Families

Helping families and positioning them for stability and success during and following service.

Government of Alberta: Military family resources

Military family resources

Military family resources

Links to information on education, health care and more to help military families and veterans get set up and settled in Alberta.

Health care coverage – If you have recently moved to Alberta, you are eligible for health care coverage on the date you establish residency.

Find a school – Get help with your child’s school transfers.

Find child care – Use the look up tool or call child care Connect and explore subsidy options.

Regulated professions – Information about licensing and certification for regulated professions.

Military Family Resource Centres: Visit your local Military Family Resource Centre for more information on programs and services in your community:

Military Family Services – NCR

Services aux familles desmilitaires – RCN

Seamless Canada

Le Canada sans faille

References

Military to civilian transition: A family-first approach


Cathcart, D. G. (2019). Military to civilian transition: A family-first approach. http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/Vol19/No3/page15-eng.asp

Partners and spouses

Psych/Armor  (U.S. resources):  

Families and parenting

Psych/Armor  (U.S. resources):  

Family resilience

  • Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117(3), 497-529. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497
  • Bowlby, J. (1969/1982). Attachment and Loss (Vol. 1). Attachment. (2nd ed.). Hogarth Press. 
  • Carver, C. S. (2015). Control processes, priority management, and affective dynamics. Emotion Review, 7(4), 301-307. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073915590616
  • Cozolino, L. (2014). The neuroscience of human relationships: Attachment and the developing social brain (2nd ed.). W. W. Norton. 
  • English, T., Eldesouky, L., & Gross, J. J. (2021). Emotion regulation: Basic processes and individual differences. In O. P. John & R. W. Robins (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (4th ed.) (pp. 523-542). Guilford Press. 
  • Frijda, N. H. (1986). The emotions. Cambridge University Press. 
  • Gilbert, P. (2009). The compassionate mind: A new approach to life’s challenges. Robinson.
  • Harmon-Jones, E., Harmon-Jones, C., & Summerell, E. (2017). On the importance of discrete and dimensional models of emotion. Behavioral Sciences, 7(4), Article 66. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs7040066
  • Keltner, D., & Shiota, M. N. (2021). Emotion and personality: A social-functionalist approach. In O. P. John & R. W. Robins (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (4th ed.) (pp. 447-486). Guilford Press. 
  • Lench, H. C., Tibbett, T. P., & Bench, S. W. (2016). Exploring the toolkit of emotion: What do sadness and anger do for us? Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 10(1), https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12229
  • Lench, H. C., & Carpenter, Z. K. (2018). What do emotions do for us? In H. C. Lench (Ed.), The function of emotions: When and why emotions help us (pp. 1-8). Springer.
  • Lench, H. C., Baldwin, C. L., An, D., & Garrison, K. E. (2018). The emotional toolkit: Lessons from the science of emotion. In H. C. Lench (Ed.), The function of emotions: When and why emotions help us (pp. 253-261). Springer.
  • McAdams, D. P. (2021). Narrative identity and the life story. In O. P. John & R. W. Robins (Eds.), Handbook of Personality: Theory and research (4th ed.) (pp. 122-141). Guilford Press. 
  • Palix Foundation (2023). Alberta family wellness initiative. https://www.albertafamilywellness.org/
  • Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. American Psychological Association and Oxford University Press. 
  • Purvis, K., & Qualls, L. (2020). The connected parent: Real-life strategies for building trust and attachment. Harvest House. 
  • Purvis, K. B., Cross, D. R., & Sunshine, W. L. (2007). The connected child: Bring hope and healing to your adoptive family. McGraw Hill. 
  • Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Press. Seigel, D. J. (2020). The developing mind: How relationships and the brain shape who we are (3rd ed.). Guillford Press. 
  • Siegel, D. J., & Bryson, T. P. (2016). No drama discipline: The whole brain way to calm the chaos and nurture your child’s developing mind. Bantam Press.
  • Stellar, J. E., Gordon, A. M., Piff, P. K., Cordaro, D., Anderson, C. L., Bai, Y., Maruskin, L. A., & Keltner, D. (2017). Self-transcendent emotions and their social functions: Compassion, gratitude, and awe bind us to others through prosociality. Emotion Review, 9(3), 200-207. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073916684557
  • Sznycer, D., Cosmides, L., & Tooby, J. (2017). Adaptationism carves emotions at their functional joints. Psychological Inquiry, 28(1), 56-62. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840X.2017.1256132
  • Sznycer, D., Sell, A., Lieberman, D. (2021). Forms and functions of social emotions. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 30(4), 292-299. https://doi.org/10.1177/09637214211007451 
  • Torre, J. B., Lieberman, M. D. (2018). Putting feelings into words: Affect labelling as implicit emotion regulation. Emotion Review, 10(2), 116-124. https://doi.org/10.1177/1754073917742706 
  • Tracy, J. L., & Weidman, A. C. (2021). The self-conscious and social emotions: A personality and social functionalist account. In O. P. John & R. W. Robins (Eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (4th ed.) (pp. 504-522). Guilford Press. 
  • Yu, A., Berg, J. M., & Zlatev, J. J. (2021). Emotional acknowledgment: How verbalizing others’ emotions fosters interpersonal trust. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 164, 116-135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2021.02.002  
  • Walsh, F. (2016). Strengthening family resilience (3rd ed.). Guilford Press.
Family supports re: postsecondary education

