STACK UP OVERWATCH PROGRAM
MISSION
An initiative to bring awareness to suicide prevention and promote positive mental health.
“Veterans are our Mission. Gaming is our Passion.” is the Stack Up mission that serves as the common thread which brings veterans and civilian supporters together through a shared love of video gaming.
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At Stack Up, we recognize that PTSD, depression, and emotional distress affect millions of individuals and are a leading cause of isolation and suicide within our community. The Stack Up Overwatch Program (StOP) is designed to watch over our community and provide critical support through round-the-clock access to a team of trained and certified crisis management volunteers.
To learn more, check out our Press Release and Polygon Interview.
24/7/365 SERVICE
Our StOP Squad is trained and certified specifically to assist in crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and issues concerning the mental health of those in current or previous military duty and civilians. Through Discord, you have 24 hour a day access to passionate members of our StOP Squad who are ready to assist you with gaining mental health resources, support services, therapeutic resources, financial resources, and to be present if you simply need someone to talk to or game with. The Stack Up StOP Squad understands that transitioning from active-duty to civilian life can bring on persistent mental health issues and hardships in the life of active-duty military personnel, veterans, and civilians connected to our community. All Squad members will be HIPAA certified so you can be assured that all matters discussed are kept private and in strict confidence between you and the member you are communicating with.
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Active-duty military face extraordinary pressure in the line of duty, but after service is over another challenge begins. It is okay to want to be healthy and to seek help when you are facing troubling times, feeling a lack of purpose or will to persevere, or simply need a safe space to talk and revitalize your mental health. Our StOP Squad is a ready and acting extension of the Stack Up family, born out of the specific need to support you through any point of your journey, to provide continued support, and to connect you with resources that support your mental health needs in a positive, healing light.
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NOTE: Services offered by Stack Up or the members of the StOP Squad are intended to advocate and educate and should not be construed as a medical or psychiatric consultation. You must be 18+ in order to receive StOP services.
If you are in crisis or just need someone to talk to, reach out to our StOP team by typing ”@StOP Team” in The Overwatch Program chat below.
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New to Discord? Learn more here.
TESTIMONIALS
As a veteran I struggled to come to terms with being back. Feeling like I was stuck between two lives. Military. And civilian. Running into Stack Up at PAX East was a surprise. They felt like family. From there I learned about their efforts to help veterans and active duty service members. All over the globe It is truly inspirational, and I am proud to be a part of their community. The aid they give is truly beyond measure. Both publicly and behind the scenes.
I can immediately hop on [Discord] and have a conversation with them and game with them. And it’s always easier to talk to someone digitally or through an avatar, than it is sometimes to in person… Especially when you have this warrior mentality that you know you’re supposed to be the big tough guy, no one is supposed to see you cry, you never show weakness because you have this idea that when you weakness that’s it, the enemy has won.
The games are what we use to connect on a base level, but there is so much more that stands behind what they do on Discord… You guys have been able to utilize this service that so many of us love so much… that so many people connect on… and then try and help someone who is possibly going through the worst times of their life.
OVERWATCH TEAM
The Overwatch Program is led by Zach Kenny (U.S. Coast Guard RET.). In partnership with PsychArmor and the American Association of Suicidology, the StOP Team has been trained under a curriculum tailored for the specific needs and nature of circumstances that our Stack Up community members face. Each team member has passed an intensive scenario-based, crisis-intervention practical evaluation and is HIPAA trained and certified.
Zach Kenny
Overwatch Program Manager
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StOP STAFF
All those who are named have conducted an estimated 32 hours of training. This includes 15 online modules of specialized training with PsychArmor, 6 Oral Reviews where staff are placed into simulated scenarios, including preceptor and proctor, with increasingly difficult scenarios as they progress though towards their six reviews. Their training concludes with taking an online HIPAA course and earning their certification. StOP Staff who have completed this training have a [StOP] tag to the right of their name in chat.
PROGRAM PARTNERS
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