Page 360 - Total War on PTSD

condition were never raised. Put another way: seeking mental health guidance is not a problem; it was the underlying factual solution that mitigated the government’s concerns.
To underscore my point, I will use a more extreme example. A few years ago, I had someone retain me who had attempted suicide on two occasions. This individual self- reported the incidents on the SF-86 because they were involuntarily hospitalized. The situation was serious and, given the facts initially disclosed, we had to go through a robust appeal for their security clearance, which we ultimately prevailed in.
So, what was the evidence we provided? Well, plenty of statements from fact witnesses who knew this person well and could attest to their mental stability. However, the critical evidence came from two medical professionals: a clinical psychiatrist and a licensed clinical social worker. The clinical psychiatrist provided a letter detailing the length they provided psychological services for this individual, the treatment plan, and evidence showing that my client was following the treatment plan to a “T”. The licensed clinical social worker did the same, and even provided some details about the counseling sessions. All of this evidence — proof that my client was seeing these medical professionals — was what we needed to show that she was trustworthy and possessed good judgment, meriting access to classified information (i.e., getting a security clearance).
I use the above example because it is an extreme example — and things worked out for the client. When it comes to mental health, the U.S. Government saying that seeking help will not be held against you is true; these are not mere words they’re batting about. Our nation has been “at war” for many years and people need to see
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