New director of psychological health brings tools to Grissom Airmen Published Dec. 30, 2014 By Tech Sgt. Ben Mota 434th ARW Public Affairs GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. -- Having the right tools can make the difference between an easy job and disaster, and Grissom's new director of psychological health is a valuable asset. Erin Michael-Jolliff, 434th Air Refueling Wing director of psychological health, recently joined Grissom's staff with a tool belt full of experience and resources to assist Airmen. "Taking care of Airmen and their families' psychological health is my priority," said Michael-Jolliff, who also has a master's degree in social work. "I have several years of experience in social services including the private sector, child protective services, public health and corrections." As a team, Michael-Jolliff and Amy Little, 434th Air Refueling Wing sexual assault response coordinator and behavioral health support coordinator, will work together to ensure Grissom personnel have the resources they need. "Together, we will coordinate and collaborate to creatively meet the needs of units, individuals and families alike," said Little. "We both have our own strengths that we bring to Grissom and are excited to put our heads together to assist Grissom personnel during times of crisis." In her new role, Michael-Jolliff has the responsibility of increasing Grissom's readiness by helping Airmen and their families maximize psychological health, resilience and wellbeing. Michael-Jolliff said that she plans on using her past training and experience to help Grissom reach its highest level of readiness. "Working in social work, public health and especially corrections I experienced my share of crisis situations that required immediate attention," explained Michael-Jolliff. "In these situations people need immediate crisis management followed with possible referrals to long-term care resources." Some of the more common crisis situations Airmen and their families might experience include anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, deployment issues, relationship issues and coping with death, said Michael-Joliff. "These are crisis that can quickly spiral into worse situations without proper intervention," she added. "I hope that through outreach education and preventative services these situations can be taken care of at the lowest level possible." Grissom is home to the 434th Air Refueling Wing, the largest KC-135R Stratotanker unit in the Air Force Reserve Command, as well as three Army Reserve units. Airmen, Soldiers and Marines routinely deploy from Grissom around the world in support of the Department of Defense mission and U.S. strategic objectives. Stay connected with the 434th ARW on Facebook and Twitter.
