Virtual Reality makes its debut in Navy training with a team approach to mental health

by Petty Officer 2nd Class Claire DuBois

15 August 2023 The Surface Force reached a new milestone in suicide prevention efforts, and it takes shape in a first-of-its-kind program featuring virtual reality training.

Afloat Training Group Pacific (ATGPAC) introduced the Suicide and Sexual Assault prevention program for Sailors of all rates and ranks to attend. The program is an effort to bring Sailors an interactive training solution for suicide and sexual assault prevention through interactive virtual reality (VR) training.

“It is an opportunity to put technology in the hands of sailors that they're familiar with and that's on the cutting edge,” said Cmdr. Justin Bernard, Deputy Force Chaplain assigned to Commander, Naval Surface Force Pacific. “It delivers in real time in a way that they understand the skills they need to intervene in a suicidal situation.”

The scenario-based training is designed for Sailors to learn how to have the hard conversations surrounding mental health. It provides them with tools and experiences that help them better understand what they can do in these conversations.

Though new to San Diego, the program has been in the works for a while. Chaplain Bernard was an integral part in its development. He assisted ATGPAC leadership with overseeing the initial pilot testing with the crew of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Daniel Inouye (DDG 118), homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

In the course of a week, over 200 Sailors went through both the suicide prevention and the sexual assault prevention pilot training modules. Bernard facilitated small group discussions and real-time feedback from the Sailors as they completed the training.

ATGPAC used feedback from that pilot to bring the suicide prevention module to its current state, and the sexual assault prevention module is not far behind.

Bernard immediately saw the value in this program.

“We see suicidal trends every year,” he said. “They go up and down by the year but we still lose sailors to suicide every year. I don't think that any effort is too large to try and stop that.”

The Navy currently trains Sailors for suicide prevention in lecture-style courses that lacks some practical application phases and context. The experiential learning focus of VR training aims to provide a more thorough, immersive experience on these important issues.

Bernard noted an overwhelmingly positive response from the Sailors who completed the training in its pilot phase. Cmdr. David Haile, then-commanding officer of Daniel Inouye, said the training engaged junior Sailors in particular “at a much deeper and more individual level than your standard Navy GMT PowerPoint or lecture. I’d recommend it as worth the time for the surface force, particularly for ships about to enter or just starting a maintenance availability.”

A vast majority of Daniel Inouye Sailors wanted to see this become the standard annual training method.

ATGPAC is now pursuing this initiative, as the program is introduced to ships in San Diego with the suicide prevention module in full use. The training can be completed in 30 minutes, taking Sailors from meeting someone with thoughts of suicide to having a conversation to virtually walking them to the help they need.

Bernard anticipates a positive impact on the fleet with the program’s official launch. He said the conversations that came from just the one-week pilot showed that Sailors who had not reached out before were interested in talking to Chaplains either about suicidal thoughts or just coping mechanisms for stressful situations.

“I saw an uptick in those conversations following that week,” Bernard said. “I anticipate that that's going to be the same case on these other ships.”

The VR experience is an opportunity for Sailors to not only learn, but also practice conversation tools to help their shipmates. The hands-on program develops the confidence necessary for them to act in a critical situation.

Bernard described his own experience in the training.

“You're sitting face to face in the headset with someone who is struggling with thoughts of suicide, and you're given prompts that help guide your discussion,” said Bernard. “So you're not just looking at facts on a screen, you're having a conversation with someone who could be the person in the rack next to you. It's putting flesh to that issue.”

Sailors assigned to the guided-missile cruiser USS Cowpens (CG 63) were the most recent group to go through the training.

Cowpens’ Chaplain, Lt. Joseph Frana, said, “it’s an emotional experience to be able to have a conversation with someone who is experiencing thoughts of suicide, so this hopefully will give Sailors confidence that they can do it.”

His words rang true for several participants. Gas Turbine Systems Technician (Mechanical) 3rd Class Lee Oda said he felt more confident in his ability to ask those hard questions and to prevent someone from taking their life.

Chief Electrician’s Mate Karl Macayan said, “this training made me realize that I’m more confident to actually assess this person and to intervene when someone is trying to harm themselves because I see how they’re going to react.”

Chaplain Bernard said that his vision for the training would be a drastic decrease in suicide deaths in the Navy. The training gives a team approach to suicide prevention by providing everyday Sailors with intervention skills.

“I'm hopeful and I truly believe that this is going to change the mindset of Sailors when dealing with their shipmates or their family members, or even their neighbors who are struggling with thoughts of suicide,” Bernard said. “I think it's going to put tools in their hands that really make a difference.”