Military families face significant challenges and stressors related to deployment and
redeployment. As a caregiver, leader or counselor to military families, identify and describe two
such challenges and stressors related to military families, and discuss potential resiliency and
biblical/spiritual resources that you would recommend to military families to address the issues
you identified. Feel free to focus on either active or reserve components, but identify which
component you are addressing.
All humans desire to be seen, to be understood, to be heard and loved and valued for who
they are. This is especially true in marriages, where both sides need to feel as though that all the
things they are dealing with, all the highs and lows, all the victories and failures, emotional and
mental and physical, are viewed through the lens of understanding.
It has been documented that the most common, most profound feelings being stirred
during the pre-deployment stage are that of denial, fear, anger, resentment, and hurt (Counseling
Military Families Book, pg 154) due to the family member in the military pulling away prior to
deployment. While it may be true that the military family member is merely drawing themselves
into a state of preparation, the non-military family member sees this as withdrawal as they, as it
has been said, “anticipate loss” (Serving Military Families book, pg 60 . These leads to a broken)
sense of the relationship since it is happening right when both thought the complete opposite