  • Ackerman R., DiRamio D., & Mitchell R. L. (2009). Transitions: Combat veterans as college students. New Directions for Student Services, 126, 5–14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ss.311 
  • Aronson, K. R., & Perkins, D. F. (2013). Challenges faced by military families: Perceptions of united states marine corps school liaisons. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 22, 516-525. 
  • Besemann, M., Hebert, J., Thompson, J. M., Cooper, R. A., Gupta, G., Brémault-Phillips, S. B., & Dentry, S. J. (2018). Reflections on recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration of injured service members and veterans from a bio-psychosocial-spiritual perspective. Canadian Journal of Surgery. Journal Canadien de Chirurgie, 61(6), S219–S231. https://doi.org/10.1503/cjs.015318 
  • Borah E., & Brooke F. (2017). Military spouses speak up: A qualitative study of military and Veteran spouses’ perspectives. Journal of Family Social Work, 20(2),144–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/10522158.2017.1284702 
  • Boyatzis, R. E. (1998). Transforming qualitative information: Thematic analysis and code development. Sage Publications, Inc. 
  • Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2012). Thematic analysis. In H. Cooper, P. M. Camic, D. L. Long, A. T. Panter, D. Rindskopf, & K. J. Sher (Eds.), APA handbook of research methods in psychology, Vol 2: Research designs: Quantitative, qualitative, neuropsychological, and biological. (pp. 57–71). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/13620-004 
  • Bullock, A., & Williams, L. (2019). Predicting Canadian armed forces service couples’ marital satisfaction: Roles of financial well-being and financial strain. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 5(1), 63-70. https://doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh.5.s1.2018-0036 Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (2017). Working for the Canadian Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Canada – CIMVHR. https://cimvhr.ca/documents/GuidanceDocforOTs.pdf 
  • Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services, C. (n.d.). Military Family Resource Centers (MFRC). Retrieved June 22, 2022, from https://www.cafconnection.ca/National/Programs-Services/Deployment-Support/Deployment-Support-for-Families/Military-Family-Resource-Centres-(MFRC).aspx 
  • Cathcart, D. G. (2019). Veteran-friendly colleges and universities: A primer for Canada. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 5(1), 127-130. doi:10.3138/jmvfh.2018-0021 
  • Chan, C. (2019). UBC bets on vets: Returning veterans win with program that points to a better future. Retrieved June 20, 2022, from https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/ubc-be ts-on-vets-returning-veterans-win-with-program-that-points-to-a-better-future/ 
  • Chandra, A., Lara-Cinisomo, S., Jaycox, L. H., Tanielian, T., Burns, R. M., Ruder, T., & Han, B. (2010). Children on the homefront: The experience of children from military families. Pediatrics, 125(1), 16–25. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2009-1180 
  • Cogan, A. M. (2014). The Issue Is—Supporting our military families: A case for a larger role for occupational therapy in prevention and mental health care. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 68, 478–483. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.5014/ajot.2014.009712 
  • Crabtree, B., & Miller, W. (1999). Doing Qualitative Research. SAGE Publications Inc. Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. (2007). Qualitative inquiry and research method: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
  • Edmonton Morale and Welfare Services. (n.d.) Home Page. Retrieved June 20, 2022, from https://www.cafconnection.ca/Edmonton/Home.aspx 
  • Gault, B., Noll, E., & Reichlin, L. (2017). The Family-Friendly Campus Imperative: Supporting Success among Community College Students with Children. The ACCT 2016 Invitational Symposium: Getting in the Fast Lane–Ensuring Economic Security and Meeting the Workforce Needs of the Nation. Discussion Paper. Association of Community College Trustees. 
