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White Paper: Joining Forces

Lexie Geltman

Attallah College of Educational Studies, Chapman University

CSP 512: Advanced Counseling

Dr. Maupin and Professor Olaya

12 May 2023
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Students in military families face instability within every deployment stage and fear

losing their guardians. Within deployment, there are five major stages: pre-deployment,

deployment (sustainment), rest and relaxation (R&R), reunion, and reintegration (Pisano, 2017).

Pre-deployment is the stage where the families prepare for the soldier to be deployed. Military

children gain independence, maturity, and family connection during this emotional and physical

stage. Meanwhile, in the deployment stage, families may relocate or face economic instability.

However, deployment can offer positive outcomes for children due to them taking on new family

roles and building community in their new location. Rest and Relaxation (R&R) is a stage that

occurs halfway through the deployment cycle and happens before their family member returns

home. Due to this heightened emotional time, it is vital to have open conversations to redefine

roles in the family dynamic once the soldier returns (Pisano, 2017). The reunion stage is a happy

time for families because the soldier comes home and reunites with their loved ones.

Nevertheless, reunion can bring challenges like combat stress or adjustment disorders. Once the

family readjusts, they enter the reintegration process, where the soldier is fully integrated into the

family unit. Reintegration brings consistent routine back into the family’s life, evolving into

newfound maturity for military children.

When an individual gets deployed, it creates a ripple effect that impacts their children's

emotional state, and school practitioners need to be aware of the best practices to work with

these children (Pisano, 2017). Over a million military families have experienced the stress from

deployment from 9/11(McFarlane, 2009), significantly impacting the family unit's daily

functioning and mental health. In California, there are nearly 32 military bases and families

within each of them. Gibbs and colleagues found that child maltreatment increased during

deployment, and neglect was twice as high as at another stage (2007). For example, when a
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parent is in sustainment, they may be physically present but mentally struggling with Post-

Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or severe anxiety regarding deployment. Furthermore,

military children experience significantly higher diagnoses of anxiety, stress, and emotional and

behavioral disorders than the national average (Gorman & Formal, 2010). In addition, military

children move schools on average, relocating three times more often than their peers (Johnson &

Ling, 2012). Thus, making it challenging to foster strong peer relationships and feel connected to

their school campus.

The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) states that students from

military families are at increased risk for numerous adverse outcomes and home instability, such

as poor academic achievement, high rates of anxiety during deployment, and are at risk for drop-

out due to constant changing school sites due to relocations (Rossen & Carter, n.d). At the NASP

Convention 2023, the lead coordinator of the Supporting Military Families Interest group urged

future school psychologists to take note of these families because of their risk for abuse, neglect,

and mental health conditions. If school psychologists and mental health professionals do not take

action, military families will succumb to depression, and rates of abuse/neglect will drastically

increase (Gorman & Formal, 2010).

Proposed Solutions

The MTSS is the most vital model for helping military students, as they need varying

levels of support depending on the nature of each case. School psychologists are at the epicenter

when screening or assessing military children for mental health concerns or adjustment

disorders. They often implement school-wide measures and evidence-based practices and

advocate for supportive learning environments (Hagans, n.d.). Thus, when implementing the

MTSS framework, school psychologists play a vital role. MTSS is “a framework for delivering
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practices and systems for enhancing academic and behavior outcomes for all students” (OSEP

Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, 2015, p. 8)

through an evidence-based tiered continuum of practices for prevention and implementation

science (Freeman et al., 2017). This white paper will specifically address how to tailor the MTSS

model for military students.

Tier 1

Schools with a high military population, defined as 400 or more military students in their

district or 3% of their population, are eligible for an Impact Aide through the United States

Department of Education and the United States Department of Defense (U.S. DoD, 2008).

However, school systems do not have indicators that a child is from a military background.

Identification is imperative for serving military-connected students to accurately measure one’s

number of military students on campus (De Pedro et al., 2014). Based on the number of military

students on campus determines the grant funding awarded to them. Identifying military children

is vital in supporting their needs and adversities within the school system.

In California specifically, schools can apply to become a California Purple Star school

which requires schools to meet specific requirements. These requirements include centralizing

knowledge for military families, developing support networks at school, and enacting culturally

responsive practices for military families. Once the requirements are met, educators can apply

for their site to become a Purple Star School and be placed on a list for military families to

reference. This list identifies schools where military children are welcome and safe, with the

support in place to meet their needs. The Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) is the

number one website that assists schools with the Purple Star Process (Military Child, 2023) and

lists several publications about best practices for working with this population. Columbia
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University Researchers studied the effect of implementing the Purple Star Program in schools

and found statistically significant data. After identifying schools as Purple Star Schools

researchers found that 77% percent of schools report that the program has had a “positive” or

“very positive” impact on the school (Columbia University, 2021). These findings support

military students through campus and community involvement, improving overall well-being

during deployment.

When military children move schools, transferring records and adjusting to new school

climates can be a tedious process. The Department of Education stated that the average military

child moves schools 6-9 times from the time they’re in kindergarten until high school graduation

(Ruff & Keim 2014). In addition, there are several transitional barriers with school records when

changing school sites which cause emotional distress among military families (Sherman &

Glenn, 2011). To address the transitional barriers for military children’s school records and

readjustments, the MCEC created an extensive checklist for military families and schools to fill

out when changing school sites. This checklist outlines important documents, how to review

school policies and understand transcript transfers for schools and parents. The Center for Public

Research and Leadership studied the effectiveness of this transition document and found

statistically significant data that supports its efficacy for military youth in schools (Columbia

University, 2021). This transition checklist is free to the public and can be accessed on the

Military Child Education Coalition website. Therefore, schools nationwide can implement these

tier 1 practices to assist with the transition, mental-wellbeing, and identification methods to

support military children best.

