Welcoming them home: Supporting service members and their families in navigating the tasks of reintegration

To date, more than 1.3 million service members have served in the Global War on Terrorism. These men and women and their families face a range of stressful situations and must navigate many important tasks after a deployment. This article outlines four of the tasks of reintegration: redefining roles, expectations, and division of labors managing strong emotions; abandoning emotional constriction and creating intimacy in relationships; and creating shared meaning. For each task, potential challenges are discussed and suggestions for how psychologists can support families are described. In addition, potential red flags and indicators that more intensive services may be warranted are reviewed.