u/Admirable_Jicama_101

I’ve already been accepted into OTS, and I’ve been completely upfront with my recruiter about everything. He told me that what I have should be waivable, but I also know that waivers are handled on a case-by-case basis. I’m not worried about the paperwork or the process itself—I’m more just looking to see if anyone else has been through something similar and can share their experience.

I went to therapy for a total of four months, with my last session being about 34 months ago—so almost three years. In total, I had seven sessions, and the final one was just to let my therapist know I was doing really well. The reason I went was because my grandmother became very ill and nearly went septic, and around the same time, my newly adopted cat also almost died. I was living with my grandmother at the time, and I felt a lot of fear and responsibility about possibly losing her. I had never lost anyone close to me or even a pet before, so I sought therapy mainly to learn healthy grief coping skills, since my grandmother is very open about death and actually encouraged me to talk to someone in case she passed.

During that time, I was prescribed gabapentin, which is not an SSRI, and it was only meant to be taken as needed. My therapist mentioned it might take a few weeks to start working, so I probably took it for about three to four weeks just to see if it would help with my anxiety around my grandmother’s health. I didn't really use it after that. My therapist did give me a second bottle before I went back to school, in case my grandmother passed while I was away, but I never touched that one and eventually threw it away when I cleaned out my room. I’m not entirely sure what my therapist’s notes say, but I assume they mention anxiety or depression—though I want to be clear that all of it was strictly situational and tied to grief.

Before that four-month period and after it ended, I have never had any other mental health struggles. I also want to emphasize that I have never had any suicidal thoughts or thoughts of self-harm—this was purely about grief and learning to handle the emotions that came with it. None of this ever affected my schoolwork or my job. In fact, during that same time, I was working as a lifeguard and even saved a few kids from drowning, so I was still fully functioning and performing well in high-stress situations.

Since that time in my life, my grandmother has gone through chemo, I’ve had a few childhood pets pass away, and I’m currently helping one of my cats through chemo as well. I never crashed hard mentally again because I truly learned so much from therapy. I see life differently now, and I understand that grief is an unfortunate part of it. Honestly, in a way, I feel like going through that made me more suitable to wear the uniform—being able to handle grief well is such an important skill in the military, even if they might not see it that way right away.

I have no problem with needing a waiver or gathering whatever paperwork is required. If MEPS wants me to see a doctor for a current evaluation, I’d gladly do that too. My old therapist did say she would write a note in my medical records confirming that this was situational, but she couldn’t give me an official "all clear" unless I scheduled a new session with her, since we haven’t spoken in three years. I mentioned that to my recruiter, and he told me to just wait and see what the MEPS team asks for.

So my main question is—has anyone here gone through a waiver process for something like this? Specifically, situational therapy for grief, no ongoing issues, no medication in years, and a solid track record of functioning well since then? I’d really appreciate hearing any experiences or advice. Thanks in advance.

I have a question about a waiver I know I will likely need. Before I go on, I have disclosed all of this info with my recruiter and he said it is all able to be waived but I know this is case by case. For some background, I have already been accepted into OTS. My questions more are whether or not some people have experience with this situation.

I went to therapy for a total of 4 months, my last appointment was 34 months ago (almost 3 years) and it was a total of 7 sessions (the last session was to tell her I was doing very well). I went due to my grandmother falling ill (almost went septic) and my cat I just got almost died as well. I lived with my grandma at the time so I was scared that she might pass away and I felt responsible for her. I essentially went to get the skills needed for grief because I never had anyone close or any animals pass away. My grandma is very open about death so she asked me to see someone since we are very close and she might pass. My therapist did give me gabapentin (not an SSRI) just in case I needed it but it was only as needed, she told me it might take 3-4 weeks to start working so I might have taken it that long to see if it would make me feel better about my grandma, I did not really use it after that though. She did give me another bottle because I was going back to school and she thought I might need it in case my grandma passed while I was away. I did not use any of this one though and I threw it away when I was cleaning out my room shortly after. I am not sure what is on my therapist's notes but I am assuming it was stuff like anxiety and/or depression. This was all situational and was tied to grief and me trying to learn the skills for grief. Before and after those 4 months, I never had any mental health struggles.

(To be clear: I have NEVER had any suicidal thoughts or thoughts of self harm. I went strictly for grief and the feelings tied to it)

Also to add, this never effected my schooling or work, still a great student and worker. I was a lifeguard and actually saved a few kids from drowning during this time.

Since this time in my life, my grandma went through chemo, I have had a few childhood animals pass away and I am currently taking one of my cats through chemo. I never crashed that hard mentally ever again because I learned so much. I truly see life in a different way now and I understand now that unfortunately it will come with grief. To be honest, in a way I feel like this made me more suitable to wear the uniform (they might not think this). Being able to handle grief well is so important and needed in the military.

I also have no issues with needing a waiver or the paper work I might need to gather for it. Or if they need me to speak to a doctor to clear me now, I would gladly do it. My old therapist did tell me that she would write me a note in my medical documents stating this was situational but she couldn't give me an "all clear" unless I scheduled a session with her since we haven't spoke in 3 years. I told my recruiter and he said to wait to see what the MEPS team needs.

Anyone have any experience with a waiver like this?