Skip to main content

Military Health System

METC trains BHT students in full range of mental health support

Image of Two servicemembers talking at a table. Two servicemembers talking at a table

Recommended Content:

Psychological Fitness | Mental Health: Seeking Care with TRICARE | Education & Training | Medical Education and Training Campus

Millions of people in the U.S. are affected by mental illness each year.

While mental health issues are not uncommon, it is important to remove the stigma so those suffering and those around them will feel empowered to seek help.

Mental Health Awareness Month brings into focus awareness of and support for mental illness. Military mental health professionals provide a critical role in behavioral health care for service members and beneficiaries. The first provider a patient may see when seeking help is the behavioral health technician (BHT).

BHTs perform a wide range of tasks that support mental health providers in their treatment of patients with mental illness or developmental disability. BHTs also work directly with patients to include observing, treating and interacting with them.

Like their civilian counterparts, military BHTs perform a vital, front-line function in all healthcare settings. They are trained to conduct behavioral health screenings and assessments, deliver psychosocial interventions and case management services, and provide prevention and resilience services.

Army, Navy and Air Force BHTs are trained in the Behavioral Health Technician program located at the Medical Education and Training Campus (METC) on Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston in Texas. BHT students receive up to 17 weeks of training in a full range of behavioral health capacities. 

“We begin with teaching the students all they need to know regarding ethics and their duties as well as a brief overview of human anatomy and physiology with emphasis on the makeup and workings of the brain,” stated Army Staff Sgt. Miranda Hayes, METC BHT program instructor.

“We move into a lengthy instruction regarding all the diagnoses they may encounter from the DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition) as well as how to treat different disorders,” she added.

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Ebiye Osadare, also a METC BHT program instructor, said that they also cover subjects like history, environment, and circumstances that may produce stressors that can lead to some mental health disorders.

“We discuss the actual diagnostic criteria and specifiers to look at or consider when trying to make a diagnostic impression. We also have the students do case studies, watch videos as well as doing other interactive activities to properly understand each diagnostic group and treatment modalities or options for each disorder,” she explained. 

In addition, Hayes said that students are trained in collecting and recording of psychosocial and physical data from intake interviews and counseling sessions; assisting patients with activities of daily living; conducting group counseling sessions; the observation of medication side effects and behavioral changes; and providing educational presentations to patients on coping skills, medication adherence, and suicide prevention.

The training culminates with the students providing supervised patient care in inpatient and outpatient settings, gaining valuable hands-on experience prior to graduation.

Navy Seaman Chery Gonzales-Polanco, a student, said that she likes learning about why people act the way that they do and that even if people think differently it doesn’t necessarily mean that there is an issue.

“We should be more open minded that not everyone is happy or sad all that time but be more conscious about it,” said Gonzales-Polanco

“I feel this job has a large impact on mission readiness and saves lives even if not in the “traditional” sense,” said Hayes. “I enjoy instructing future BHTs for many reasons. However, at the top of my list would be that I am able to make an impact on the quality of technicians that we are sending out into the operational and clinical settings.”

Osadare said she finds satisfaction as a BHT because she likes to talk to people and offer support. “I am passionate about reducing the stigma when it comes to mental health and encouraging people to seek help if they need it and for many different needs,” she stated. 

“It’s important to understand that we are all human and all go through things, but we all have different ways of processing them.”

You also may be interested in...

Total Force Fitness Circle Logo

Infographic
4/26/2021

"Total Force Fitness”

Recommended Content:

Mental Health: Seeking Care with TRICARE | Total Force Fitness

METC NDT trainees learn about brain disorders & care

Article
4/23/2021
Military health personnel wearing face mask practicing using an EEG

NDTs help diagnose problems with the brain and nervous system, as well as sleep disorders, by use of state-of-the-art digital equipment to record electrical patterns which result in valuable data that the doctor needs to diagnose and treat their patients.

