Military and Family Life Counseling – The Essentials

The Military and Family Life Counseling Program supports service members, their families and survivors with non-medical counseling worldwide. Trained to work with the military community, military and family life counselors deliver valuable face-to-face counseling services, briefings and presentations to the military community both on and off the installation.

Here are the essentials:

Issues addressed

Confidential non-medical counseling addresses issues such as improving relationships at home and work, stress management, adjustment difficulties, parenting, and grief or loss. It does not address active suicidal or homicidal thoughts, sexual assault, child abuse, domestic violence, alcohol and substance abuse, or serious mental health conditions.

Relevant Article:

• The Military and Family Life Counseling Program

Relevant Resource:

• Military and Family Life Counseling Program Brochure

Confidentiality

Non-medical counselors can be trusted to keep your information private. However, they are required to report situations where you could be a danger to yourself or to others, situations involving domestic violence or violence against another person, child abuse or neglect, and any present or future illegal activity.

Relevant Article:

• The Military and Family Life Counseling Program

Relevant Resources:

• Non-medical Counseling Webinar
• Non-medical Counseling Brochure
• Non-medical Counseling Fact Sheet
• Military and Family Life Counseling Program Brochure

Child and youth behavioral counselors

Child and youth behavioral military and family life counselors are available to meet with military children and their families to discuss self-esteem issues, relationships at home and school, behavioral issues, and changes at home such as deployment, reunion, divorce and grief. Child and youth behavioral counselors also support camps that create a safe and fun environment where children and teens can learn how to put their military-life strengths to use in their everyday lives.

Relevant Articles:

• Child and Youth Behavioral Military and Family Life Counselors
• Military and Family Life Counseling Program’s Child and Youth Camps

Relevant Resources:

• Child and Youth Behavioral Military and Family Life Counseling Program Overview – Brochure
• Military and Family Life Counseling Program Brochure

Eligibility

Military and family life counseling services are available to active-duty service members and their family members, National Guard and reserve service members (regardless of activation status) and their family members, designated Department of Defense expeditionary civilians and their family members, and survivors.

Relevant Article:

• Military and Family Life Counseling Program

Relevant Resource:

• Military and Family Life Counseling Program Brochure

Briefings and presentations

Adult military and family life counselors offer briefings and presentations for service members and their families in addition to in-person, confidential non-medical counseling. Explore the wide range of topics available through the Military and Family Life Counseling Program, such as anger management, assertiveness training, deployment survival, grief and loss, building healthy marriages, reintegration, and stress management.

Relevant Article:

• The Military and Family Life Counseling Program

Relevant Resources:

• Military OneSource Program Booklet
• Military and Family Life Counseling Program Brochure
• Adult Military and Family Life Counseling Presentation Library

How to access support

To access military and family life counselors, contact Military OneSource at 800-342-9647, or if you’re overseas or OCONUS, view calling options. You may also contact your installation’s Military and Family Support Center. To access a child and youth behavioral military and family life counselor, you may contact a child development center, installation-based youth or teen center, an installation public school, your child’s military youth summer camp, or the commander or unit training point of contact.