Military Resiliency Program
Each day, active duty military members and their family cope with stressing issues such as deployment, general service demands, trauma and re-integration. This can compromise psychological wellness and create substance use problems for these brave men and women.
Military leaders and supervisors, along with the troops themselves, may be asking the question:
“Where do we go to seek help for these concerns?”
Mission of the Resiliency Program
The mission of the Military Resiliency Program is to provide exceptional behavioral health services to members of the United States service members in need. The program offers structured, evidence-based treatment in a specialized military environment. It is a place for service members to come for camaraderie, support, guidance, professional treatment and personal growth.
The Military Resiliency Program provides individualized treatment for active, reserve and national guard service members on our 30-bed unit that houses only service members. Our programming was designed exclusively to meet the unique needs of military service members facing various challenges, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, comprehensive or complex trauma, substance-related and addictive disorders, acute mental disorders and dual diagnosis.
The Military Resiliency Program helps facilitate trust, self-regulation, trauma awareness and integration through various methods such as assessments, medically monitored detoxification programs and individualized and group rehabilitative therapy.
Service members are tended to 24 hours a day by our team of compassionate and highly trained professionals. Our dedicated staff on the Military Resiliency Unit (MRU) are either veterans themselves, military family members or have gone through extensive military culture training.
Features of the Resiliency Program
- Streamlined referral and admissions process
- Daily physical training with a dedicated weight room and cardio equipment
- Private open air courtyard
- Biweekly staff-led town hall meetings
- Exclusive active duty milieu
- Prior-service staff / Veteran staff / Spouses & Children of military staff
- Weekly spiritual group (optional)
- Primary care and medical ARNPs on staff
- Access to off-site physical rehab for physical therapy
- Flexible command and family visitation
- Clinical outcome data (since 2015)
- Individual therapist assigned to every patient
- Daily psychiatrist or psychiatric ARNP sessions
- Two emergency departments in close proximity
- Department of Defense practice guidelines and formulary
Treatment Tracks
Resiliency Track
- Mental Health Disorders
- Combat Trauma
- Military Sexual Trauma
- Trauma-related Illness
Treatment in the Resiliency Track includes a wide variety of therapeutic activities, including expressive therapy, art and music therapy, recreational therapy and yoga therapy. Our clinical staff employs much of the most up-to-date and research-based techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), and Acupuncture.
Features of this track:
- Masters-level licensed trauma trained therapists in evidenced-based treatment modalities such as Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Assigned individual therapist
- Group therapy with comprehensive curriculum
- Targeted process groups relating to issues such as combat trauma, childhood trauma, sexual trauma, suicide, marriage and family, parenting, grief and loss, and female only
- Male and female psychiatric staff
- Reintegration outings (trauma and in vivo)
- Seeking Safety curriculum
- Crisis stabilization
Recovery Track
Treatment in the Recovery Track includes a wide variety of therapeutic activities, including expressive therapy, art and music therapy, recreational therapy and yoga therapy. Our clinical staff employs much of the most up-to-date and research-based techniques such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), SMART Recovery, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills.
Features of this track:
- Evidence-based treatment for substance use disorder with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Coping Skills training on topics such as Assertiveness, Drink/Drug Refusal Skills and Urges and Triggers.
- Masters-level licensed trained therapists in addiction treatment modalities such as AA and NA
- Assigned individual therapist
- Group therapy with comprehensive addiction curriculum
- Targeted psychoeducation and process groups relating to issues such as co-dependency, setting boundaries, shame and guilt, the disease concept, and stages of change
- Relapse prevention planning
- Addiction interventions for alcohol, drugs, pornography, gambling, video games, sex
- Addiction timeline
- Motivational interviewing
- Reintegration outings (AA and NA groups)
- Male and female psychiatric staff
- Medication management for substance withdrawal
- DoD formulary sobriety agents
Dual Diagnosis Track
Treatment in the Dual Diagnosis Track includes a wide variety of therapeutic activities, including expressive therapy, art and music therapy, recreational therapy and yoga therapy. Our clinical staff employs much of the most up-to-date and research-based techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), SMART Recovery, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills, Prolonged Exposure (PE), Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), and Acupuncture.
