The Embedded U.S. Navy Behavioral Health Officer

What makes embedded mental health services in the U.S. Navy and United States Marine Corps (USMC) unique? What are characteristics and strategies of successful embedded behavioral health providers? The first point of uniqueness is that the Navy provides embedded mental health support to the fleet, as well as to the USMC. Marines do not have organic behavioral health assets; therefore, a Navy EMH provider can end up working with sailors or marines. Because the roles are very different, the first half of the chapter discusses the unique features and challenges of delivering behavioral health services on aircraft carriers, while the second half examines EMH within USMC units. It is noted that the history of embedded behavioral health in the Navy and USMC began in the late 1990s when psychologists were first assigned to the USS Constellation and USS Kitty Hawk. This chapter further examines factors, including best practices and traits, that lead to the successful implementation of embedded behavioral health in the Navy and United States Marine Corps.