The Little Troopers Therapy Programme is a multi-year, National Lottery–funded initiative created to deliver military-specific therapeutic support to over 1,000 children and young people from Armed Forces families.
Designed uniquely for military life, the programme offers tailored, face-to-face therapy for children who are struggling with challenges directly connected to having a serving parent. It focuses on the distinct pressures military children face, not general mental health concerns unrelated to service.
Growing up in a forces family can mean repeated parental absence, deployment and reunion cycles, frequent relocations, school transitions, disrupted routines and periods of heightened stress or uncertainty. These experiences can shape a child’s emotional world, influencing regulation, behaviour, confidence and their sense of stability.
Our programme provides early, developmentally attuned support using play, creativity, emotional learning, routine-building and connection-focused approaches. The aim is to help military children feel understood, supported and equipped with healthy coping strategies as they navigate the ups and downs of service life.
Therapeutic sessions will focus on themes that help children understand and navigate the emotional impact of military life. Core delivery will include:
From there, therapy is personalised to each child’s situation and may explore topics such as:
Referrals can be made for two types of support:
Little Troopers is proud to partner with Broad Horizons, whose specialist therapeutic practitioners are trained specifically to deliver our military-focused programme and provide tailored, expert support for the children taking part. Therapists delivering the Little Troopers intervention are qualified, professionally registered counsellors or psychotherapists, experienced in working therapeutically with children and young people.
Our fully funded one-to-one therapy programme is open to school-age military children from Reception through to Year 12. Each child will receive six individual therapy sessions delivered by a qualified therapist from Broad Horizons, specialising in military-specific support.
Our supportive group programme provides military-connected children with a safe, engaging space to connect with others, share experiences and explore topics linked to military life.
Each programme consists of three in-person sessions delivered to the same group of 8–10 military children across a period of time. Applications can be made for Primary or Secondary age groups.
Sessions are delivered by a qualified Broad Horizons therapist, who will visit youth clubs, cadet units, community centres, lunchtime/after-school clubs or other community venues to run the workshops.
The Little Troopers Therapy Programme is a light-touch, individual therapeutic service designed to support the emotional wellbeing of children and young people from military families by referral. It is not intended for situations where a child is experiencing a mental health crisis.
If you are concerned that your child may be at immediate risk of harm, please take action as soon as possible by following these steps:
Contact your GP for an emergency appointment.
or call 111 and select mental health option.
Attend your local A&E/call 999
If you are having thoughts of suicide or are concerned for a young person who might be you can contact HOPELINE247
Call: 0800 068 4141
Text: 88247
You can text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258
Shout is a free, confidential and 24/7 text messaging service for anyone in the UK who needs support.
Contact your local Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services
These on-demand videos are for any parents whose child hasn’t yet been awarded a place on our One-to-One therapy programme or for parents who would like more information and activity ideas to better support your child at home.
This video is all about deployment and separation. Therapists explain a bit more about what your child might be feeling or going through and suggest some activities that you can do at home.
This video is all about moving home and school, and how to deal with the uncertainty and change that can occur during this time.
This video is all about being a military child. It’s really important to us as a charity that we stop the assumption that all military children are resilient. Resilience is something that can be nurtured but it will ebb and flow over time.
