Coping with emotional cycle of deployment Published July 13, 2011 By Master Sgt. Brian Melton Shaw Airman and Family Readiness Center SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. -- Let's face it; deployments are stressful for everyone involved. We often discount the burden endured by family members being left behind, whether it be managing a busy household or maintaining some sense of normalcy for children. With every deployment there is an initial stage of emotion, disorganization while family members adjust to the everyday stressors of being alone. Family members going through this stage of emotional disorganization can expect to experience a range of anxieties to include despair, loneliness, irritability, confusion with routine tasks, sleeplessness and a sense of being overwhelmed with responsibility. These stressors and anxieties will be apparent in adults and children alike, as everyone steps-up during the deployment. You need to know that this happens, that it is absolutely normal and expected, and that you don't have to go at it alone. Your Airman and Family Readiness Center strives to support deployed family members as they navigate the emotional cycle of deployment. The center focuses on moving you past the stage of emotional disorganization and into the stage of stabilization where you become more self-assured, confident in your abilities and better adjusted to being alone. The Airman and Family Readiness Center has many resources available to assist you with this. One of the most effective, and often overlooked, is the Military & Family Life Consultant Program (MFLC). Military & Family Life Consultants, or MFLCs for short, are here to listen and help you through those bumps in the road. MFLCs are Masters or Ph.D. level, licensed professionals, from outside the military system, who are contracted to help service members, spouses, family members, children and civilian employees address a range of issues. The center staffs an Adult MFLC that can help with deployment stress, separation, reintegration, coping skills, building resiliency, anger management, conflict resolution, parenting, relationship issues and decision making skills, just to name a few. There is also a Child & Youth MFLC who specializes in child and youth behavioral issues and can help children with deployment adjustment, separation, reunion adjustment, school adjustment, sibling and parent-child communication, behavioral concerns and regression in behavior or schoolwork due to a deployment. The MFLCs at the Airman and Family Readiness Center are here at no cost to you. No records are kept, and eligible sessions are private and confidential. MFLCs can talk to you as an individual or work with couples, families or group settings. MFLCs are available for walk-ins at the Airman and Family Readiness Center and offer appointments. An MFLC can meet you at other on or off base locations as well, such as a park or restaurant, to further enhance your confidentiality. Our MFLCs are here for you during those hard times. There is no sense in going at it alone. Please call the Airman and Family Readiness Center at 803-895-1252 for more information. The adult MFLC may be reached directly at 803-840-8265.