Confidential mental and and behavioral health care that works around recruiting duty. Not the other way around.
Real support. No command involvment. No cost. No catch.
Marine recruiting duty is one of the most demanding assignments in the Corps. Long hours, geographic isolation, constant production pressure, and time away from family take a real toll, and reporting has increasingly pointed to elevated rates of stress, burnout, and mental health crisis among Marine recruiters specifically.
Project Marine HARBOR was built to meet that need directly. It offers confidential support for burnout, anxiety, depression, relationship and family strain, alcohol or substance use concerns, and the general weight of trying to hold it all together. Support is available before things reach a crisis point, not just during or after.
This isn't a replacement for existing resources like Military OneSource, chaplain support, or military treatment facilities. It's both a preventive measure and a bridge, built specifically around the realities of recruiting duty, so recruiters can get help without the barriers that normally get in the way.
How It Works
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Contact us directly- no referral, no paperwork through the command. No one else needs to know unless you decide so. This is entirely your call.
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We’ll set up a first conversation (about 90 minutes) to understand what’s going on, the stress, the pressure, and whatever’s weighing on you. This isn’t a form to fill out. It’s a conversation to figure out what kind of support actually makes sense for you.
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You will have access to three types of support: individual therapy, marriage and family counseling, and substance use counseling. After your first conversation, we work together to figure out which of these fit your situation, whether that’s one, two, or all three, and how your sessions should be divided between them. Most plans run 8 to 12 sessions total, and you’ll have up to four months from your first appointment to use them.
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Sessions can happen at the RSS, on a walk-and-talk at a local park, in a private space at a local library or coffee shop, by telehealth, or another spot that works for you. Evenings and weekends included. Just let us know what day, time, and general area works, and we’ll take care of finding a location that’s convenient for your schedule and keeps things private.
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The goal is to wrap up in a few months with tools that actually stick. And if you need more support than this program offers, we’ll get you connected to that support. No dead ends.
What We Can Help With
Burnout and compassion fatigue. Anxiety and stress that won't let up, including the kind that comes from constant mission pressure. Panic attacks. Depression. Trauma and PTSD. Suicidal thoughts or feelings. The moral weight of decisions that don't sit right with you. Relationship or marital strain, including the strain that builds when the job never really turns off. Family conflict. Alcohol or substance use concerns. Trouble sleeping. Difficulty separating work from the rest of your life. The fear of failing, or the fear of what failing might cost you. The weight of carrying it all.
If any of this sounds familiar, this program is for you.
Who We Are
JENNIFER HONAN
MSW, LGSW
Program Director & Lead Clinician
Jennifer is the founder and primary clinician for Project Marine HARBOR. She is a Marine Corps veteran and former Marine recruiter who built this program around what she wishes had existed when she was on recruiting duty herself. She's a Licensed Graduate Social Worker in Minnesota, practicing under clinical supervision toward independent licensure.
Alongside this program, Jennifer works as a behavioral crisis responder for the City of Minneapolis through its 911 crisis response system, responding directly to people in the middle of a mental health crisis. She also works with individuals recently released from incarceration and with youth, which has shaped how she approaches meeting people exactly where they are, without judgment.
LUKE CAMPBELL
MA, LAMFT
Marriage & Family Therapist
Luke provides relationship and family support for Project Marine HARBOR participants. He is an Army veteran with deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Djibouti. Luke serves as Administrative Supervisor with the Bloomington Police Department for the Bloomington Community Brain Health Services program that provides free mental health treatment and services to Bloomington residents.
Additionally, Luke owns and operates his own private mental health practice, supports law enforcement and veterans through his nonprofit work, and serves as a Crisis Negotiator with the Bloomington Police Department Emergency Response Unit. His experience working alongside high stress, mission driven professions gives him a grounded understanding of what recruiters carry, both at work and at home.
DANIEL HANSON
MA, MSW, LICSW
Clinical Supervisor
Dan Hanson provides clinical supervision and case consultation for Project Marine HARBOR. He is a Marine Corps veteran who served from 2003 to 2007 with 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines. One of Dan’s biggest contributions to helping others has been his inherent ability to spread awareness to those struggling after separating from the military. He currently works as a social worker for the VA’s Suicide Prevention Team.
