Meet ROGER

ROGER is the Wellness Service of Stop Soldier Suicide

Innovative Care, Upgraded Approach
Beginning October 10, 2023, ROGER will be the wellness service of Stop Soldier Suicide.

Welcome to a modern era of mental wellness for the military community.

Welcome to ROGER, the wellness service of Stop Soldier Suicide.

Built exclusively for the military community, ROGER is the same innovative, suicide-specific care that SSS is known for, with a more modern approach for the veterans and service members who need our care.

Our model isn’t changing; we’ve just upgraded it into a more positive and inviting package that humanizes treatment, removes stigma from mental health, and makes care accessible without judgment or fear.

On October 10, ROGER will officially become the wellness service of Stop Soldier Suicide.

There will be no interruption of our services for veterans and service members, as client care will continue to run as normal under the Stop Soldier Suicide brand until October 10.

We knew we had a problem, and ROGER was the answer.

Leading into mid-2021, we’d received feedback from all corners of our community that the brand name Stop Soldier Suicide was creating a barrier to some veterans and service members seeking our help.

The overt mention of the word “suicide” in our brand name was a deterrent to veterans and service members who were unable to grapple with that concept.

We heard feedback from existing clients that the brand name posed a risk of them being “discovered” working with our organization if a friend or family member saw an email or heard a voicemail.

Additionally, we received strong feedback that the specific mention of the word “soldier” in our brand name indicated to many that we weren’t available to those who served in other branches of the military.

We worked for a year to bring ROGER to life. As it turns out, we were building the future.

In the initial test of ROGER, we saw a higher percentage of clients in the following key areas than we saw in the SSS client mix: high and moderate risk clients; clients in the 18-34 age demo; active duty clients; clients with combat experience; clients with PTSD or TBI diagnoses; and more.

Initial client feedback indicated that ROGER felt less like a crisis line and more like a long-term mental wellness solution—and that ROGER made it feel safer to open up without judgment or stigma associated with suicide.

At the same time, telehealth laws in the U.S. were shifting back to a pre-pandemic state, forcing us to reconsider how to operate a sub-brand at scale.

ROGER clearly resonated with the community we serve. It was too powerful to put on the shelf. We just needed a new path forward.

As we continued to build our client care infrastructure and refine our model, that path became clear: ROGER, the wellness service of Stop Soldier Suicide.

Free of stigma, free of judgment, free of charge.

We’re taking a bold new step in the fight against military suicide.

For veterans and service members in need of no-cost mental wellness support delivered via telehealth, ROGER will be only a click or call away, at StopSoldierSuicide.org/ROGER or (833) 706-1162, starting October 10.

ROGER is the same innovative suicide-specific care that SSS is known for, but in a more positive and inclusive package. This new approach will make it easier for veterans and service members who need help to seek out our service.

Welcome to a modern era of mental wellness for the military community. Welcome to ROGER, the wellness service of Stop Soldier Suicide.