Military and Family Support Center

Military and Family Support Centers provide information, education and support programs to help balance the demands of military life. Offerings include:

• Deployment support to assist you and your family during all phases of the deployment cycle. Learn more about deployment support.
• Relocation assistance to help you prepare for an upcoming move and get settled into your new location. Learn more about the military Relocation Assistance Program.
• Confidential non-medical clinical counseling provides support for a wide range of issues from marital conflicts and stress management to coping with grief and deployment adjustments Learn more about confidential non-medical counseling.
• Personal and family life education assists with developing knowledge and skills to help you navigate your mobile military life.
• Personal financial readiness assists you and your family in building and maintaining your financial readiness.
• Employment assistance supports career exploration, education, training and licensing, career connections and employment readiness for military spouses, transitioning service members, and other family members. Learn more about the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program, or SECO.
• Information and referral can assist you in identifying and clarifying needs and locating and connecting to services and programs available both on and off your installation.
• Morale, Welfare and Recreation, or MWR services provide lots of ways for you to connect with friends and others for entertainment, rest and relaxation — all at reduced or no cost. Learn more about MWR programs and services.
• The Transition Assistance Program provides the information, skills and knowledge necessary for a successful transition from military to civilian life. Learn more about transition assistance programs and resources.

Military and Family Support Centers may provide other programs such as the following:

Exceptional Family Member Program

Family Advocacy Program

New Parent Support Program

Federal Voting Assistance Program

Services may vary by location and installation. Use the Search tool to find contact information for your installation Military and Family Support Center. Just enter your installation name, Zip code or state.

In addition to the programs above, the Fleet and Family Support Center Sigonella has an extensive support system, which includes the following programs:

Clinical Assistance

Licensed clinical social workers and a child psychologist provide individual, marital and family counseling to adults and children. Many of the programs offered are designed to respond to the problems that military members and their families experience in an overseas location.

Workshops Include:

• Stress Management
• Anger Management Briefings to Commands
• Suicide Prevention Awareness

Family Advocacy Program

The Family Advocacy Program is a Department of Defense line-managed, multidisciplinary program that addresses the prevention, education, intervention, assessment and treatment of spouse abuse; child physical and emotional abuse; child neglect and child sexual abuse. The FFSC offers awareness and prevention programs to commands, child-care providers, individuals, couples, families and community groups on issues of domestic violence, child abuse and neglect, and child sexual abuse.

Intercultural Relations

Have you been assigned to Sicily? Are you concerned about having to face the diversities of the new environment or differences in language, customs and values? This and more will be covered by Intercultural Relations for Newcomers, a three-day course offered by the FFSC. ICR also conducts weekly classes on culture-specific information along with hands-on experience and cross-cultural training. ICR classes include topics such as history, geography and day-to-day living and two Area Orientation Field Trips.. Cross-cultural training involves self-awareness, stereotypes, perception, values, behaviors, and beliefs and culture shock:

• Cultural Differences Training
• Basic Italian classes
• Intercultural Relations in the Workplace
• New Spouse Orientation

Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program

The goal of the Sexual Assault Prevention and Response program is to eliminate sexual-assault incidents that impact Department of the Navy personnel, their family members and military civilian employees. The SAPR advocate provides victims of sexual assault with professionally trained volunteer advocates 24 hours a day. The advocates provide information and emotional support, and help guide victims through the various medical, legal and investigative processes with a goal of minimizing the re-victimization of sexual-assault victims:

• General Military Education
• Education and Training of SAPR Advocates
• Sexual Assault Awareness
• Sensitivity Training
• Risk Reduction Training
• Victim Advocacy Training
• Referrals to community / military resources

If you have any additional questions, contact the FFSC at DSN 314-624-4291 or Comm. +39-095-56-4291