Engaging service members and military spouses in the post-deployment transition: A program evaluation of the Brothers at War workshop intervention

Reintegration following military deployment can pose significant, multifaceted challenges for service members (SM) and their families, often marked by psychological distress, relational strain, communication difficulties, and diminished social support. The Brothers At War Workshop (BAWW) is a film-assisted, trauma-informed intervention designed to support post-deployment reintegration. Grounded in the documentary Brothers At War, the workshop engages SMs and their families through a structured sequence of film viewing, psychoeducation, journaling and reflection, resilience skills, and facilitated dialogue led by military-connected Resilience Trainers (RTs). This mixed-methods program evaluation analyzed responses from 1284 workshop participants who completed a brief 9-item satisfaction survey immediately following their BAWW participation. Quantitative analyses demonstrated overwhelmingly high levels of satisfaction across all domains, with consistently positive mean ratings. Thematic analysis of qualitative responses supports the positive trends in the mean ratings overall. Major qualitative themes that emerged include: film-assisted storytelling, facilitation, community connectedness, and family integration. Findings underscore BAWW's potential as a culturally responsive, community-based alternative to conventional reintegration programs. The integration of emotionally evocative media with structured, peer-led dialogue fosters psychological safety, engagement, and the development of applicable resilience skills. These results support expanding access to family-inclusive, trauma-informed reintegration programming and call for future longitudinal research to evaluate long-term outcomes and inform systemic change within military transition care.