With the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we often hear about a Service Member being deployed. Broadly, deployment is a movement of the armed forces.

As with many elements of military service, a Service Members’ experience of deployment can be varied:

• Deployments may be for a number of reasons such as humanitarian aid and increased security – not only combat
• Deployments may last up to 15 months
• Service Members can be deployed only once, or they can be deployed multiple times
• Deployments that are war-related can be significantly different depending on the era, such as WWII, Korean, Vietnam, and OEF/OIF/OND (Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn).
• Modern military units cycle through four phases of deployment, each associated with unique stressors: Preparation for deployment, Transition to deployment (leaving), During deployment, and Redeployment (returning)

Since each Veteran’s experience with deployment is unique, asking about his or her experiences with openness and respect can lead to deeper understanding of your client and a stronger therapeutic relationship.