Our Mental Health Support
Seeking help is a strength, not a weakness. After all, just as we look after our physical health, it is as important to look after our mental health.
If you are a RM veteran and you need help with what you know is either a recent or, perhaps long- term mental health problem, we are here to help you towards your recovery. We recognise that reaching out for help is an act of courage not weakness and our aim is to make this as painless as possible.
Our approach is simple – find out the problem, signpost you to the right NHS help and if that isn’t readily available, we can discuss potential treatment options, and your preferences for receiving therapy, either online or face-to-face. We will provide a bespoke treatment with one of our skilled and experienced psychotherapists/psychologists. This is called the Veterans Mental Health Referral Pathway (VMHRP).
What do I do now?
Fill out the Needs Help Form and let us know a little bit about why you are seeking assistance and any steps you might have taken so far.
Make sure you are registered with a GP.
Your referral will be triaged by a member of the health and wellbeing team and a member of staff will get back to you within 5 working days for a more in-depth assessment and onward referral as necessary.
IF YOU ARE FEELING SUICIDAL OR CANNOT KEEP YOURSELF SAFE PLEASE CALL THE SAMARITANS on 116 123, ATTEND A&E OR SEE YOUR GP URGENTLY
Our sister charity the RNRMC provides money to Relate to provide free relationship counselling to serving and veteran Royal Marines, details of this can be found in the link below:
Frequently asked questions
A: It is never too late to reach out for help. You are doing it now and it might have taken you a while to realise you had an issue or to face the truth. As soon as you start to take action, you can start to feel better. Fill in the Needs Help Button, look at on-line MH tools like Headfit and see your GP if you have not done so already. Your GP should be able to refer you to TILS (specialist veteran MH service and if the wait looks too long, we will step in to provide you with treatment (see Veterans Mental Health Referral Pathway section)
A: Largely this will depend on how much you are able to put into the treatment sessions and how long you have been suffering. Sometimes long-term mental health problems require a combination of both life-style changes, a general wellness plan and specialist mental health treatment. We will work with you to look at all aspects of your wellbeing including employment and life changes so that you can recover as soon as possible
A: Yes, provided that you are ready to work with a therapist to address your core issues and that the time is right for you to undertake treatment. Sometimes it is necessary to address issues such as housing, employment, stable relationships before it is wise to embark on treatment sessions. We can discuss this with you during your assessment. Sometimes treatment which hasn’t worked in the past, can work now if it is carefully planned and you are matched to the right therapist