But now, help is at hand for military children who are forced to pay the price of a life in the Army, Navy and Air Force. More than 600 military children ages 17 to 17 are scheduled to receive treatment sessions by specially trained clinicians.
1-on-1 sessions are available for 5-year-olds, and teens have access to local group meetings with their peers.
The initiative, which receives National Lottery funding, is the brainchild of Louise Fettigan, the founder of the charity, and raised her daughter while she and her husband pursue careers in the Army. It was born from her experience with
“This has been brewing for a long time,” Louise said. “Her husband Tony and I met when she was in her teens when she joined the Army and served in the 26th Royal Artillery Regiment in Kosovo.
“They were challenging times. By 2010, when our daughter Madison turned seven, we were based in Germany and Tony was on our third tour of Afghanistan.
“He had already done three tours of Iraq. That’s when I found a heartbreaking letter from Madison about how she was suffering. She’s now 19 and in college, but… I went to nine schools and even had to change in the middle of my GSCE.”
For some military children, the regular cycle of moving home and seeing their parents deployed leads to anxiety and a feeling that they don’t belong.
Things got so serious for Madison that she applied for treatment with the NHS only to be told there was an 18-month waiting list. Louise scoured the country for a therapist who had experience with military families, but found that “it was difficult for military children to understand the situation, deployment, school transfers, and being part of a military family.” Nothing helped.”
The charity now trains hundreds of therapists. With around 100,000 military children in the UK, it’s normal for parents to be busy working together, but the challenges of military life are unique.
“Six months of absence is something everyone has,” says Louise. “The difference here is that the deployments are often repeated and sometimes simultaneous, which is why it is so difficult. I can’t call my dad.”
And the challenges don’t stop when the soldiers go home. “Parents who return to their families after deployment often need to relearn how to communicate with their families,” she added.
About her latest venture, she said: But we were able to multiply it tenfold.
“Our hope is that high demand will persuade the Armed Forces Pledge Fund Trust, or perhaps even the Department of Defense, to consider continuing funding within two years.”
