In 2006, with input from military providers and family members, FOCUS was first adapted for the United States Marine Corps (USMC) at Camp Pendleton, and then standardized for broader implementation as Project FOCUS. This led the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED), in March of 2008, to fund the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior to implement FOCUS services more broadly for United States Navy (USN) and USMC families. In 2009, Project FOCUS services were expanded within the USN and USMC and made available to U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force families at selected installations through support from the U.S. Department of Defense Office of Military Community and Family Policy.
Project FOCUS is grounded in three well-established interventions which have demonstrated a positive impact on psychological adjustment and functioning in families and children facing challenging circumstances, including parental depression, parental medical illness and loss, and war time exposure.
Project FOCUS is responsive to the requests and needs of families and personnel on individual military bases and installations, and, consequently, has been adapted for the specific communities served and is embedded within a continuum of family care. Project FOCUS is linked to local partners including chaplains, medical and mental health providers, family service programs, and school staff. Project FOCUS is housed in family-friendly, easily-accessible locations such as within family services centers, chapels, and base shopping centers. Services are available during the workweek, after school, evenings, and on weekends. Project FOCUS resiliency skills training is also offered in a range of group formats to provide education on core Project FOCUS principles to families, service providers, and members of the community.
For more information, please visit the Project FOCUS website.