San Diego is a Military town! So many of us San Diegans are connected directly or indirectly to one of our amazing Service Members and Veterans. At Healthy Connections Counseling Center, we take supporting our Military Service Members, Veterans and their families very seriously. Many of us have personal experiences with military life. Many of us also have extensive professional experience working with the needs of Service Members, Veterans and their families.
There are a lot of unique struggles that make it difficult to feel connected when you are in the military. Moving every 2-3 years, having to say goodbye to neighbors and friends at school, and get use to a new location. Deployments are often full of challenges for service members, their spouses and their children. Deployments can mean 6-18 months away from their husband or wife. Service members are often in an unknown or unsafe location. For the entire military family, it means adjusting to a new normal of single-parenting, lack of support, countdown calendars and an empty chair at the dinner table. When the service member finally returns, even that can take some adjustment and time to get settled in again. Transitioning from Active Duty to Veteran life can be challenging.
Trauma also greatly affects many Service Members and their families. Trauma can happen on deployments. Trauma can also occur for any member of the family while at home. Without help processing these traumas, reintegration can be more difficult.
Being a part of a military family is always a balancing act. Sometimes, “the job” must come first, and other times family is the top priority. But at the end of the day, when a service member joins the military, their family joins with them. Service members, military spouses and military kids all understand that this life comes with unique challenges and scary moments. It means that Service Members and their families must work together so that the Service Member can fulfill the oath they made to defend our country and our people. Healthy Connections Counseling Center thanks you for your service and we are here to help with any concerns you might be having