As a Clinical Psychologist, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside many children whose lives have been shaped by the rhythms of military service. One of the most profound transitions they face is the experience of moving across the globe because of a parent’s deployment or reassignment. While change can bring growth, it can also bring uncertainty, grief, and disruption. Supporting these children therapeutically requires both sensitivity and creativity.

Understanding the Impact of Military Moves

Military-connected children often carry incredible resilience. They adapt, make new friends, and learn flexibility in ways many of us don’t experience until adulthood. Yet beneath that resilience, there can also be hidden challenges:

• Loss of community: Saying goodbye to friends, teachers, and familiar routines can stir feelings of sadness and instability.
• Identity shifts: Frequent moves can make it harder for a child to feel a strong sense of belonging or to define “home.”
• Anxiety and uncertainty: Not knowing when the next move will come - or how long they’ll stay - can create chronic worry.

Recognizing both the strength and the vulnerability these children carry is essential.

Therapeutic Approaches

When I work with children in these circumstances, my first priority is to create a safe, stable therapeutic space that feels predictable, even when the rest of life may feel transient.

• Storytelling and Play: Integrating play and narrative techniques allow children to process their experiences symbolically, express grief over what they’ve left behind, and imagine new possibilities in their current home.
• Rituals of continuity: I encourage families to establish small, consistent traditions that can travel with them - a bedtime routine, a special object, or a shared family activity. In therapy, we sometimes create “portable
• memories,” such as photo books or memory boxes to carry forward connections from one place to the next.
• Strengths focus: Highlighting resilience, adaptability, and bravery helps children see themselves not only as kids who have lost something, but as kids who have gained unique skills.
• Emotional vocabulary: Giving children the words to articulate sadness, worry, or anger helps them make sense of complicated feelings that can otherwise show up as irritability or withdrawal.

Supporting the Whole Family

Military moves affect the entire family system. Parents may be managing their own stress while trying to support their children. Part of the therapeutic process often involves helping parents:

• Normalize their child’s feelings as a natural response to transition.
• Balance structure with flexibility to create a sense of stability.
• Model coping strategies for managing uncertainty.

Holding Both Loss and Growth

Perhaps the most important lesson I’ve learned is that working with military-connected children means holding space for both grief and growth. They are saying goodbye while also saying hello. They are carrying loss while also building resilience. As therapists, when we validate their sadness and celebrate their strength, we help them integrate their story in a way that fosters self-understanding and confidence.

My Final Thoughts

Every move represents both an ending and a beginning. In therapy, we have the privilege of helping children make sense of that journey - to honour what has been left behind, to process the challenges of the present and to step with courage into what lies ahead. These children are not just navigating transitions; they are cultivating resilience that will serve them for a lifetime.