Thought Leadership

KBR’s Dawn Stottlemyre knows what it takes to support military communities.

She has served as an enlisted airman, an officer, a military social worker, an embedded behavioral health provider and a program manager. Over nearly three decades, she has counseled service members and families, deployed multiple times and worked within military communities where behavioral health professionals must understand not only their clients but also the culture and demands of military life.

That experience has taught her that the most effective counseling doesn’t necessarily happen with a therapist sitting behind a desk.

It happens where people are.

“It’s as much about visibility and trust building as it is about the conversations,” Stottlemyre said of the Military and Family Life Counseling (MFLC) mission.

Building Trust Where It Matters Most

MFLC counselors provide confidential, non-medical support to service members and their families as they navigate deployments, relocations, family separations and other challenges of military life.

Unlike traditional office-based counseling, MFLC counselors are embedded in the communities they serve. They attend onboarding sessions, unit picnics, organization days and physical fitness events. School-based counselors walk the halls. Over time, service members and families come to recognize a familiar face.

“They become this trusted source,” Stottlemyre said. “They walk hand in hand with these families.”

Stottlemyre understands the importance of that support from both sides of the military community.

She enlisted in the Air Force in 1997, initially planning to serve four years before attending college. Those plans changed after the Sept. 11 attacks, when the Air Force extended her service and deployed her overseas. Her career took another turn while she was studying to become a speech pathologist. During an internship, Stottlemyre worked with a 21-year-old enlisted service member recovering from a devastating brain aneurysm. She watched him work relentlessly through rehabilitation but saw firsthand how emotional challenges could affect recovery just as profoundly as physical ones.

The experience led Stottlemyre to change course. She became a social worker and eventually earned a commission in the Air Force, combining behavioral health work with military service. She went on to deploy as a social worker, serve as an embedded behavioral health provider and manage programs supporting military communities.

Throughout that career, Stottlemyre has watched military families navigate challenges many civilians rarely see. Frequent relocations often cause spouses to restart careers every few years and children to leave friends and schools behind. Families must also rebuild support networks with each move, sometimes in another country. During deployments, the spouse at home often assumes responsibility for everything the service member left behind.

“The hardest part is everything around the deployment,” she said.

Finding the Right Fit

MFLC counselors can provide a steady presence amid that uncertainty. The work is deeply rewarding, but Stottlemyre is quick to point out that MFLC work isn’t for everyone.

Successful MFLC counselors need to be adaptable, independent and proactive. They must be comfortable with ambiguity, willing to learn military culture quickly and skilled at building rapport with people who may initially be skeptical of behavioral health services.

In traditional practice, an open spot on the calendar may offer time to catch up on paperwork. An MFLC counselor might instead ask: Am I visible enough? Am I showing up in the right places? Have I built the relationships that will make someone comfortable approaching me?

“You kind of have to hustle,” Stottlemyre said.

MFLC counselors often see the impact of their work quickly because they address short-term, non-medical concerns and connect people with additional resources when necessary.

“The impact is visible, and it’s immediate,” Stottlemyre said.

The role can also broaden a counselor’s professional experience. Depending on their assignment and qualifications, MFLC professionals may support children or work alongside military police, aviation, intelligence, special operations or logistics communities. They may collaborate with commanders, chaplains, schools, clinics and other military support organizations.

“You will never be bored,” Stottlemyre said.

Growing a Career with KBR

For KBR, supporting the MFLC workforce means helping counselors build meaningful careers while making an impact in military communities.

KBR leaders with MFLC and military behavioral health experience bring expertise across military service, deployments, behavioral health, program management, military families and schools. That experience allows KBR to provide counselors with something Stottlemyre says is particularly important when they arrive at a new installation: support from people who understand the job.

“We’re going to take care of these people because we’ve been in their shoes, and this is our passion,” Stottlemyre said.

Stottlemyre also points to KBR’s educational benefits, continuing education opportunities and broader health and human performance portfolio as advantages for professionals who want to keep growing. KBR also helps counselors identify where they want their careers to go and how they might get there.

“I love mentoring people and watching people grow,” she said.

Stottlemyre’s own career reflects that growth. The former social worker and embedded provider now serves in a senior quality assurance leadership role.

For professionals who find the MFLC mission is right for them, Stottlemyre believes the opportunity extends beyond building a career. It’s a chance to become part of the lives of warfighters and military families during periods when support can matter most.

“To be a part of that, whether it’s for a fraction of a time or for a lifetime, is really special.”