(Silver Spring, MD, Tuesday, February 18, 2020) – It has now been six weeks since the start of 2020 and many service members and civilians could be evaluating the progress of their New Year’s resolutions.

In that spirit, the Real Warriors Campaign and Montana Air National Guard Captain Casey Ross are urging service members, veterans and family members to reach out early and often for care for psychological health concerns. Similar to physical and nutritional goals, maintaining mental fitness is essential to mission readiness and healthy relationships with colleagues, friends and family.

SOUNDBITE #1:

IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS DEALING WITH A PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH CONCERN, PLEASE KNOW THAT REACHING OUT FOR HELP, EARLY AND OFTEN, IS THE BEST PATH FORWARD. DECIDE TODAY THAT YOU CAN AND YOU WILL REACH OUT FOR HELP. DECIDE TODAY THAT YOU WILL COMMIT TO TREATMENT – FOR YOUR UNIT, FOR YOUR FAMILY AND FOR YOURSELF.

SOUNDBITE #2:

JUST KNOWING YOU NEED HELP ISN’T ENOUGH. PERSISTENCE IS KEY. WHEN I BEGAN SEEKING TREATMENT, I ENDED UP SPEAKING WITH FIVE DIFFERENT COUNSELORS BEFORE I FOUND SOMEONE THAT WAS A GOOD FIT FOR ME. ONCE I GOT STARTED, MY FAMILY AND MY FLIGHT STATUS WERE THE MOTIVATION I NEEDED TO CONTINUE PUSHING FORWARD WITH THERAPY. I LEARNED FROM THE OUTSET THAT IT TAKES MORE THAN ONE SESSION TO WORK THROUGH THE PAINFUL MEMORIES AND SYMPTOMS THAT WERE AFFECTING MY CAREER AND FAMILY LIFE. I EMBRACED THE PROCESS, AND AS A RESULT, I’M STRONGER THAN EVER.

Please visit realwarriors.net to learn more about maintaining your physical and mental fitness, or call 866-966-1020 for 24/7 resources.