Military Child Life Collective Resources & Support

Military Child Life Collective, the professional network of military-connected Child Life Specialists, is actively creating, developing, and implementing psychosocial support and solutions specific to military family life challenges and disparities. The professional scope of our practice provides us with the framework to support military families in relation to child and family development, stress, trauma, grief, loss and separation, and healthcare needs.

Areas where we focus on psychosocial support for children, youth, and families includes: 

• Child and family development, resilience, and support

• Strengthening parent-child attachment, attunement, and enjoyment through play

• Normalizing stressful situations and experiences through conversation and play

• Psychoeducation and information on stress and coping, traumatic and toxic stress, positive parenting, and pediatric and parent healthcare illness, injury, and treatment

• Psychological preparation for children with difficult life experiences and changes:

  • Caregiver separations and the deployment cycle

  • Homecoming and reintegration adjustment

  • Relocation loss with home, school, community, friends, and loved ones

  • Combat injuries, illness, and mental health needs with a parent

  • Vaccinations and well-child visits

  • Surgeries, painful procedures, and other healthcare experiences

• Grief, bereavement, and loss education and support

• Facilitation of coping skills and building self-care routines

• Normalizing the healthcare environment for your child and teen, while decreasing anxiety and fear

• Access information and advocacy for mental health and pediatric healthcare best-practice

Connecting You to Existing Resources, Foundations, and Programs

You may have heard or said it yourself that “Within the military community, it is almost like you need a resource that helps you find all the other resources.”

When it comes to resources and programs for military families, sometimes it can be difficult to locate, navigate, and utilize resources. There is redundancy because of lack of awareness, they are challenging to find, or programs need to be strengthened or reformed. We aim to collect an ongoing list of strong psychosocial programs, initiatives, foundations, policy advocates, and evidence-based practice resources for you and your family and promote them on our blog. Our collective network of Child Life students and professionals come from all walks of military life and service branches, so we can help you find exactly what you need.