‘Growing Up Military’ provides anonymous counseling and support
to aid teens raised in military families

Schnecksville, Pa. – June 26, 2013 – As U.S. troops continue withdrawal from foreign theaters, military families across the country are adapting to family members who are returning, and those who, unfortunately, are not. To support the children of these families, KidsPeace today announces the launch of “Growing Up Military.”

This new community – part of TeenCentral.Net – provides children of military families with free access to trained counselors, relevant information, gaming interaction and peer support.

“There’s been a lot of talk about and media coverage on troops returning and reintegrating into their lives,” says Julius Licata, Ph.D., director of TeenCentral.Net. “What we don’t hear about are the children. Be it through a parent or sibling, these kids have experienced multiple deployments, faced uncertainty, loss, multiple relocations and much more. ‘Growing Up Military’ gives them an outlet; a forum; a safe place to ask for help or advice.” According to Licata, “Growing Up Military” allows children 11 to 18 years old to share their questions and concerns. Answers or guidance are provided within 24 hours from a master’s or doctorate level counselor.

Users log into “Growing Up Military” and are identified publicly only by pseudonyms. Other features include simple games, shared stories from other children of military families, searchable topics related to life as a child of a military family and more. All of this is designed to encourage these military kids to return as often as possible to the community.

“Because June is National PTSD Awareness Month, we wanted to begin the discussion of military kids and their families at a time of heightened awareness for our troops,” says Licata. “Our hope is to raise the same kind of awareness for the kids dealing with their own kinds of stress as members of military families.”

In 1998, KidsPeace helped pioneer online support services for teens by launching TeenCentral.Net to provide a safe and accessible place for kids. The site is free, anonymous and allows teens to log on, submit their stories and receive professional counseling within 24 hours, along with advice from their peers.

About KidsPeace
For 130 years, KidsPeace has been building on its expertise to give hope, help and healing to children, families and communities throughout the United States. Through its comprehensive range of residential treatment programs; accredited educational services; unique psychiatric hospital and foster care and community-based programs, KidsPeace is dedicated to helping people connect, transform and overcome their challenges to ensure a stable future, transition to adulthood and gain independence. Since its doors opened in 1882, more than
200,000 children have participated in one of the multitude of programs KidsPeace offers. For additional resources or more information on how to get involved, become a foster parent or make a donation, please visit www.kidspeace.org. Follow us on Facebook or on Twitter.