Returnees from Iraq or Afghanistan in the last year likely attended a seminar at FSI's Transition Center called the High-Stress Assignment Outbrief session. The program began when the Department found the first wave of returnees reporting that their assignments had not been like any others.

At the request of then-Director General Robert Pearson, the Office of Medical Services partnered with the Transition Center to design and implement this program. Since then, hundreds of employees and some family members have attended a scheduled course at FSI or an individualized session with the director of the Transition Center or the director of the Office of Mental Health Services.

The program is tailored to employees facing difficult and unfamiliar challenges when repatriating from a war zone. Outbrief participants share strategies on dealing with decompression and learn the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and about additional resources. Most importantly, the Outbrief lets the Department express its thanks to volunteers and hear feedback — without personal attribution — on the adequacy of its support before, during and after deployment to an unaccompanied post.

The program helps employees adjust after dangerous assignments, but for many it is only the first step on a long and sometimes difficult journey. The Outbrief sessions have led to the production of notes on emerging trends that have influenced important revisions to the terms and conditions of future assignments and to cables highlighting the leadership challenges facing colleagues at high-threat posts.

Outbrief sessions have also placed attention on the interpersonal coping strategies of couples separated by unaccompanied assignments. A soon-to-be-released video produced by the Transition Center will inform prospective employees about the personal challenges inherent with these assignments.

In the video, couples share their experiences in making difficult decisions and in preparing for deployment and surviving the assignment, repatriation and reintegration. The video will be important for those contemplating an unaccompanied tour at one of the Department's highest priority posts.

The Outbrief program was a direct response to the needs of the Department. Other recent examples of the Center's problem-solving include several outreach mechanisms. The Overseas Briefing Center's Post Info to Go system, for instance, is for employees who cannot visit the Center on the FSI campus and for family members without access to the OpenNet. To provide them with information on posts, this desktop delivery system allows users to electronically access country briefing materials and e-mail that information home to family members.

Additionally, employees no longer need to visit the OBC to view all post videos-select videos are now on the BNET system and more are being added to the schedule monthly. OBC's Personal Post Insights collection candidly informs bidders about mission living conditions and is an anonymous account of life at post. They are also available through Post Info to Go.

Another resource, the Find Your Way CD, was created for family members and non-Department clients to navigate Transition Center programs and products via the Internet. It directs people to appropriate resources based on their stage of life in the foreign affairs community.

FSI's Training Division, meanwhile, will soon offer the Advanced Security Overseas Seminar online for those who cannot travel to Washington for this mandatory training. Additionally, the Transition Center's popular retirement planning seminar will soon be offered to entry- and mid-level employees.

A modern one-stop shop for training, career transition advice and research about overseas posts, the Transition Center has roots dating back to the 1930s. From a small library and early training courses for spouses, it grew into the OBC in the 1970s, and the Career Transition Center was added in 2000. Together, the three divisions of the Transition Center use decades of expertise from dedicated professionals to educate and prepare clients for Foreign Service transitions.