Page 309 - Total War on PTSD

Second, when it comes to obtaining a government job or a security clearance, the notion that seeing a mental health professional will harm your ability to get the job or clearance is absolutely false. I know the rumors because when I served in the government, I heard the same thing. The common belief was that anyone who seeks counseling in any way, shape, or form will not get through the process and, therefore, will not be granted a security clearance. Conversely, it was believed — and many continue to believe — that if you have a clearance and seek counseling or see a psychiatrist, that such action will be the basis to revoke a security clearance.
In addressing this concern, I will discuss this from the standpoint of how it impacts one’s ability to obtain — or maintain — a security clearance. For purposes of our discussion here, it does not matter if the security clearance is at the SECRET or TOP SECRET level, or that you’re being adjudicated for eligibility for access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) or Special Access Programs (SAPs). The adjudicative criterion is identical.
As most national security professionals know, the first step in obtaining a security clearance is filling out the Standard Form 86, typically on a computer program referred to as “e-QIP”. If you navigate to https://www.opm.gov/forms/ and enter SF-86 into the search bar you will be able to bring up the current SF-86 Form from the Office of Personnel Management’s website. As many of you know, there is a section entitled “Psychological and Emotional Health.” In this section the government makes the following very clear:
Mental health counseling in and of itself is not a reason to revoke or deny eligibility for access to classified information, suitability or fitness to obtain or retain Federal employment, fitness to obtain or retain contract employment, or eligibility for physical or logical access to federally controlled facilities or information systems. Seeking or receiving mental health care for personal wellness and recovery may contribute favorably to decisions about your eligibility.
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