USS Midway Foundation grant funds suicide prevention training for financial counselors

Innovative program offered by PsychArmor and Support the Enlisted Project recognizes the connection between financial wellness and mental health

San Diego, CA - San Diego, CA - PsychArmor is pleased to announce that they are the recipient of a $50,000 Pillars of Freedom grant from the USS Midway Foundation. The funds will be directly applied to combat suicide in military communities through an innovative program offering training for financial counselors at Support the Enlisted Project (STEP) who work with U.S. service members and their families. Select trainings will also be open to service members and Veterans, their families, partner organizations, and supporters, fostering a community-wide approach to suicide prevention and financial wellness in San Diego’s military-connected community.

PsychArmor will develop a standardized training program focused on suicide prevention, particularly emphasizing the connection between financial wellness and mental health. This program will train STEP staff, volunteers, and supporters by equipping them with knowledge and tools to recognize and address suicide risk. The grant will fund two live training events and a custom training portal available to all STEP staff and volunteers.  

”At PsychArmor, we recognize the strong connection between financial wellness and mental health among military families,” says PsychArmor CEO, Dr. Tina Atherall. “We anticipate that this unique approach to suicide prevention training developed for STEP’s staff and volunteers will create a model that can be used to train other organizations, staff, and volunteers who offer financial wellness support to Veterans, service members, and their families.”

“Over the past several years, STEP has focused on learning about the strong connection between financial crises and the increased risk of suicide,” says STEP CEO Tony Teravainen. “STEP's leadership and staff are committed to facilitating a better understanding of how financial instability affects mental health. PsychArmor’s suicide prevention training allows us to turn our ideas into action.” 

 STEP is headquartered in San Diego and is focused on helping enlisted service members, veterans, and their families improve their financial well-being. Their team of social workers come alongside military families who are facing significant financial struggles and work one-on-one with them through counseling, education, and financial support to ensure that the crisis they are facing is their last. They seek to restore hope and empower families to thrive.

PsychArmor is a San Diego-based national nonprofit transforming the way our nation engages with the military and Veteran community through education and training. Their team of clinical psychologists, veterans, military, and leaders in the private and public sector offer learning from continuing education to customized training.  STEP joins more  than 200 organizations nationwide that leverage PsychArmor’s online learning to train their providers, staff and volunteers  in the specific strengths, needs and lifestyle of the military community. Of more than 100,000 PsychArmor learners surveyed since 2019, 98% indicated that they will "use what I learned" and feel the "information presented was relevant to my goals.” Additionally, 97% "learned something new as a result of this training.” 

Since 2016, the USS Midway Foundation has granted $4 million to over 130 organizations whose primary focus is improving the lives and communities of veterans, active-duty service members, and first responders.

For more information about upcoming events, please visit psycharmor.org/events.

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For media inquiries or interview requests, please contact Carole Turner at cturner@psycharmor.org.

About PsychArmor 

PsychArmor is a California nonprofit public benefit corporation providing education and support to individuals and organizations that work with, live with, and care for American service members, Veterans, and their families. For more information, go to www.psycharmor.org. 

About Support the Enlisted Project 

Support the Enlisted Project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in San Diego committed to improving financial wellness to combat food insecurity, homelessness, mental health conditions, suicide and other crises through counseling, education, and financial support for enlisted service members, Veterans, and their families. For more information, visit www.teamstepusa.org.