Former sailor Grant Khanbalinov saw plenty of heartbreak during his nearly 13 years in the Navy. But one of the hardest was when a military buddy took his own life.
“That’s the extreme importance of services like Telemynd, because we in the military community don’t have months to wait,” Khanbalinov said. “You need to be seen ASAP, and that’s how Telemynd saves lives every day.”
Telemynd is a new instrument in the mental health care toolbox, and it doesn’t come with long wait times or impersonal cookie-cutter answers. It’s a provider of telebehavioral health services for active-duty service members, retirees and their families.
It’s also TRICARE approved, meaning a service member can get a referral from their military treatment facility (MTF) and have quick access to a nationwide network of qualified therapists and prescribers, specifically chosen to meet their individual needs.
Family or dependents can get started with Telemynd right away, without any referral or authorization required. And it’s all done via secure virtual video sessions.
“I’m a Telemynd fan,” Khanbalinov said. “Having access to quality mental health care can truly be life changing if you let it.”
Extreme passion
Telemynd went national in 2020 with the East and West regions of TRICARE. From the beginning, Reuben Dickenson, Telemynd vice president of strategic partnerships, said Telemynd leadership were driven by a passion to reach the unmet needs of the military population.
“There is a mental health crisis in the military,” said Dickenson, a former Army officer. “Getting access to mental health services has always been a challenge, even pre-pandemic. It can be even more complex for military members to get help in rural or even urban areas where providers are not dedicated to the military population.”
Telemynd expedites that process, connecting patients with a provider uniquely suited to their needs and preferences. There are no impersonal questionnaires or algorithmic pairings; instead, a “care coordinator” speaks to patients to understand their situation. Dickenson described it as a “people-first approach” to therapy and other aspects of behavioral health, such as medication management.
“In this industry, we see more and more technology being used as a substitute for actual people interactions, but our team personally reviews every new request,” he said. “This is extremely beneficial because if someone is in significant need, we bring them to the best match, as quickly as possible.”
Making the most
Khanbalinov, a popular military influencer who often discusses mental health with his millions of followers, said that recognizing a need for mental health assistance isn’t as simple as base posters and pamphlets purport. It’s common for cries of help in the post-Afghanistan era to not always be obvious after a deployment.
That’s why person-to-person interaction is so crucial, he said, including talking about services like Telemynd.
“You need to say, ‘It’s OK to be hurting or feeling this way, and you don’t have to feel like an outcast,’” Khanbalinov said. “There are resources like Telemynd where you can get help.”
Once someone reaches out for help, the best way to maximize an online patient-provider relationship, he said, is through trust-building and having faith in the process. So far, it seems to be working.
With over 200K hours of mental health care delivered to military members and their families each year, 98% of Telemynd users say their needs are met and their conditions treated effectively.
“We want to assist more members of the military community, because the mental health crisis shows no sign of abating,” Dickenson said. “We want every person in the military community to know that Telemynd is an option for behavioral health services, and that we can help.”
How the process works
Once you or your family member(s) decide to speak with a Telemynd provider, here’s what happens next:
- If you’re active duty, talk to your PCM and request a referral to Telemynd. Once that is provided, you can proceed. If you’re a veteran or a family member, skip straight to the next step.
- Contact Telemynd through telemynd.com or call 1-866-991-2103.
- Your care coordinator matches you with a provider and assists with scheduling your first appointment.
- On the day of your appointment, join your virtual session to take the first step on your mental health journey.
- Book as many follow-up appointments as needed – there are no session limits for the military community.
Visit Telemynd to get access to high quality mental health care.
