KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Do you need someone to talk to about life situations or even help with stress? Do you feel that you have nowhere to turn?
Reach out. There is help right around the corner.
The Military and Family Life Counseling program is available at no-cost to active-duty service members and both Reserve Citizen Airmen and National Guard, along with their family members and survivors.
“The program is designed to support military families by providing short-term, non-medical counseling services to those facing challenges and are available at base Military and Family support centers,” said Mr. John Lowe, 81st Force Support Squadron, Airman & Family Readiness Center community readiness consultant. “We have two counselors located in the Airman & Family Readiness center, Monday – Friday. They are available to meet in the office or another set location, but they cannot meet at someone’s home.”
Everyone faces a challenge at some point in their life. Some of those challenges can include anger management, communication, relationship issues, dealing with conflict, parenting questions or challenges, and learning decision making skills.
When it comes to military service members and their families the challenges are compounded with the unique aspect of their jobs.
While military members and their families have all of the same challenges to deal with, they also have additional stressors, such as deployment stress, homesickness, relocation adjustments, reintegration, and separation. Then when it comes to a deployment they have to learn how to cope, to manage parenting and finances while a loved one is deployed, build resiliency and in some cases sadness, grief and loss.
“The counselors are master’s or doctorate-level licensed counselors, who work with the families, individuals, couples and children,” according to brochures provided by the Military and Family Life Counselor Program. They also have flexible services, augment other military support services, such as those provided by Airman and Family Readiness, and they provide services on and off base.
One off base service is the Child and Youth Behavioral-MFLC program, which has counselors located within the local school districts.
These counselors specialize in child and youth behavioral issues. The CYB-MFLCs provide support by engaging in activities with the military children, they provide behavioral interventions in classrooms and camps by assisting with setting and managing boundaries, and by being available to parents and school staff to discuss interactions with the children.
Some of the types of issues addressed by the child counselors include adjustments to a new school, a parent’s deployment and the separation, sibling and parent communication, behavioral concerns, and an important concern for children is fear, grief, and loss.
If a military parent would like their child to see one of these counselors, they only have to reach out to the MFLC office to find the nearest counselor for the school or camp their child is enrolled into.
“The counseling services provided by the MFLCs and the CYB-MFLCs are considered private and confidential,” according to the Military One Source website. “However they are required to report duty to warn situations, such as a harm to self or others and any situation involving child abuse or neglect, domestic violence and criminal activity.”
For more information on the services provided by the Military and Family Life Counseling program on Keesler Air Force Base, you can call 228-355-2065/2980, you can reach out to the installation Military and Family Support Centers or at https://supportrequest.militaryonesource.mil.