An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Local News | June 30, 2023

How to minimize service member, family stress during PCS season

By Army Lt. Col. Melissa Boyd, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Defense Centers for Public Health-Aberdeen

For many service members, the general rotation for a permanent change of station is every two to four years. Regardless of how many times a military family has moved, each move varies and each family member responds differently to the transition. The process of relocating during the PCS season can induce stress in response to changes to living arrangements, employment, schools, routines, social activities and new support networks.

According to the 2021 Health of the Army Family report, PCS moves can yield both short-term effects on the well-being of service members and families and long-term effects on the broader Army mission of ready and retained Soldiers. Many of these effects apply to all service members and their families, regardless of branch of service. Therefore, the process of identifying, addressing, and preventing challenges associated with PCS moves is critical to optimizing the health and well-being of all service members and their families.

How to help ease the stress of relocating

To help ease the stress of relocating, here are some helpful tips to consider:

Keep Open Communication

Maintain open communication

  • Once the “where and when” of PCS orders are received, it is important to start communicating PCS move plans to family members as soon as possible. Utilize visual reminders, such as a calendar, to help manage key tasks, responsibilities, and expectations for moving.
Be Organized

Be organized

  • Another tip is to develop a custom checklist for your move that is tailored to your individual and/or family’s needs. Whether the relocation entails driving or flying to the new location, it is important to keep these personal documents on hand instead of packing or shipping them:
  • Birth certificate(s)
  • Marriage license
  • Automobile title(s) and registration(s)
  • Insurance papers
  • Bank records
  • Medical records
Get Everyone Involved

Get everyone involved

  • Making the PCS move an adventure and fun experience for children can help ease the stress of leaving behind what is familiar to them. Involving all family members in the relocation process helps to foster engagement and builds a shared responsibility throughout PCS travel. This can include learning about the new area together through researching interesting places to visit, best restaurants, and family events and activities to attend.

Use behavioral health and community resources

  • Accessing or continuing to receive mental health services during a change of station can help minimize stress when navigating a move. Awareness of relocation resources, to include websites, apps and books designed to aid the PCS process, can be a protective factor for military families during periods of transition.
  • Military One Source offers strategies to include relocation assistance and counseling support. For remote help, Military OneSource offers military members and their spouses up to 12 free sessions of non-medical mental health assistance through telephone, online or face-to-face counseling. You can call 800-342-9647 to speak with a consultant 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from anywhere in the world.
  • If a service member or Family member is already receiving mental health care through a military treatment facility, your current provider or clinic manager can connect you with the behavioral health clinic at your new duty station. Having a warm handoff to your new provider helps to provide a smooth transition from one provider to another and minimizes gaps in care.
  • InTransition is a free and confidential coaching program that offers specialized coaching and assistance to service members and veterans who need access to mental health care when relocating to another assignment. InTransition also offers services during periods of change, to include when returning from deployment, separating from active duty, and other times when there is a need for a new mental health provider for the first time.
Additional Relocating Resources

The Military Child Education Coalition creates supportive behavioral health resources for military families to include interactive guides for understanding and sharing behavioral health issues within military communities. MCEC also develops well-being toolkits with evidence-based content meant to foster the emotional intelligence, mindfulness, and overall well-being of military children to include social-emotional supportive resources for parents, educators, school counselors, administrators, and other youth-serving professionals working with military-connected youth

My Army PCS is an interactive app that allows users to become familiar with the PCS process, including planning, preparing for, and organizing their move; understanding the claims process for lost or damaged household goods; and learning about the latest transportation changes. A virtual call center with live agents is available to assist with any questions.

The Defense Health Agency supports our Nation by improving health and building readiness–making extraordinary experiences ordinary and exceptional outcomes routine.

NOTE: The mention of any non-federal entity and/or its products is for informational purposes only, and not to be construed or interpreted, in any manner, as federal endorsement of that non-federal entity or its products.

Air Force physician chosen to lead military’s largest medical network

Air Force Physician Chosen to Lead Military’s La...

Local News
Oct. 13, 2023

An Air Force physician with over 30 years of service became the first director of the newly designated Defense...
Read More
Anyone Can Get Vaccinated!

New COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance for 2023-24

Local News
Sep. 18, 2023

This page is being updated based on the Sept. 12, 2023, decision and recommendation by the Centers for Disease...
Read More
NMCP Bell

Naval Medical Center Portsmouth Receives Level I...

Local News
Aug. 28, 2023

PORTSMOUTH, Va - PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Aug. 24, 2023) -- Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) has been...
Read More
Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Victoria McPhall hands Lt. Laken Koontz an intrauterine device (IUD) at Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River. IUDs are one of the many birth control options offered during the clinic’s Walk-in Contraceptive Clinic every Wednesday from 1-2 p.m.

Military Health System: How Ideas Are Adopted to...

