Resilience in Response to Occupational Stress
What is resiliency? For Coast Guard service members, resilience isn't just a buzzword - it's a daily practice, tested in real time. The Coast Guard defines it as "the ability to anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to changing conditions while withstanding, responding to, and recovering rapidly from disruptions through adaptability, innovation, and preparedness."
Many Coast Guard members may find it hard to keep stress levels low due to the nature of their particular jobs.
For example, Coast Guard boat crews battle some of the roughest conditions in the line of duty; violent waves smashing into vessels, high winds, and torrents of rain. These are all too common during search-and-rescue missions, evacuation procedures, and other dangerous operations.
Coast Guard men and women willingly run toward danger to save lives and keep others from harm. But physical courage is only part of the equation. The emotional weight of what they witness - and endure - demands an equally powerful kind of strength.
Coast Guard units all over the U.S. and its territories have developed programs to foster resiliency in a community-centered environment within their own units. This work is often led by chaplains, with dedicated support available for service members and their families alike.
The programs are as varied as the people they serve. One of the most impactful tools is Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST), which equips Coast Guard service members to be informed listeners for crewmates who need someone to confide in. Watch this video to learn more.
Chaplains lead marriage and relationship workshops to keep couples connected during hard times and offer counseling sessions for those navigating personal challenges.
Some outdoor recreation workshops get Coast Guard members out on group team building trips to help them get a sense of power back after tragic events through the application of resiliency concepts to real-world scenarios.
Others build community and belonging through group or buddy strength training, drawing on peer support principles like those used in the Coast Guard's "Battle Buddy" model - a concept that has led service members to proactively seek help and connect with one another during times of crisis.
People are far from one-dimensional, and so are the pathways to staying afloat when life’s currents threaten to drag them under. They need to know that there is a way forward, and they won’t walk it alone. With resources like those provided by the Coast Guard Foundation, they never will.
This is where the support of Coast Guard Foundation donors is crucial. The Coast Guard Foundation raises funds for morale and resilience initiatives that are established by and for the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard Foundation partners with the Coast Guard Chaplain’s office in several mental health and wellness initiatives. In 2025 alone, we funded 58 chaplain-led programs that reached more than 7,100 Coast Guard members and their families.
These programs created meaningful moments of connection, reflection, and support at units all around the U.S. From suicide prevention training and marriage enrichment to unit-based resiliency experiences and spiritual fitness events, these programs met people where they serve and live.
Every one of these programs and initiatives is made possible with the support and generosity of donors who understand the value of resilience as a personal skill, and the need for it to be taught as a community effort in a team-based environment such as the Coast Guard.
Title image: Petty Officer 2nd Class Will Naden, a boatswain's mate at Station Apra Harbor, gives a safety brief to Department of Defense personnel in Sumay Cove, Guam. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Warrant Officer Sara Muir).
