The Direct Leader’s Perspective on Embedded Behavioral Health

This chapter addresses embedded behavioral health (EBH) from the perspective of a direct-level leader. Master Sergeant Thomas N. Gillespie is a senior non-commissioned officer (NCO) with more than 20 years of military experience, including serving as a Company First Sergeant in the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. Direct leaders in the military have the most interaction with the service members in their units and therefore have a great deal of influence on those service members. This chapter discusses how behavioral health officers (BHOs) can assist direct leaders by helping them understand the science behind the magic of mental health, and how to apply this science to the three levels of prevention across the domains of interoperability. Finally, the chapter closes with recommendations for BHOs from a direct-level leader’s perspective.