--- title: "Therapy During Drill, TDY and Travel · Raven Counseling" url: https://ravencounselingservices.org/therapy-during-drill-tdy-and-travel description: "Keeping telehealth therapy going through drill weekends, TDY, deployment and PCS moves: the location rule, planned pauses and privacy in shared housing." lang: en --- THERAPY AND THE MILITARY SCHEDULE # Keeping therapy going through drill, TDY and travel. Military schedules change without much warning. Here is how to keep therapy on track, including when to plan a pause instead of going quiet. Book on Headway →: https://care.headway.co/providers/zandria-hooks Free 15-min consult: https://ravencounselingservices.org/contact ## Therapy meets the training calendar If you serve, your time is not entirely your own. Drill weekends, annual training, schools, TDY, field exercises, deployments and PCS moves all compete with a weekly therapy appointment. Many service members delay starting therapy because they assume the schedule will make it impossible, or they start and then drop off when orders change. Telehealth makes continuity much easier than it used to be. It does not remove every obstacle, though, and the biggest one is a rule about location. This guide covers that rule and the practical planning that helps therapy survive a military calendar. The Guard and Reserve page (https://ravencounselingservices.org/national-guard-reserve-therapy) and the active-duty page (https://ravencounselingservices.org/active-duty-therapy) cover the clinical side of working with each group. ## The location rule, and why it exists Zandria Hooks, LCSW, is licensed in Texas, Maryland and Massachusetts. Therapists are licensed by state, and the rule that matters is where you are physically located at the time of the session, not where you live, where your unit is based or where your ID says you are from. So every session requires you to be physically in Texas, Maryland or Massachusetts when it happens. That means a session from a hotel room in another state during TDY, or from a training site outside those three states, cannot happen. It is not a matter of preference. It is a licensing requirement. The service areas page (https://ravencounselingservices.org/service-areas) explains the three states in more detail. ## Drill weekends For Guard and Reserve members, drill weekends are predictable in advance. Share your drill schedule at the start, and sessions can be planned around it. Evening appointments are available, which can help on weekdays when your civilian job fills the day. It also helps to think about timing. Some people prefer a session a few days before drill, some prefer a few days after, when there is time to decompress. ## TDY and short trips If a TDY or training trip keeps you within Texas, Maryland or Massachusetts, sessions can often continue from where you are, as long as you have privacy and a stable connection. If you are going outside those states, sessions pause for the length of the trip. When you know the dates, share them so the pause can be planned rather than stumbled into. ## Deployment Deployment usually means a longer pause. Before you go, it helps to talk about where you are in the work, what skills to keep practicing, what might come up while you are away, and how to restart when you return. If you are in the middle of processing a trauma memory, part of that conversation is closing that stretch carefully. For families, the military spouse and family page (https://ravencounselingservices.org/military-spouse-family-therapy) speaks to the other side of a deployment. ## PCS moves If your new duty station is in Texas, Maryland or Massachusetts, telehealth means therapy can continue straight through the move. If it is somewhere else, the plan becomes finishing well: wrapping up current goals, reviewing what you have learned, and help thinking about finding a provider licensed where you are going. A PCS is stressful on its own, so it is worth raising as soon as orders are likely. ## Plan the pause instead of disappearing One of the most useful things you can do is tell the practice about schedule changes early. When a session simply does not happen, the work loses its thread and restarting feels harder. A planned pause is different. You leave with a sense of where you are, what to practice and when you expect to be back. Coming back after a planned pause usually feels like picking up where you left off, not starting over. The practice has a 24-hour cancellation policy. Military life does not always give 24 hours of notice, so raising expected disruptions early and keeping communication open makes a real difference. ## Privacy in barracks and shared housing Telehealth depends on a private space, and that can be hard to find in barracks, shared housing, a small apartment with roommates or a house full of family. A few options that can help: - A parked car, with headphones, in a safe spot. - A booked study room or other closed room where you can talk without being overheard. - Times when roommates or family are predictably out. - Headphones and a white noise machine outside the door. If privacy is a real barrier, bring it up. A session with limited privacy can focus on skills rather than detailed processing, and the plan can adjust. The telehealth page (https://ravencounselingservices.org/telehealth) covers general setup. ## Evening sessions and a steady rhythm Sessions are 50 minutes, by appointment, and evenings are available. For many service members, an evening slot is what makes therapy workable around a civilian job, unit duties or family routines. Picking a consistent day and time, when your schedule allows, helps therapy become part of the week rather than one more thing to fit in. When the schedule shifts, the time can shift with it. Zandria is prior active duty and currently serves in the National Guard as a mental health provider, so drill weekends and short-notice orders are familiar territory. ## Scheduling questions from service members ### Can I have a session while I am TDY in another state? Only if you are physically located in Texas, Maryland or Massachusetts at the time of the session. If you are elsewhere, the session is paused and picked up when you return. ### What happens to my spot during a deployment? The plan is discussed before you leave, including how to close the current stretch of work and how to restart when you are back. Availability at that time is discussed then. ### What if a drill or mission change means I have to cancel? The practice has a 24-hour cancellation policy. Let the practice know as early as you can, and bring your drill schedule to the consult so sessions can be planned around it. ### I am moving under PCS orders. Can I keep going? If your new location is in Texas, Maryland or Massachusetts, sessions can continue by telehealth. If not, a plan for finishing and referral is made before you move. Military OneSource is accepted through Headway, as explained on the insurance and EAP page (https://ravencounselingservices.org/insurance-eap). Request a free 15-minute consult on the contact page (https://ravencounselingservices.org/contact). In crisis or thinking about harming yourself? This site is not for emergencies. Call or text 988, or dial 911. Veterans: press 1 after calling 988. Ready to talk? RELATED Guard and Reserve Therapy Read →: https://ravencounselingservices.org/national-guard-reserve-therapy Active-Duty Therapy Read →: https://ravencounselingservices.org/active-duty-therapy Telehealth Read →: https://ravencounselingservices.org/telehealth READY WHEN YOU ARE ## When you're ready to begin, I'm here. Book directly through Headway, or start with a free 15-minute consult so we can find out if we're a fit. R How can we help? Not for emergencies · 988 / 911 Book a Call Free 15-min consult · via Headway or form (https://ravencounselingservices.org/contact)Call Us Directly (214) 984-3411 (+12149843411) In crisis? Call or text **988**, or dial **911**. 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