  • Gregg, B. T., Howell, D. M., & Shordike, A. (2016). Experiences of veterans transitioning to postsecondary education. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70(6), 1-8. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2016.021030 
  • Holtzman, T., Cruse, L. R., Gault, B., & Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) (2019). Making “Free College” Programs Work for College Students with Children. Briefing Paper #C483. In Institute for Women’s Policy Research. Institute for Women’s Policy Research. 
  • Hoshmand, L. T., & Hoshmand, A. L. (2007). Support for military families and communities. Journal of Community Psychology, 35, 171–180. 
  • Koven, S. (2018). Veteran Treatments: PTSD Interventions. Healthcare, 6(3), 94. https://doi-org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/10.3390/healthcare6030094 
  • MacLean, M., Campbell, L., Macintosh, S., Lee, J., & Pedlar, D. (2015). Research on Military/Veteran Families. Charlottetown: Research Directorate, Veterans Affairs Canada. 
  • Manser, L. (2018). State of Military Families in Canada: Issues Facing Regular Force Members and Their Families. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services.
  • Manser, L. (2020). The state of military families in Canada: A scoping review. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 6(2), 120-128. https://doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh-2019-0001 
  • Medley, J., Cheney, A. M., Abraham, T., Grubbs, K., Hunt, J., Lu, L., Fortney, J. C., & Curran, G. M. (2017). The Impact of the Psychological Sequela of Trauma on Veterans Seeking Higher Education. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 30(1), 83-96. 
  • Metz, A. & Louison, L. (2018) The Hexagon Tool: Exploring Context. Chapel Hill, NC: National Implementation Research Network, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 
  • Newberger, N. G., Yeager, S., Livingston, N. A., Enggasser, J. L., Brief, D. J., Litwack, S., Helmuth, E., Roy, M., Rosenbloom, D., & Keane, T. M. (2022). Life satisfaction following treatment-related reductions in alcohol use and PTSD symptoms: Results from VetChange. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. https://doi-org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/10.1037/tra0001234 
  • Norris, D., Cramm, H., Eichler, M., Tam-Seto, L., Smith-Evans, K. (2015). Operational stress injury: The impact on family mental health and well-being. A report to Veterans Affairs Canada. 
  • Oster, C., Lawn, S., & Waddell, E. (2019). Delivering services to the families of Veterans of current conflicts: A rapid review of outcomes for veterans. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 5(2), 159-175. doi:10.3138/jmvfh.2018-0011 
  • Rehman, M. (2021). Scholarships and bursaries available to military families. Retrieved June 20, 2022, from https://www.cmfmag.ca/cmf_kids/scholarships-and-bursaries-available-to-military-families/ 
  • Rostek, M. (2020). Occupational therapy’s role in military family mental health. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 6(3), 58-61. Doi: 10.3138/jmvfh-2019-0038 Royal LePage Real Estate Services. (2022). Royal LePage: Spring housing market poised for continued price growth following double-digit gains in fourth quarter. Retrieved June 20, 2022, from https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/royal-lepage-spring-housing-market-poised-for-c ontinued-price-growth-following-double-digit-gains-in-fourth-quarter-836984482.html 
  • Russo, T. J., & Fallon, M. A. (2015). Coping with stress: Supporting the needs of military families and their children. Early Chilidhood Education Journal, 43, 407-416. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-014-0665-2 
  • Sandelowski M. (2010). What’s in a name? Qualitative description revisited. Research in nursing & health, 33(1), 77–84. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20362 
