Receiving help doesn't get much easier than having someone show up at your door. With the Fort Lewis New Parent Support Program, social workers and registered nurses are available to do just that.

Parents can receive assistance for everything from deployment-related issues to "baby proofing" and everything in-between - all without leaving the comforts of home.

Expectant parents and families with children up to 6 years old are eligible for home visitations as part of the free militarywide NPSP, said Diane Zumwalt, registered nurse.

Although parenting classes are also available and beneficial, Zumwalt said home visits have advantages.

With classes, parents are able to reach out to one another and see they are not alone in their hardships.

With home visitations, families receive assistance in a more private setting where their children are comfortable and tend to be themselves.

"In their own environment, we can see what the parent's talking about, because a lot of times the child will demonstrate the issue right in front of you," Zumwalt said.

They also receive more individualized attention and can address issues "on the spot.

"In the home you can actually work on what's happening with the temper tantrum, what's happening with the bedtime, or whatever it is that's affecting the family," Zumwalt said.

Most sessions typically last one hour, but may go longer if needed. Parents make follow-up appointments at the end of each visit, or they may choose not to be seen again.

Marci Hales, licensed clinical worker, said her staff works hard to accommodate clients.

"We're very client-centered," Hales said. "If they need more support and feel like they want to meet twice a week, we will work with them."

Zumwalt assures clients the staff won't call or harass them if the parents decide to discontinue home visits. "It's entirely up to the parents," Zumwalt said, "but a lot of people who say they only want a couple of visits end up seeing us for a year or more."

As the family readiness group leader for her husband's unit, Jennifer Thornton recommended the program to other families, never thinking she would end up using it. That changed after her son, Hayden, was born and her husband came back from a deployment, suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

"I was trying to find ways to incorporate Hayden into (my husband's) life," she said. "The program really helped."

Nearly one year later, Thornton still receives and looks forward to visits.

Thornton realizes some parents are skeptical about having a social worker come into their home, and some are even offended when she recommends it, but her advice remains the same: Give it a try.

"(Parents) think, ‘Oh, she must think that I'm a bad parent,' but you have to get over that stigma," Thornton said. "I don't think I'm a bad parent, but I think we can all benefit from outside knowledge and resources."

Children behave differently at different stages of development, Hales said, and her staff can help determine if it's deployment related or the result of something else.

"A child may have reacted well (to a deployment) when they were 6 months old, but now that they're 2 and a half, they're probably going to react completely different."

Thornton said she is very pleased with her home visits and plans to continue them, especially at this stage of Hayden's life, when he is continually growing and changing.

"It has made things more applicable and personal to our lives and home," she said.

"We can educate you on what can help make a (positive) difference," Zumwalt said.

Home visits are not limited to families who live on post. The staff will travel to any surrounding community where there is a military family in need; all at no cost to the clients.

"You can always be like, ‘thanks, but no thanks,'" Thornton said, "but why turn away help?"

Anyone interested in making an appointment or receiving more information can call 967-8491.