It’s not divorce and it’s not death, but military deployment is a separation that causes “injury of the soul” for families spending time apart, said Tracy Kehrer, an Army wife in Killeen.

With unprecedented effects rippling through the military community during wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Texas Legislature is moving to address both mental health and practical issues that arise when troops return home — or when it’s time to leave again.

State Sen. Eliot Shaleigh, D-El Paso, introduced two bills to soothe “the invisible wounds of these wars,” he said. Senate Bill 196 would double the counseling efforts in schools serving students with parents in combat zones overseas to offer more one-on-one time. Working with three other senators, Shapleigh also drafted Senate Bill 1030 to improve health care services for military personnel and families affected by post-traumatic stress disorder.

Senators Jane Nelson and Leticia Van de Putte also proposed several pieces of legislation to assist families with mental health, education and employment opportunities.

On Friday, the sixth anniversary of the Iraq War, Kehrer’s husband will still be on his fourth tour in Baghdad. At Fort Hood in Killeen, the only military base in the U.S. to send overseas two divisions at once, it’s not uncommon for service members to leave for multiple deployments, Kehrer said.

Although federal mandates are in place to provide help for the increasing numbers of troops experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, the state also needs to play a supporting role, said Sam Shore, director of the Texas Mental Health Transformation Project.

With infrastructure already in place from last session’s legislation establishing resources like TexVet: Partners Across Texas, the Department of State Health Services is looking to encourage communities to reach out to veterans trying to integrate back into mainstream society, Shore said.

One of the greatest needs is for people who didn’t expect to serve, such as the National Guard and reserve forces, he said. Another population, children with secondary post-traumatic stress disorder from coping with the reality of having parents in the war, is also growing.

But many families and military personnel hesitate to seek therapy because of the stigma attached to it, Kehrer said at a Tuesday mental health forum. A history of counseling doesn’t look good for service members competing to rise through the ranks and can even affect gaining government security clearance, despite last year’s policy change, she said.

Still, some use confidential services such as the Homefront Project in Killeen to help manage their worry. Aimee Ybarra speaks with one of the program’s counselors while she raises two kids and waits for her husband to come home from Iraq, his fifth tour of duty since he started on his military track 15 years ago. He’s scheduled to come home for a year before leaving again for a sixth deployment.

“I’ve almost become a soldier myself,” she said.