Deployment is tough! FOCUS can help

A military family finds FOCUS during a time of growing pains. This post explores how FOCUS became one of the best things they have ever done.

When I first heard about FOCUS I was thrilled to hear about a program that will help my family. I heard the program is geared towards military families and the challenges they face. I made the first step and contacted them so they could help my family as we had been going through some growing pains.

I was assigned a FOCUS counselor and I had my first one on one. She wanted to hear about my family’s growing pains. We discussed topics about my children’s unique personalities and how military life has affected us. This session helped our counselor come up with a program specific for my family needs. Our goal was to find a way to support my family’s emotional needs through the separation.

One of the first lessons I learned was I need to listen to my children more. My children struggled with the military sending their dad away for long periods of time. She reassured me that this behavior was normal in children. Our counselor met with each of my kid’s one on one and got to know them on a personal level. She introduced them to the “Feeling Thermometer and “Feelings Fox”. I was in awe of how quickly my kids started to use these tools when communicating with me.

Being the parent on the Homefront, the FOCUS program was so valuable to me. My counselor was there to hear about my stressors and apprehensions. She provided me with tools that would help calm me down when addressing important topics with my children. I felt supported and knew that my family’s best interest were being looked out for.

Deployment for my family is tough. The tools and knowledge we received from FOCUS has helped my family with continued deployments. This program really has helped my family communicate and feel safe when talking openly. The FOCUS program is the best thing my family has done.

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