Members of the military and their families are put in stressful situations, from months-long deployments to frequent relocations.
Now, a local nonprofit will be providing specialized mental and behavioral health services tailored to Hawaiʻi's military families.
Child & Family Service has expanded service for active-duty service members, veterans, National Guard, Reserve members and their families.
Services include therapy for individuals, families and couples, as well as for children. Telehealth services will be offered, and in-person therapy sessions will be available on Oʻahu, with plans to expand to the Neighbor Islands.
CFS will also help families connect with other support services such as housing, employment and veteran benefits.
Janet Covington is the military services supervisor at CFS. She also provided counseling services with the National Guard.
“I saw that the National Guard was a very underserved group of service members. That there are many, many types of programs that are available to active duty that are not available to the National Guard and not available to the families of National Guard," Covington said. "And so when we stood up, you know, this program, we wanted to make sure that we were helping all veterans, all service members, but also helping the members of our local communities.”
Covington also says its expanded offerings will help bring mental health services to families faster, who often wait months for appointments.
More information can be found at childandfamilyservice.org or by calling 808-204-4020.
