My name is not important. What is important is what I represent: a multitude of passionate psychologists, like myself, eager to serve our country. I am a soldier striving to serve as a psychological support to my fellow brothers and sisters in uniform, to alleviate the surge in demand for behavioral health services within our ranks.

Our country's military personnel face unique challenges, both on and off the battlefield. At any given time, an estimated 20% of veterans suffer from anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), according to the National Council for Behavioral Health. These numbers highlight the dire need for more profuse and readily available mental health support within the military.

Yet, current regulations hinder dedicated psychologists like myself from obtaining a direct commission into the military. The roadblocks in place are unnecessary, reducing the number of mental health professionals available to those who need it most: our soldiers.

By eliminating these regulations, we could expeditiously augment the number of licensed psychologists serving within the military. These professionals are desperately needed to assist our soldiers in navigating through their unique set of challenges.

We, the military's psychologists, are willingly standing on standby, ready to serve. All we ask is to be given the opportunity to aid our fellow soldiers and to contribute in enhancing the mental well-being of our military forces.

Let's enact change today, for the betterment of our military's mental health services tomorrow. Please sign this petition urging the Department of Defense to allow direct commissions of licensed psychologists into the military services.