Local News
Aug. 24, 2023

New evidence-based practices can improve health care, yet they don’t always get adopted. There are many...
Read More
Defense Health Agency’s 2022 Senior Noncommissioned Officer of the Year U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Douglas Rozelle (center) stands with his team from Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio following their completion of the Medic Rodeo, a grueling four-day event challenging Air Force Medical Services personnel’s physical stamina and combat medical knowledge in 2019 at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico. Rozelle was a technical sergeant during the competition. (Courtesy Photo)

Senior Noncommissioned Officer of Year Credits T...

Local News
Jul. 17, 2023

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Douglas Rozelle has been “aiming high” since 1983 when his parents, Dana and Larry,...
Read More
Ghana Armed Forces Brig. Gen. Nii Adjah Obodai, commander, 37th Military Hospital in Accra, Ghana, presents U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Daniel Fisher, Defense Medical Readiness Institute’s Academic Support Branch noncommissioned-officer-in-charge, with a gift of appreciation for establishing a tactical combat casualty care training site in March 2022. (Photo: Terry J. Goodman)

Defense Health Agency’s Top Noncommissioned Offi...

Local News
Jul. 17, 2023

Defense Health Agency Noncommissioned Officer of the Year U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Daniel Fisher competed in...
Read More
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Kayla D. Britford, 88th Medical Group’s Physical Medicine Technician, assists other Airmen with the MHS Genesis switchover inside the Wright-Patterson Medical Center, June 3,2023. The Department of Defense’s new electronic health record (EHR), MHS GENESIS, has officially launched at Wright-Patterson Medical Center. (Air Force photo by Kenneth J. Stiles)

Department of Defense Stateside Deployment of MH...

Local News
Jul. 17, 2023

Deployment of MHS GENESIS, the Military Health System’s new electronic health record, is complete at military...
Read More
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Tanshanika Thompson, 633rd Inpatient Squadron medical technician, performs a routine check-up on Addalyn Grace Hendrick, daughter of Master Sgt. Scott Hendrick, Air Combat Command Headquarters functional manager, at Langley Air Force Base, Va., June 27, 2016. After delivery, to ensure proper recovery time, first-time mothers must spend at least 48 hours in the labor and delivery unit. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Kaylee Dubois)

No Change to Labor and Delivery Care at Naval Ho...

Local News
Jun. 08, 2023

The Defense Health Agency (DHA) strives to provide safe and high-quality care at all military hospitals and...
Read More

Oct. 13, 2023

Air Force Physician Chosen to Lead Military’s Largest Medical Network

An Air Force physician with over 30 years of service became the first director of the newly designated Defense Health Network Central, the military’s largest medical network, on Oct. 1.

Sept. 18, 2023

New COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance for 2023-24

This page is being updated based on the Sept. 12, 2023, decision and recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that everyone 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against the potentially serious outcomes of COVID-19 illness this fall and winter.

Aug. 28, 2023

Naval Medical Center Portsmouth Receives Level II Trauma Center Designation

PORTSMOUTH, Va - PORTSMOUTH, Va. (Aug. 24, 2023) -- Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) has been awarded provisional designation as a Level II Trauma Center by the Commonwealth of Virginia's Department of Health.

Aug. 24, 2023

Military Health System: How Ideas Are Adopted to Help Patients, Providers

New evidence-based practices can improve health care, yet they don’t always get adopted. There are many reasons for this, including a lack of awareness, lack of training and implementation support, and a reluctance to doing things differently than in the past—to name a few. Even mandates to adopt a certain new service or practice may not overcome some of these barriers.

July 17, 2023

Senior Noncommissioned Officer of Year Credits Team, Spouse for Achievement

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Douglas Rozelle has been “aiming high” since 1983 when his parents, Dana and Larry, now retired U.S. Air Force master sergeants, welcomed him into the world at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. Later, his career took a different path because of his manager at a local pharmacy.

July 17, 2023

Defense Health Agency’s Top Noncommissioned Officer ‘Aims High’

Defense Health Agency Noncommissioned Officer of the Year U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Daniel Fisher competed in the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Noncommissioned Officer of Year competition in Washington, D.C in May 2023. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in August 2023.

July 17, 2023

Department of Defense Stateside Deployment of MHS GENESIS Complete

Deployment of MHS GENESIS, the Military Health System’s new electronic health record, is complete at military hospitals and clinics in the continental United States, and now sights are set on transitioning overseas this fall.

June 30, 2023

How to minimize service member, family stress during PCS season

For many service members, the general rotation for a permanent change of station is every two to four years. Regardless of how many times a military family has moved, each move varies and each family member responds differently to the transition. The process of relocating during the PCS season can induce stress in response to changes to living arrangements, employment, schools, routines, social activities and new support networks.

June 8, 2023

No Change to Labor and Delivery Care at Naval Hospital Okinawa

The Defense Health Agency (DHA) strives to provide safe and high-quality care at all military hospitals and clinic across the globe.

June 5, 2023

Peterson Area Dental Laboratory hosts dental symposium

More than 150 dental professionals from across the Department of Defense participated in the 2023 Area Dental Laboratory Symposium May 23-25 in Colorado Springs, Colo.