Tier 2
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Zhang (2021) states that parent-child synchrony refers to the cohesive relationship

between a parent or caregiver and a child. He found that this impacts a child’s self-regulatory

skills within military families, leading to further social-emotional difficulties. Therefore,

guidance and support through parent involvement are vital to supporting military students. In

addition, military students need guidance from individuals on their school campus and

community. Military Student Mentoring outlines a free framework for elementary schools to

implement for military youth or as a mentoring program on campus. This framework is called the

Mentor Connections Model (MCM), and it was initially studied in Arkansas with 48 students.

Researchers then matched the child to an appropriate mentor and had them meet several times

per school year. Cavell (2019) found significant evidence that MCM effectively supported

military youth in schools through guidance from the child’s mentor. The MCM model manual

can be accessed on the website with free training modules for educators.

Research by De Pedro et al. (2014) also highlights the significant findings within the

CHKS section on military students. CHKS stated that for military students, the prevalence of

hitting other students was 40.5 percent compared to non-military students hitting others and 22.6

percent among non-military students (Gilreath et al., 2014). Therefore, military students that

express these behaviors would benefit from a specialized curriculum on anger management and

group therapy sessions tailored to aggressive behaviors. Down et al. (2011) found group

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) sessions statistically significant and effective when

working with youth with aggressive behaviors. Due to the educational nature of CBT

interventions, they concluded that group-based CBT was the best support measure. These

programs would be vital to Tier 2 of the MTSS model to support military students and

significantly impact their overall school experience.

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Tier 3

Gorman & Formal (2010) stated that military children experience significantly higher

diagnoses of anxiety, stress, and emotional and behavioral disorders than the national average. In

addition, they found that military children are 2.5 times more likely to develop psychological

problems, and 44% of military children have moderate-to-difficult emotional or behavioral

difficulties. According to the American Psychological Association (APA) task force, Cognitive-

behavioral therapy is deemed one of the most efficacious tools for anxiety and depressive

disorders in youth and is often the recommended treatment of choice (1995). According to

Guzman (2014), CBT is one of the most effective forms of therapy for military youth as it

supports youth’s adjustments, specifically regarding military deployment. Friedberg (2011)

studied the effectiveness of CBT and military youth due to the problem-solving nature, self-

monitoring methods, and efficacy with anxiety associated with CBT. Within his research, he

found that CBT was promising in helping military children cope with stressors. CBT is one of

the most vital options to address the mental health issues surrounding military children.

Furthermore, schools can outsource to community centers specializing in military

families and providing 1:1 support. These centers are on several military bases and implement

The Families Overcoming Under Stress (FOCUS) program implements an evidence-based and

family-centered approach to helping students develop coping methods and build resiliency. This

program fosters resiliency training, skill-building group therapy sessions with military children,

and educational workshops for families. FOCUS is already practiced for military families

throughout 18 military installations in the United States and continues to grow (Guzman, 2014).

The FOCUS program was implemented in 18 military installations, and researched on its

effectiveness. Lester et al. (2012) utilized psychometric data from the Brief Symptom Inventory
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18 (BSI 18) to measure the effectiveness of the FOCUS program. They found significant data

across all measures (p < .001), which indicated improvements in emotional regulation, problem-

solving, cognitive restructuring, and increased use of social support. The FOCUS program is

only available on military bases or through paid trainers at a specific school site.

In addition, expressive arts group therapy has been proven to be an effective strategy for

military students. Expressive arts therapy is a form of therapy that utilizes different platforms

such as visual arts, music, dance, drama, and writing for self-expression or modes of healing. It

supports individuals in exploring their emotions healthily and increases their self-awareness

around their emotions. (Kim et al., 2011). Esparza (2015) explored utilizing expressive arts

therapy with military families and concluded with a statistical analysis of a score of .80; this was

a significant finding of p< .001. The forms of expressive arts therapy she chose were creative

writing for troops, integration of arts and music, and performing arts curriculum. Within her

research, Esparza had individual and group art therapy sessions with military children, which

resulted in high rates of empowerment and reduced rates of PTSD. For military children who

may not be receptive to traditional CBT methodology, expressive arts group therapy is a strong

option for support.

Conclusions and Implications

As practitioners, educating oneself on military families' needs, struggles, and resiliency

characteristics is vital. Military children are adaptable, have emotional strength in coping with

parental deployments, have independence due to ever-changing family roles, and have a robust

support system within their military community. These children have had to navigate life's

unique demands and uncertainties due to their military experience (Gorman & Formal, 2010).

Future research needs to study the resiliency characteristics of military youth, as there are limited
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publications on this specific topic. In addition, schools need to implement a system for

identifying military youth in their school so they can qualify for grants and utilize the money to

implement the MTSS models outlined in this paper.

School psychologists and counselors play a crucial role in supporting military students.

These educators are pillars for cultivating a welcoming school climate, enacting student support

groups, and educating colleagues on the needs of military children. The challenge lies in the

unknown, and educators do not know where to begin regarding evidence-based practices for

military youth. On the contrary, this white paper outlines the prevalence of military student

needs, how we can help on multi-tiered systems of support basis, and concrete solutions to

support our youth. Millions of children are part of military families and need a school

environment that helps them thrive.

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