Dan is a huge advocate for veterans and has spoken nationally on his personal testimony including testifying in front of the U.S. Senate in 2010 and the U.S Congress in 2011. Having lost a brother to suicide shortly after getting out of the Marine Corps, Dan has worked diligently to spread the message of hope, as well as raise awareness for suicide prevention.
We don’t assume WE know what’s best for you. YOU do. We’re just here to help you find your way to it. You’re the expert on your life and your needs.
We’re not people you need to watch your language or be professional around. Be yourself.
We’re not going to hand you worksheets that were written for folks with a nine to five office job and call it a coping strategy. We understand what recruiting duty actually looks like.
We’re not going to make you explain military or recruiting culture from scratch before we can help you. Some of us have lived it. All of us have done the work to understand it.
We’re not going to tell you there’s only one right way to work on something like drinking. We believe in harm reduction and meeting you where you’re at. Not where a textbook says you should be.
We’re not connected to your command. What you tell us stays with us unless you dictate otherwise.
And Who We Are NOT…
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. Absolutely. In fact, this is when this program is most useful. You don’t need to wait until things feel unmanageable. Support is often most effective before stress builds into something bigger, and reaching out early is never premature.
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Any Marine recruiter serving at a metro Recruiting Substation under RS Twin Cities. That includes RSS Bloomington, RSS Roseville, RSS Burnsville, and RSS Coon Rapids.
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No. Participation is voluntary and confidential, and it’s not reported to your command, included in fitness for duty evaluations, or shared with anyone conducting a security clearance investigation. Seeking support here is treated the same as any private healthcare decision.
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This program operates outside your military medical record, so nothing about your participation, attendance, or what you discuss in sessions is added to your official file. That said, your records still belong to you. If you ever want a copy for a VA disability claim, you can request one at any time by signing a release of information.
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Yes, with a few limits required by law for any licensed clinician. We have to break confidentiality if there’s an imminent risk of harm to you or someone else, suspected abuse or neglect of a child or vulnerable adult, or a court order. Outside of those situations, what you share stays with your clinician. The command will never receive information about who is participating, what you talked about, or how many sessions you’ve attended.
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Yes. If your treatment plan includes marriage and family therapy, your spouse or family member can join or use those sessions. This program is built around your treatment plan, so it’s not a separate, standalone service for family members. It’s a part of the coordinated support built around what you need.
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We’ll help you get there. If at any point any of the clinicians determine that you need a higher level or longer term care, we’ll help connect you to the right resource. This could mean ongoing long term therapy, more intensive treatment, or a higher level of substance use care.
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Extensions are possible and evaluated and based on funding availability. If you and your clinicians agree that more time would help, we’ll do what we can within the program’s funding to make that happen.
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That’s entirely your choice. Participation is voluntary from start to finish. You can pause, slow down, or stop at any time. No explanation required and no consequences. We just ask that you don’t ghost us and communicate your desire to stop with us directly.
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Right now, funding covers in-person support at the local Metro substations, since we believe in-person care tends to be the most effective. If you're outside that area but still part of RS Twin Cities, reach out anyway. We may not be able to provide care right away, but hearing from you helps us show there's a need to expand. That's often exactly what it takes to open up funding to grow this program further.
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Not at this time. The Marine Corps is the only branch where there is a demonstrated need for this kind of support among recruiters, which is why the pilot starts here. If it proves successful, the goal is to expand it to other branches and other areas. For now, this is specifically for Marine recruiters serving at metro recruiting substations at RS Twin Cities.
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Nothing comes out of your pocket or gets billed through Tricare. This program has been generously funded by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 246. So there’s no cost to you for sessions, assessments, or any part of your care within the program.
How Do I Get Started?
If you’re interested in support for yourself or would like to refer someone, fill out the contact form or email us at referrals@marineharbor.org
Once we receive your inquiry, we’ll reach out to learn more about your needs, answer any questions, and discuss next steps.