How are these military oriented tools different from other civilian inventories and programs?

They differ in four respects: 1) They are more confidential in so far as they are self-administered, thus making them less threatening to military partners that are often concerned about privacy issues; 2) While similar in many respects to more costly civilian inventories (e.g., Prepare, FOCCUS, Relate, Enrich), they also address issues unique to military life (multiple long-term deployments, affects of deployments on family members); 3) Because they are self-graded, partners tend to be more honest in their responses (like completing a take-home test), thus enhancing their diagnostic results; and 4) Unlike the advice one would be provided after completing a civilian inventory that represents the training and experience of a particular counselor or clergy person, The Survival Guide offers "counseling insights” from literally hundreds of couples, counselors, chaplains and members of the clergy that have contributed to this program.