Readiness for the National Guard isn’t focused only on gaining physical endurance for deployment. It’s also about being mentally fit to deal with the day-to-day stressors that figure into balancing work and home life, especially for those men and women who have enlisted in the Active Guard Reserve (AGR).

A couple years ago, Major Stephan Baker and Saint Louis Counseling forged a partnership, educating men and women in the Missouri Army National Guard about mental health and what to do when mental and emotional issues hit the front lines of daily living. What evolved from that collaboration was a new awareness and openness about mental-health conditions. In fact, due in large part to Major Baker’s efforts to strengthen the Guard’s mental-health programs, Missouri is now one of the top states to deploy AGR soldiers because of their physical and mental readiness for reporting for duty. In this week’s “Mental Health Matters,” Major Baker shares his own insights and opinions with Executive Director Tom Duff, MSW, LCSW about the Guard’s mental-health programs and how they ensure a first line of defense to the ready citizen Soldiers, who defend and serve the people of Missouri and the U.S.