Blog posts with the tag "Military Families"

Staff Perspective: Military Families with Children Who Have Special Needs

By Jessica Strong  on 26.03.2025 9:27 am
Dr. Jessica Strong

As a military spouse, mother of three extraordinary military children, and researcher on military families, I know military families and children are resilient. Like many other military families, our story includes cross-country and global moves, navigating the emotional terrain of multiple deployments, making friends and moving away from them, and growing through it all. However, personally and through my research, I also know that resilience isn't an innate characteristic; it's a dynamic quality that is carefully cultivated.

Staff Perspective: Never An Even Split

By Kristyn Heins  on 11.02.2025 10:54 am
Kristyn Heins, Ph.D.

When you’ve decided to officially share a life with someone, maybe through marriage, civil union, common law, or any other way, you may go into it with the assumption this is 50/50. This is a partnership where together we will put effort into building a life we love. Few of us have an outright conversation about expectations and roles, we just think, “I love this person and they love me and we will figure out our own way”.

Staff Perspectives: SOARing into the Future: How Research Can Support Military Teens

By Allison Hannah  on 27.11.2024 10:59 am

Certain mottos stick with us from the moment we begin learning life skills. For me, one of the earliest was "be prepared," a principle I carried from my days as a Girl Scout into my military career. This motto emphasizes the importance of readiness and adaptability, key components of resilience.

Staff Perspective: “Kids Don’t Come with Handbooks” – Helping Parents Build Resiliency in Their Children

By Brian Ludden  on 13.11.2024 10:15 am
Brian Ludden

At the beginning of my career as a mental health counselor, I worked primarily in school and community-based settings, focusing on the struggles and stressors experienced by military-connected students and their families. The work I did with young people was related to typical school-aged concerns, ranging from the mostly innocuous worries about an upcoming test or the severe struggles with bullying, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and grief and loss. While working in the school system as a Military-Connected Student Support Specialist under a Department of Defense Educational Activities (DoDEA) grant, I had the opportunity to attend the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) Annual Conference for several years.

Staff Perspective: Using Project ECHO® to Address the Needs of Military-Connected Youth

By Andrea Israel  on 01.05.2024 9:59 am
Dr. Andrea Isreal

There have been several points in my career where I was the sole (or sole pediatric) provider in a particular area. I remember those periods with a mixture of emotions: gratitude for the opportunity to serve those in need coupled with concern that I lacked geographically close colleagues or referral options for my patients. Consultation with colleagues (usually far away) was a lifeline and a way to ensure I offered the best evidence-based care I could, especially when patients were on long waitlists for referrals to other specialists who needed to be involved in their care. Nonetheless, at times I felt like I was operating within the echo chamber of my mind (pun intended).

Pages