Reducing stigma around mental health issues has been a major push across the defense industry and cleared community. Changes to the SF-86 have made the form less stressful and more straightforward for many applicants, but for those new to the intelligence community or seasoned professionals, stigma remains a battle worth fighting.
The Mission for the Mind is a multi-year campaign launched by Leidos in an effort to address issues of mental health and wellbeing across their workforce and the broader national security community. Cynthia Strand, Vice President, Customer Excellence Central Intelligence Agency, Leidos, joined Security Clearance Insecurity to discuss the campaign, the importance of addressing mental health issues within the national security community, and this is a multi-year effort to get broader progress across the workforce. Strand shares resources that are available and emphasizes how Continuous Vetting helps to support the workforce and has prompted the government to be more proactive about all issues affecting the workforce. Mental health is also not an issue that’s unique to government or to those working in national security, and different groups are coming together to address mental health topics and make sure professionals get the help and resources they need without concerns for their careers.