Features of this track:
- Masters-level licensed trained therapists
- Assigned individual therapist
- Group therapy divided between Resiliency and Addiction tracks in comprehensive curriculum
- Male and female psychiatric staff
- Medication management for substance withdrawal
- Crisis stabilization
- Seeking Safety curriculum
Crisis Track
Treatment in the Crisis Track includes the same wide variety of therapeutic activities, including expressive therapy, art and music therapy, recreational therapy and yoga therapy; however, over a short-term hospitalization, estimated 5-7 days. Our clinical staff employs much of the most up-to-date and research-based techniques.
Features of this track:
- Addressing acute patient safety concerns over a 5-7 day hospitalization
- Voluntary and involuntary admissions
- Accelerated treatment with goal of safely returning patient to lower level of care
- Immediate and consistent communication with referring providers regarding assessment findings
- Rapid discharge planning with command and family involvement
- Focused crisis intervention skills taught, such as DBT skills, for smooth patient transition and long-term stability
Resiliency Program FAQ
Please read our fast facts sheet to learn which items you should bring to the hospital and which items you should leave at home.
The Military Resiliency Program features a streamlined referral and admissions process; specialized military unit with gymnasium and workout equipment; comprehensive medication management that adheres to DoD formulary; and a collaborative relationship with open lines of communication between command, mental health clinic and facility clinicians. The MRU treatment team develops individualized treatment plans and provides daily treatment updates to the referring providers. We understand that a diagnosis can have serious implications on a military career. Our clinicians will not change a diagnosis for any service member without first discussing the change with the referring provider at length.
Emerald Coast Behavioral Hospital prides our Military Resiliency Program on world class service excellence, effective communication and proper documentation. Administrative telephone numbers and emails are provided upon request, and we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to address any needs or concerns. We happily open up our facility to referring providers and welcome command visits 365 days a year. The Military Resiliency Program also has two dedicated military liaisons to help facilitate appropriate and consistent communication between command and other referring providers, as well as streamline the referral process and handle any other specific needs or requests.
Communication includes regular patient updates via treatment team conference calls, progress notes sent to providers daily and coordination of care/participation of command in the discharge planning process. We do not discharge on Fridays, weekends, or holidays to ensure service members adhere to the requirements of a same date follow-up at the mental health clinic after an inpatient hospitalization.
Our patients come from military installations across the globe. We are happy to discuss transportation arrangements.
For more information on the Military Resiliency Program, call Emerald Coast Behavioral Hospital at 850-763-0017. To speak directly with staff on the Military Resiliency Unit, call 850-532-6485.
Emerald Coast Behavioral Hospital also offers a Veteran’s Program, which is embedded within our open adult unit. Curriculum is tailored specifically to veterans’ issues and education, including accessing veteran-specific care upon discharging from the hospital. Veterans are evaluated upon admission by our clinical experts who will determine which program is best for the veteran.
For additional information on our Veteran’s Program, visit our adult programs page.
In response to the present and growing need for high quality and intensive behavioral health services, Emerald Coast Behavioral Hospital has developed our Military Resiliency Program through our parent company’s Patriot Support Program network of treatment centers, support staff and medical professionals dedicated to treating active duty members of the military, veterans and their families. We are proud and honored to be part of this network of care.
Military Resiliency Program Contact Information:
Our patients come from military installations across the globe, and we are happy to discuss transportation arrangements. For more information on the Military Resiliency Program, call Emerald Coast Behavioral Hospital at 850-763-0017.
Fast and effective communication is our top priority at Emerald Coast Behavioral Hospital. Direct contact information to the Military Resiliency Unit is available below for referring providers, command, installations, etc. to streamline the communication process to our Resiliency team:
- Military Resiliency Unit Direct: 850-532-6485
- Military Resiliency Unit Fax: 850-763-4248
- Col. (Ret.) Mike Atwell, Military Liaison: 850-819-5333, [email protected]
- CMSgt. (Ret.) Dawna Cnota, Military/VA Communications Liaison: 850-763-0017 ext. 152, [email protected]