By Capt. Leanne Bishara, U.S. Army Drill Sergeant Academy and Leader Training Brigade Command Psychologist FORT JACKSON, S.C. — Across the Army, evidence demonstrates the positive impact of peer support on mental resilience. Programs like the battle buddy system, “IGY6,” and Ask Care Escort (ACE) have shown profound benefits to the overall mental readiness of the organization.
These outcomes underscore the importance of caring leaders and engaged peers for enhancing mental resilience. Therefore, we must leverage the social influences of individuals across the formation to serve as champions of mental resilience.
On the front lines or in garrison, Soldiers experiencing stress reactions may not have immediate access to mental health providers. In such instances, peers and leaders become the first line of support. For instance, a Soldier notices her peer crying outside the barracks and decides to sit next to her and offer comfort. An NCO mentors his Soldier then discovers he needs a higher level of care, and escorts him to the clinic, “He wasn’t comfortable coming in alone, so I’m here with him.” Similarly, a Commander can support his Soldier after treatment by stating, “I’m proud of you, welcome back to the team.” These acts of care have monumental impact to Soldiers’ lives and extend the work accomplished in mental health clinics. As a psychologist, I believe these interactions can often exceed the impact that I, or any other provider, can have on a Soldier. The bottom line here is, these relationships and care actions matter—they are critical to a Soldier’s health and can yield significant returns on investment for the organization’s mental readiness. To harness this potential, we must value the care actions and recognize the positive contributions of these individuals, whom we identify as Mental Health (MH) Champions. These are Soldiers who actively support peers, recognize warning signs, reduce the stigma of mental health, and help connect teammates to the appropriate resources.
Challenge coins have long been used in the military to recognize individual achievements, foster unit pride, and boost morale. They serve as a tangible token of appreciation for Soldiers who go above and beyond. Awarded Soldiers become role models within the formation, reflecting the Commander’s priorities and values. In order to prioritize mental resilience as an organizational goal, we must first establish it as worthy of recognition. In the Army, there is no better way to achieve that than through a challenge coin.
Creating a dedicated mental health (MH) challenge coin and publicly rewarding our Soldiers as MH Champions is significant for several reasons:
Positive Reinforcement: Recognizing these actions serves as positive reinforcement within the organization. With command support, it demonstrates to Soldiers that their contributions are valued by leadership.
Empowerment: It empowers Soldiers to act. Through suicide prevention and resiliency training, Soldier learn to identify warning signs, risk factors, and how to respond during crises. This education equips them to intervene effectively in critical moments.
Leadership Development: Training Soldiers to intervene promotes essential leadership skills, such as active listening, empathy and conflict resolution. These skills are necessary for leaders to be effective.
Stigma Reduction: Encouraging care actions helps reduce the stigma associated with mental health, fostering a culture of support where Soldier health is prioritized. Soldiers may hesitate to seek help due to the attitudes and actions of those around them; promoting care actions mitigates this barrier.
Ultimately, we can all make an impact on the organization by becoming MH Champions.
This initiative began as a risk reduction strategy while deployed with the 160th Theater Signal Brigade and is now being applied in a garrison environment at the Leader Training Brigade and The United States Army Drill Sergeant Academy. As a brigade psychologist, I have observed the direct positive impact of this proactive approach. While deployed, the MH Champion initiative helped to facilitate rapid responses during suicidal crises. Our Soldiers were geographically dispersed in austere and isolated locations, with limited mental health resources. Consequently, we relied on the vigilance of Service members across the formation to identify and support vulnerable Soldiers. This initiative empowered Soldiers to rapidly intervene during suicidal crises and appropriately contact our team. Their courageous actions resulted in Soldiers receiving immediate access to care. Notably, there were no completed suicides during my 13-month tour. For the unit, this initiative led to enhanced leader support and peer involvement, improved team cohesion and morale, reduced psychological distress, fewer mental health clinic visits, and overall better unit functioning.
To the leaders reading this, I encourage you to recognize the Soldiers in your formation who have gone above and beyond to provide peer support – their actions have overwhelming impact to your unit’s mental readiness.
To the Soldiers reading this, I urge you to develop the courage to take action and help your peers; you have more influence than you may realize, and you can save a life!
About the Author: CPT Leanne Bishara, Ph.D. serves as the Command Psychologist for the Leader Training Brigade and The United States Army Drill Sergeant Academy at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Throughout her career, she has remained passionate about empowering all Service Members to become champions of mental resilience.*
She has dedicated her career to implementing innovative programs that tackle mental health stigma in the military. Her commitment to fostering supportive unit cultures has led to measurable improvements in Soldier well-being and overall mission effectiveness across the Army. Having served in diverse operational and clinical environments, she possesses firsthand knowledge of the unique challenges faced by military personnel.
To contact the author, please email mailto:leanne.e.bishara.mil@army.mil.