COUNSELING: Reception & Integration

Adding a new Soldier to your formation is big thing – likely far bigger for the new service member than for you. Proper reception and integration counseling sets you both up for success, and ATP 6-22.1 (The Counseling Process) has detailed thoughts on what needs to go into it.

As always, italics indicates for our emphasis, and […] indicates we cut out stuff we thought was fluff. And, as always: you’re smarter reading the publication yourself to be exactly sure

The major takeaways:

Two important purposes of Reception & Integration Counseling::

• It identifies and helps alleviate any issues or concerns that new members may have, including any issues resulting from the new duty assignment.

• It familiarizes new team members with organizational standards, roles, and assignments.

It should include but is not limited to the following areas:

• Organizational history, structure, and mission.

• Organizational standards (such as discipline, maintenance, training, and fitness).

• Organizational policies.

• Chain of command familiarization.

• NCO support channel familiarization.

• Key leader contact information.

• Soldier programs within the organization, such as Soldier of the Month/Quarter/Year and educational and training opportunities.

• Security and safety issues.

• On- and off-duty conduct. (the latter is a big one for reserve components)

• Off-limits and danger areas.

• Personnel procedures.

• Initial and special clothing issue.

• On- and off-post recreational, educational, cultural, and historical opportunities.

• Support activities functions and locations.

• Foreign nation or host nation orientation, as applicable.

• Other items of interest as determined by the leader or organization.

• Reserve component leaders may want to add:

• Guidance on reporting out-of-country travel (this is normal active component stuff, but reserve soldiers who travel for business and pleasure don’t have to check in and out of their units between drills).

• Restrictions on civilian employment.

Also, it’s important to remember that this is different that than a rater or senior rate initial counseling. Those should be done with the appropriate evaluation support form. See our series on evaluations for more detail on this topic.

Diving deep in the doctrinal details:

Here are the ATP 6-22.1 specifics on reception counseling.

Reception and Integration Counseling

1-8. Army leaders should counsel all new team members when they join the organization. Reception and integration counseling serves two important purposes:

1-9. Reception and integration counseling should include but is not limited to the following areas:

• Organizational history, structure, and mission.

• Organizational standards (such as discipline, maintenance, training, and fitness).

• Organizational policies.

• Chain of command familiarization.

• NCO support channel familiarization.

• Key leader contact information.

• Soldier programs within the organization, such as Soldier of the Month/Quarter/Year and educational and training opportunities.

• Security and safety issues.

• On- and off-duty conduct.

• Off-limits and danger areas.

• Personnel procedures.

• Initial and special clothing issue.

• On- and off-post recreational, educational, cultural, and historical opportunities.

• Support activities functions and locations.

• Foreign nation or host nation orientation, as applicable.

• Other items of interest as determined by the leader or organization.

Want integrate excellent counseling into your skills? Take A Doctrine Deep Dive with a read of ATP 6-22.1