Team Fairchild revamps Family Advocacy Program Published May 2, 2019 By Airman Kiaundra Miller 92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- Team Fairchild’s Family Advocacy Program is scheduled to implement changes July 1, 2019 that better accommodate Airmen and their family’s needs.The Family Advocacy Program will add in-home visits and family counseling to their list of specialties, allowing them to provide more support to family, individual, marital and parental counseling.Ruth Sunde, 92nd Medical Group clinical social worker, will work alongside two other base social workers to ensure Airmen who cannot make it to the off-base classes provided by the Family Advocacy Program will be given access to one-on-one counseling services.“This change will provide more accessibility to services and more direct contact with the Family Advocacy Program and its workers,” Sunde said. “It’s more individualized and has targeted services delivered directly into their homes.”In addition to more in-depth counseling, the change allows the social workers to present evidence-based solutions from the information that they collect in the household.“They are able to be there and see the issues in person versus hearing about them from the families,” said Mary Puffet, 92nd Medical Group community health nurse. “Then the social worker can provide accurate support and solutions for whatever it is the family is going through.”Allowing Airmen and their families access to in-home therapy helps them with preferred isolation and facilitates marital and parental communication, Sunde said. Home visits allow people to be in a relaxed environment where they can talk freely and have their family with them if they prefer.The Family Advocacy Program’s goal is to take care of Airmen and their families to ensure that Airmen are always ready and fit to fight. If Airmen would like access to these services, they can request an in-home nurse referral by calling Ruth Sunde in the Family Advocacy Program at 509-247-2687.
