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LINTHICUM, Md. – The Center for Development of Security Excellence (CDSE), part of Security Training , Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), hosted a live webinar, “Mental Health and National Security Eligibility,” on May 7.
The webinar featured panelists from DCSA’s Adjudication and Vetting Services (AVS) and DOD Insider Threat Management and Analysis Center (DITMAC), as well as Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals. The event is one of many DCSA efforts to support Mental Health Awareness Month.
“Promoting mental health is not just a wellness issue, it is a human issue that affects our entire workforce,” said DCSA Director David Cattler. “It’s important that all Gatekeepers take care of themselves; mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually and socially. All employees should know that if you need help, you should get it.”
During the webinar, over 1,000 attendees engaged in a combination of presentation slides, audience polling, and a question and answer session. The presentation centered on misinformation and stigmas around individuals seeking mental health treatment, the potential effects on security clearances and possible job impact, and what the adjudication process entails.
Panelist Lt. Col. (Dr.) Rebecca Blood, the installation director of psychological health and chief of the behavioral health department at Kimbrough Ambulatory Care Center, Fort Meade, Md., , said that between 2012 and 2023, less than one percent of adjudicated cases resulted in denial or revocation for only psychological issues.
The presentation addressed cases where mental health issues that were left untreated often led to risk factors potentially causing revocation or denial of a security clearance.
Dr. Phillip Atkinson, Operational Psychologist with DITMAC, emphasized that seeking mental health assistance is considered a positive sign, since it shows good judgement and trustworthiness.
“It’s in situations where people choose not to get the treatment that they need or aren’t forthcoming, those are situations that tend to escalate,” said Atkinson. “We always encourage people to get the care and support they need in those challenging seasons in life.”
The panelists stressed there is no diagnosis that is considered automatically disqualifying and pointed out there are far less issues maintaining a clearance if the proper treatment plan is in place and there are no concerning behaviors that would warrant escalation.
“Security is more focused on the behaviors around the diagnosis than the diagnosis itself,” said Dr. Elisabeth Jean-Jacques, senior staff psychologist, AVS. “Are they in treatment? Are they responding to treatment? Those kinds of things are a lot more important from a security perspective than the actual diagnosis.”
The U.S. government continues to advocate for the proactive management of mental health, included de-stigmatization.
Cattler said that beyond taking care of oneself, helping others is just as important.
“As you address your own mental health, please remember the key role we play in this larger destigmatization effort and let us all model the behavior that seeks to help those in need,” he said.
Recordings from the webinar will be available in the webinar archive: https://www.cdse.edu/Training/Webinars-and-Conferences/Webinar-Archive/ and additional mental health resources are available in the May Edition of the CDSE Pulse Newsletter.
| Date Taken: | 05.17.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 05.20.2024 13:57 |
| Story ID: | 471528 |
| Location: | LINTHICUM, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 82 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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