace, makes it essential to find consultants with similar life experiences. Military OneSource’s peer consultants are  accessible at 800-342-9647. The consultants are military retirees, reservists, Guardsmen, spouses and separating service members, all of whom have trained in best-support practices at the Defense Centers of Excellence.

Probably one of the best features of the service is that callers never get an answering service; a live person answers every call, regardless of whether it’s an urgent need or just a friendly conversation. The peer consultant’s goal is to help callers deal with stress before the stressors get out of control.

Military OneSource has a wide and growing array of resources, so their consultants can connect callers to the information outlets they might need. Although not a crisis line, if someone calls in crisis, the peer on the other end of the line will use all the resources at their disposal to ensure the caller gets the help they need.

Active-duty service members, Guardsmen, reservists –regardless of activation status — and family members are eligible to call the service. Veterans who have been separated from military service for up to 180 days also are eligible. Veterans who are past the 180-day cutoff will be given a warm handoff to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

While talking about stress may seem intimidating, having the support of someone who has “been there” can take the stress out of finding the resources you need.

Military Connection proudly serves those who serve in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve, Veterans and their families. We are the go-to site for Veteran Employment and information on Veteran education. Militaryconnection.com provides Veterans with and Directory of Employers, a Job Board, information on the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and a blog that offers Veterans boundless information. Be sure to visit Militaryconnection.com, the go-to site.

With a Little Help From Your Peers: Military Connection: by Debbie Gregory