As a navy spouse, I am very familiar with the trials of separation and reunification, new sets of duty orders, geographic changes, multiple deployments, starting over, letting go, the challenges related to experiencing the unknown, learning that a loved one may be an exceptional family member, and the factors that could separate a family for a while. The military lifestyle places unique demands and stresses on the family. Everyone is impacted.
Children
Children may be adjusting to what it now means to have one parent absent. Children may also have to start a new school because of a move, make new friends, and mourn the loss of the friends they had. Children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development may also be observed to be impacted by a variety of possibilities (e.g., genetics, developmental changes, environmental exacerbations) over the course of the family’s military career.
Children can benefit from counseling where they are able to explore, at their own pace, the many thoughts, feelings, and experiences that they are going through. I use a variety of treatment modalities to help children develop an emotional vocabulary, problem solve, communicate, navigate the world around them, and feel more confident and proud in their identity as a military child. These modalities may include play therapy, art therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, insight oriented and solution focused frameworks, and social skills instruction.
Navy Spouses
Navy spouses may be coping with what it means to start over, or to now function in a single parent role, or learning what it means to spend quality time on their own again. Some military spouses may not feel like they can connect with other spouses. Individual therapy can help spouses express and process the challenges, reflect on their personal strengths and resources, help them identify how they wish to invest their time once again on their own, aid in improving their coping skills, and facilitate a process where one can discover how to reach their fullest potential.
Counseling may also help navy spouses cultivate a sense of personal pride as they learn how to grow with the transitions, roll with the changes, and thrive.
Service Members
Service members are pulled in many directions as they work towards meeting command expectations for operational readiness. They may be required to work long hours, and are trying to manage the desires of their family too. They carry the weight of what they are requested to do and may be the bearer of difficult news. Service members are challenged to cope with the world they are temporarily moving away from and have to learn how to function well during long stretches away from the ones they love.
Service members may also be contemplating major transitions such as voluntary separation, promotion, and/or retirement. Counseling can be a safe, quiet space to troubleshoot areas of concern, to strengthen one’s body armor, and to learn how to keep the moving parts of one’s life (e.g., work, family, personal time, rest, recreation) better balanced.