Posted on Aug 22, 2015
How to take care of a depressed Sailor who wants out but has 2 years left on contract?
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I'm worried about one of my Sailors.
This Sailor is good at their job, but is having a really hard time in the military environment.
Over the last year, I've watched them kind of sink into this dark cloud - no longer smiling or joking, just there.
They've made some comments about self harm, and were referred to medical, but nothing really came out of that.
This sailor wants out, but still has about 2 years left (6 year contract), but doesn't want to risk an other than honorable discharge.
Unfortunately I can definitely see this situation gets worse before it gets better.
I'm looking for any resources you know of, or advice on how to help this sailor.
Thanks.
This Sailor is good at their job, but is having a really hard time in the military environment.
Over the last year, I've watched them kind of sink into this dark cloud - no longer smiling or joking, just there.
They've made some comments about self harm, and were referred to medical, but nothing really came out of that.
This sailor wants out, but still has about 2 years left (6 year contract), but doesn't want to risk an other than honorable discharge.
Unfortunately I can definitely see this situation gets worse before it gets better.
I'm looking for any resources you know of, or advice on how to help this sailor.
Thanks.
Discharge
Health
Depression
Leadership
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 18
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Send the Sailor to a Chaplain or BehavioralHealth, or call Military One Source
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While I don't have anything to add because I believe our esteemed colleagues here have given the best of advice already, I just wanted to applaud you LT Jessica Kellogg for recognizing the issue with your sailor and taking the time and concern to follow through on your instincts. That's what leadership is all about.
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LTJG -- where is your Chief? Your Chief should be thoroughly acquainted with the variety of things that can be done to help the Sailor. Some of them have already been mentioned in this thread, counseling may be appropriate, but often you really need to find out what the problem is to deal with it. Your Chief (or DLCPO, or maybe the CMC) may be better equipped to do that than you will tend to be.
Who is the Sailor's mentor? What are they doing to help? There's a lot that you can't really do because of your position that someone closer to their paygrade may be able to do.
Who is the Sailor's mentor? What are they doing to help? There's a lot that you can't really do because of your position that someone closer to their paygrade may be able to do.
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LT Jessica Kellogg
Senior, that's a good point. Unfortunately there's a bit of a disconnect between this sailor and our chief, but our CMC could be a great resource. Thanks for that reminder.
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SCPO Joshua I
Definitely use the Chief's Mess -- it's a great resource, and I get what you're saying but it's still that Chief's responsibility even if the two don't get along very well. I've had those Sailors that didn't like me very much, or didn't work with me very well over the years, but I'll still give them everything I can to help them, especially if they're having problems.
Good luck!
Good luck!
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