The Family & Deployment Guide © 

This is a supportive toolkit created to help families navigate the emotional challenges that come with deployment.

If someone you love is preparing to leave, currently deployed, or recently returned home and you’re finding it difficult to adjust please know this: you’re not alone, and what you’re feeling is completely normal. The moments of thinking “I wish they were here to handle this” or “I can’t cope right now” are more common than many people realize. These feelings are real, valid, and most importantly temporary.

This guide was designed as a simple, practical resource to help you manage stress, understand your emotions, and protect your well-being throughout every stage of deployment. Whether you’re a partner, parent, sibling, or close friend, this guide meets you where you are.

Inside, you’ll find:

• Simple, actionable strategies to support your emotional wellness

• Practical tools to build resilience and regain a sense of control

• A beginner-friendly journal section to reflect, express, and process your experience

• A highly visual, easy-to-follow format designed for busy lives

By practicing just one small step each day, you may begin to notice a shift in how you cope, feel, and connect with yourself and with others. This guide is here to remind you that you are stronger than you think, and support is always within reach.