  • Schwartz, K. D., Norris, D., Cramm, H., Tam-Seto, L., & Mahar, A. (2021). Family members of veterans with mental health problems: Seeking, finding, and accessing informal and formal supports during the military-to-civilian transition. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 7(1), 22-34. doi: 10.3138/jmvfh-2019-0023 
  • Shahid, M., & Turin, T. C. (2018). Conducting Comprehensive Environmental Scans in Health Research: A Process for Assessing the Subject Matter Landscape: The Basics of Environmental Scan. Journal of Biomedical Analytics, 1(2), 71–80.  https://doi.org/10.30577/jba.2018.v1n2.13
  • Tam-Seto, L., Krupa, T., Stuart, H., Aiken, A. B., Lingley-Pottie, P., & Cramm, H. (2018). Identifying military family cultural competencies: Experiences of military and Veteran families in Canadian health care. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 4(2), 48-60. DOI: 10.3138/jmvfh.2017-0030 
  • Therrien, M. E., Richer, I., Lee, J. E. C., Watkins, K., & Zamorski, M. A. (2016). Family/household characteristics and positive mental health of Canadian military members: Mediation through social support. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 2(2), 8-20. doi:10.3138/jmvfh.4017 
  • Thompson, J. M., MacLean, M. B., Roach, M. B., Banman, M., Mabior, J., Pedlar, D. (2016). A well-being construct for veteran’s policy, programming and research. Research Directorate Technical Report. Charlottetown, PE: Research Directorate, Veterans Affairs Canada. 
  • Thompson, J. M., VanTil, L. D., Zamorski, M. A., Garber, B., Dursun, S., Fikretoglu, D., Ross, D., Richardson, J. D., Sareen, J., Sudom, K., Courchesne, C., & Pedlar, D. J. (2016). Mental health of canadian armed forces veterans: Review of Population Studies. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 2(1), 70–86. https://doi.org/10.3138/jmvfh.3258 
  • Townsend, E. A., & Polatajko, H. J. (2013). Enabling Occupation II: Advancing an Occupational Therapy Vision for Health, Well-being, & Justice through Occupation (2nd ed.). Ottawa, ON: CAOT-ACE. 
  • University of Alberta. (n.d.). University of Alberta Students’ Union. University of Alberta. https://www.su.ualberta.ca/ 
  • University of Alberta Students’ Union. (2022). UALBERTA Students March and rally at the Alberta Legislature: Students demand no more cuts to post-secondary in provincial budget. News. Retrieved May 14, 2022, from https://www.su.ualberta.ca/about/news/entry/378/ualberta-students-march-and-rally-at-th e-alberta-legislature-students-demand-no-more-cuts-to-post-secondary-in-provincial-bud get/ 
  • University of Stuttgart. (n.d.). Family-Friendly University. Family-friendly university | University of Stuttgart. Retrieved May 14, 2022, from https://www.uni-stuttgart.de/en/university/profile/family-friendly/ 
  • Veterans Affairs Canada. (2020). Measuring veteran well-being. Veterans Affairs Canada. Retrieved May 13, 2022, from https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/about-vac/research/research-directorate/info-briefs/measuring-well-being 
  • Veterans Affairs Canada. (2022). Education and training benefit. Retrieved June 20, 2022, from https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/about-vac/legislation-policies/policies/document/2685#anchor99761 
  • Wang, Z., & Pullman, L. E. (2019). Financial stress, financial stability, and military spousal well-being. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 5(1), 82-91. doi:10.3138/jmvfh.5.s1.2018-0025 
  • Willis, D. G., Sullivan-Bolyai, S., Knafl, K., & Cohen, M. Z. (2016). Distinguishing features and similarities between descriptive phenomenological and qualitative description research. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 38(9), 1185–1204. 
  • Willis College (2022). Veteran Friendly Transition Program. Willis College. Retrieved June 22, 2022, from, https://williscollege.com/programs/on-campus-programs/veteran-friendly-transition-program/
Teens and youth

Psych/Armor  (U.S. resources):  

Caregivers

Psych/Armor  (U.S. resources):