For Providers

Information for Providers

Calling all providers! If you are new to our Web site, please start with the "Dear Provider" letter below. It outlines our expectations and procedures, and offers guidelines. Providers new and old, please take a look at our Provider Outreach Toolkit. In this collection of materials you will find all sorts of opportunities to "give an hour" in your community while you are waiting for someone needing services to contact you.

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Dear Provider,

Thank your for your willingness to donate an hour of your time each week to provide critical mental health services to U.S. troops and their family members. To make this a successful experience, we want to be clear about our philosophy, guidelines, and expectations.

Please Register to give your time to Give an Hour™. Note that although only licensed mental health professionals may register, directors of professional training programs may contact us to arrange to help with our efforts. Please also contact us promptly should you have questions or concerns during your time in our network. Thank you for your generous contribution to our efforts.

We are in the process of building our Provider Resource Library. Please login so you will have access to all the helpful information in the various categories listed there. Please also consider the following resources, which may be particularly helpful to you. (1) The Iraq War Clinician Guide, developed by members of the National Center for PTSD and the Department of Defense, is specifically for clinicians and addresses the unique needs of veterans of the Iraq war. Please click here for a link to the guide. (2) In addition, the National Center for PTSD has designed a Web-based educational resource about post-traumatic stress disorder. Called PTSD 101, the program is for busy practitioners who provide services to military men and women and their families as they recover from combat stress or other traumatic events, and it may be found here. (3) The Soldier/Family Deployment Survival Handbook, though addressed to soldiers and their families, offers real insights to providers into the military culture and the experiences of families as they prepare for deployment. Please click here for the handbook. (4) A presentation produced by the VA Post Deployment Mental Illness Research, Education, & Clinical Center (MIRECC) and Duke University pulls together a lot of information about post-deployment concerns and resources. Called DoD, VA, State, and Community Partnerships in Service to New Veterans and Their Families, this presentation may be found here. (5) Finally, in June 2008 Give an Hour™ and Value Options held a joint internet seminar, featuring two presentations specifically on suicide and returning veterans. These may be viewed at http://www.healthandperformancesolutions.net/Give%20An%20Hour/GAH_71008.html and http://www.healthandperformancesolutions.net/Give%20An%20Hour/GAH_62408.html.

Philosophy and Guidelines

Give an Hour™ is a nonpolitical organization whose current project focuses on the mental health needs of military personnel and their families. We are offering a range of mental health services in order to address a variety of needs for the individuals seeking services. Our definition of “family” is quite broad and includes but is not limited to the following: spouses, children, parents, siblings, extended family members, and unmarried partners. We are offering our services to anyone who is or has been affected directly or indirectly (through a relationship with someone in the military) by the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The individuals who seek services from Give an Hour™ may benefit from different types of support or treatment. We believe that most of those affected by these conflicts would not need mental health services if not for the unusual and extreme circumstances within which they find themselves. Furthermore, many of those seeking services may not be familiar with counseling or psychotherapy. Therefore, you will see terms such as “services” instead of “therapy” to reflect this philosophy. We believe that being sensitive to the specific circumstances that bring these individuals to our organization is critical for success.

While the standard within the mental health community is to meet with the client in the practitioner’s office, we recognize that this may not be feasible for some individuals seeking services from Give an Hour™ (called "visitors" on our Web site). We encourage the use of telephone support in those situations where the individual is unable to meet in person with the provider. We understand that providers will need to rely on their professional judgment to determine when such contact may be insufficient to meet the individual’s mental health needs.

We will provide a variety of materials on our Web site to help clinicians familiarize themselves with the military culture and experience. We will also have links to a variety of military Web sites and Web sites sponsored by military support organizations such as the National Military Family Association. We plan to partner with the Veterans Administration and other military service providers to establish specific procedures for critical situations such as the hospitalization of active duty personnel and decisions regarding a soldier’s fitness to serve. In addition, we will have information available on our Web site regarding the assessment of post-traumatic stress disorder. Only mental health professionals who have training and experience with the treatment of PTSD should list themselves as available to provide this service. Clinicians not trained in the treatment of trauma will find guidelines to assist them in locating an appropriate provider.

In addition, clinicians are welcome to contact us for assistance. Also available at all times is the National Veteran's Foundation hotline, at http://www.nvf.org.

Expectations & Terms of Service

Expectations

You have generously agreed to provide one hour per week of mental health support or treatment at no charge. (Unfortunately, this donation is not tax deductible.) You have agreed to participate in the Give an Hour™ network for a minimum of one year. We understand that extraordinary situations may arise that could prevent you from honoring your commitment. We ask that you contact us directly if such circumstances arise. During your year in our network, you may work with one individual or you may see a series of visitors (clients). This depends on the specific situations you encounter. We ask that you change your "availability status" to "full" (from "available") while you are working with an individual or family. This will prevent you from receiving requests from individuals if your time is filled.

We expect you will update your contact information when necessary (or ask us to do so) and answer by phone or e-mail all inquiries regarding your services, even if your time if filled and your reply consists of saying just that.

The service you provide will be conducted in your office or on the phone. At this time we are not including internet support as part of our services. We expect you to keep in mind that Give an Hour™ is a nonpolitical organization whose mission is to assist these soldiers and their families as they cope with the effects of deployment and combat. We know that you will conduct your practice using the highest ethical standards and that you will respect and honor the dignity and individuality of those who seek your assistance.

A core belief of our organization is that individuals in need benefit from the opportunity to give back once their needs have been addressed. As your visitors (clients) near the end of their work with you, we expect that you will remind them of the available opportunities posted on this Web site for giving back to their communities. We all have something valuable to give. Our society will benefit as we harness the resources inherent in each of us.

By registering with Give an Hour™:

You warrant that you are a licensed mental health professional in good standing in the state in which you are practicing.

You warrant that you are providing mental health services in areas that you are qualified to practice.

You warrant that you have in place sufficient malpractice insurance coverage.

Give an Hour™ specifically disclaims all warranties and liabilities regarding its clients. Give an Hour™ does not prescreen clients. We expect you to take all precautions to ensure that your relationship with the clients is a safe and successful one.