Family Advocacy Program

Family Advocacy Program

The Department of Defense implemented a Family Advocacy Program (FAP) in 1976 to help military members and their families work through problems that many families face while serving in the military. Being in the military can be a stressful job for many and can cause tension within families. Sadly, some people cannot cope well with stress and tend to take it out on their spouses. FAP offers counseling to these families in hopes that they can resolve stress and tension before violence erupts, and in many cases, they offer counseling after the fact to help the victim recover the trauma whether physical or emotional.

The Family Advocacy Program reaches men and women in the military alike. Anyone can be a victim of domestic violence-no matter age, race, gender, culture, religion, education, marital status or rank in the service (GAO Reports p3). Although domestic violence can affect anyone, women are more likely than men to report cases of abuse. Men are less likely to report because they might feel embarrassed or feel like less of a man, but in truth, it can happen to anyone.

Domestic violence in the military not only impacts the victim but it can affect the military mission. A woman who is being abused will not be at her best while doing her job. If there is emotional abuse or physical abuse, the victim is not in their right frame of mind and in most military jobs, attention to detail is very important. If a military member is distracted by problems at home he/she cannot perform at 100 percent.

Each branch of the military has a branch of FAP that assists military personnel and their families in dealing with cases of domestic violence. FAP also works in cases of child abuse and neglect but for this project, we are focusing on domestic violence. FAP offers confidential counseling for both the victim and the assailant in domestic violence cases. Domestic violence, as defined by FAP, is violence and/or emotional abuse by one person in a...