Operation Reach Out vs Mindfulness Coach

OPERATION REACH OUT is designed to: Encourage people to reach out for help when they are having suicidal thoughts. Help those who are concerned about family members, spouses, or fellow service members who may be suicidal. Provide a personal contact help center. Provide activities to help people who are depressed stay connected to others. Operation Reach Out is part of MCA-D’s effort to provide timely and effective support and guidance for military families. Note: Due to the severity of the topic, this app contains many videos segments and may take up extra memory and time to download. Video must be downloaded while connected by wifi. FEATURES INCLUDE: HELP CENTER Users are prompted to enter phone number for people who will respond in a time of crisis. The help Center comes pre-loaded with phone numbers for suicide prevention hotlines and it is then customizable by each individual user. HELP FOR SUICIDAL PEOPLE 12 Compelling video vignettes explain important facts, such as: You problems can be treated. There are other solutions. Suicidal crises are almost always temporary. Your problems are rarely as great as they appear. HELP FOR PEOPLE TRYING TO PREVENT SUICIDE 10 Compelling video vignettes explain what to do, and not do, when a person is talking about suicide, such as: Don’t be afraid to ask tough questions. Find out if the person is drunk or has overdosed on drugs. Remove any potentially harmful objects. Make sure the suicidal person understands that help is available.

Mindfulness means noticing and paying attention to what is going on in the present moment, without passing judgment on it. Mindfulness has been shown to be effective for reducing stress, improving emotional balance, increasing self-awareness, helping with anxiety and depression, and coping more effectively with chronic pain. Mindfulness Coach 2.0 was developed to help Veterans, Service members, and others learn how to practice mindfulness. The app provides a gradual, self-guided training program designed to help you understand and adopt a simple mindfulness practice. Mindfulness Coach also offers a library of information about mindfulness (for example “What is Mindfulness?”, “How to Anchor Your Attention”), 12 audio-guided mindfulness exercises and a growing catalog of additional exercises available for free download, goal-setting and tracking, a mindfulness mastery assessment to help you track your progress over time, customizable reminders, and access to other support and crisis resources. Mindfulness Coach is free, doesn’t take or share any of your personal information, and doesn’t require add-on purchases. Mindfulness Coach was created by VA’s National Center for PTSD.