Recommended Content:

Traumatic Brain Injury Center of Excellence | Education & Training | Medical Education and Training Campus

Sexual assault awareness and prevention a DHA, DOD priority

Article
4/16/2021
Infographic about Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention

Sexual assault awareness and prevention is at the top of the Department of Defense’s priorities.

Recommended Content:

Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention | Women's Health | Psychological Fitness

METC trains dietician techs to build, support a Medically Ready Force

Article
3/18/2021
Military health personnel preparing food trays while wearing a face mask

Nutrition plays an important role in military readiness.

Recommended Content:

Nutritional Fitness | Total Force Fitness | Health Readiness & Combat Support | Education & Training | Medical Education and Training Campus

Women’s health emerging priorities series highlights mental health

Article
3/4/2021
A woman holding her hands near her face

Women’s mental health can be more affected by transitioning than men’s, speakers’ series attendees hear.

Recommended Content:

Women's Health | Total Force Fitness | Depression | Psychological Fitness

Total Force Fitness Reintroduction

Video
2/17/2021
Total Force Fitness Reintroduction

The Military Health System is reintroducing Total Force Fitness. The Total Force Fitness concept focuses on a service member’s entire health throughout their career, connecting eight dimensions of fitness to optimize health, performance, and readiness holistically.

Recommended Content:

Physical Fitness | Environmental Fitness | Medical and Dental Preventive Care Fitness | Nutritional Fitness | Spiritual Fitness | Psychological Fitness | Social Fitness | Financial Fitness | Mobile Apps

MHS looks to decrease substance abuse, as numbers rose in 2020

Article
1/22/2021
Shadowed image of person sitting at a desk with their head down

Alcohol use remains high in the military, but treatment for substance abuse is evolving.

Recommended Content:

Psychological Fitness

Countering seasonal depression during the COVID-19 pandemic

Article
1/5/2021
Man with his head in his hands, sitting in front of a Christmas tree

SAD, or sometimes called seasonal depression, is a subtype of a major depressive disorder.

Recommended Content:

Coronavirus & the MHS Response | Psychological Fitness | | Depression | Suicide Prevention

Seeking help from friends and family vital for mental health

Article
12/23/2020
Image of three people on a zoom call

Reaching out for help with your mental health is not a sign of weakness, according to Tim Hoyt.

Recommended Content:

Psychological Fitness | | Posttraumatic Stress Disorder | Suicide Prevention

What is - Too Much to Lose?

Article
12/15/2020
An open bottle of pills, with some spilling out on the table

Too Much to Lose focuses on preventing prescription drug misuse and illicit and prohibited drug use.

Recommended Content:

Psychological Fitness

’Tis the season to be safe and sober – and not a statistic

Article
12/14/2020
Image of a car wreck being towed away

NMRTC Bremerton command leadership recently addressed safety concerns concerning drinking and driving.

Recommended Content:

Psychological Fitness

Army Sgt. Maj. implores others to seek help for suicide ideation

Article
9/28/2020
Army Sgt. Maj. implores others to seek help for suicide ideation

The support [McGrath] received was opposite from what he thought it would be.

Recommended Content:

| Suicide Prevention | Psychological Fitness

Air Force updates medical courses with COVID-19 content, procedures

Article
8/24/2020
Two technicians in full PPE in a lab

COVID-19 has shed new light on the methods of conducting medical training and education.

Recommended Content:

Coronavirus & the MHS Response | Health Readiness & Combat Support | Education & Training

Mental Health Professionals

Congressional Testimony
11/26/2019

S. 3129, SAC Report for FY 2019, 115-290, Pg. 211

Recommended Content:

| Psychological Fitness

Mental Health Assessments for Members of the Armed Forces

Congressional Testimony
1/11/2019

HR 3979, NDAA Report for FY 2015, Sec. 701

Recommended Content:

Psychological Fitness
<< < ... 11 12 13 14 15 > >> 
Showing results 196 - 210 Page 14 of 15
Refine your search
Last Updated: January 17, 2023
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery