When one person leaves the military, the whole family transitions.
Leaving military service is more than a change in employment or status. It can reshape identity, relationships, routines, finances, health care, community connections, and family roles.
Yet transition policies, programs, and research have traditionally centred on the serving member or Veteran.
It is time to treat military-to-civilian transition as a family transition — and build mental health supports accordingly.
Mulligan et al., Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 2026
Transition is a process, not a moment.
Military-to-civilian transition does not begin on release day — and it does not end when someone officially becomes a Veteran.
As military members move into post-service life, families can experience changes across almost every part of daily life.
Identity
Roles and expectations within the family can shift.
Relationships
Partners, children, caregivers, and extended family may experience transition differently.
Health & well-being
Service-related health challenges can affect the Veteran and the wider family.
Work & finances
Employment, benefits, education, and financial circumstances may change.
Community
Relocation can disrupt social networks, schools, health care, and familiar supports.
Caregiving
Families may take on substantial practical and emotional responsibilities.
Families are not simply supports around the Veteran. They are people experiencing the transition themselves.
Our systems often see the Veteran. They do not always see the family.
Transition programs tend to focus on:
- the serving member
- release from service
- employment and civilian reintegration
- the Veteran's health
- short-term transition milestones
A stronger framework would also consider:
- partners, spouses, children, caregivers and diverse family structures
- preparation before release
- evolving family needs after release
- the mental health of family members in their own right
- relationships, finances, education, housing, community and social connection
- access to support over time
In some systems, family members' access to mental health support can be linked to the Veteran's treatment, even when family members have needs of their own.
A family-centred approach recognizes that supporting the Veteran and supporting the family are interconnected — but not interchangeable.
Five principles for supporting the whole family
- Start earlier — Begin preparation before release so families can plan for employment, finances, relocation, health care, and changing roles.
- Stay involved longer — Continue support beyond the release date as family needs evolve.
- Meet families where they are — Recognize that family structures, cultures, and needs differ; avoid one-size-fits-all models.
- Match support to need — Offer a continuum of evidence-based, family-centred supports from well-being resources to intensive mental health care.
- Learn and improve — Continuously evaluate frameworks using lived experience, research, and international lessons.
The goal is not one universal model. It is a shared set of principles that can be adapted to different countries, systems, and families.
The paper emerged from discussions among military and Veteran mental health leaders from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands through the Global Leadership Exchange. Despite differences between national systems, the group identified a common gap: families play a critical role throughout transition, but their own needs are not consistently built into transition frameworks.
What does this mean for you?
What we learned
Transition can affect everyone in a family differently, and family members often carry needs of their own.
Families should be included in planning, have access to information before transition occurs, and be able to seek support in their own right — not only in relation to the Veteran's care.
Main action / question
Ask whether the supports available to you include your family — and share your experience with the people designing transition systems.
We need to look beyond the uniform.
A successful military-to-civilian transition should not be measured only by asking:
How is the Veteran doing?
It should also ask:
How is the family doing?
Integrating family perspectives into transition frameworks can help create a more preventative, responsive, and sustainable system of support — one that recognizes that the journey into post-service life is rarely taken alone.
Read the full paper
Beyond the uniform: An international call for a mental health framework that addresses the needs of military and Veteran families during transition
- Authors
- Ashlee Mulligan · Laryssa Lamrock · Fardous Hosseiny · Jason Alves · Marie Manteuffel · Joris Haagen · Anthony Nazarov · Matt Fossey · MaryAnn Notarianni
- Journal
- Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 2026
- DOI
- 10.3138/jmvfh-2025-0049