COUNSELING: The Basics of The Process.

“Counseling is the process used by leaders to review with a subordinate the subordinate’s demonstrated performance and potential. Counseling, one of the most important leadership and professional development responsibilities, enables Army leaders to help Soldiers […]. The Army’s future and the legacy of today’s Army leaders rests on the shoulders of those they help prepare for greater responsibility."

– ATP 6-22.1, Chapter 1 Preface.

Counseling is one of the most important tools leaders have to influencing development of their formation.

ATP 6-22.1 (The Counseling Process) is the Army guide to counseling, and it is a must for every leader. The Army has very deliberate ideas about why and how leaders counsel Soldiers – and it’s not only for bad things! Notably, while the Army’s counseling form (DA 4856) has recently been significantly updated, the doctrine has not been updated to reflect the new form. The current draft is from 2014, but is still an effective tool.

Though it's relatively short, doing justice to ATP 6-22.1 will require two weeks. Today we'll cover counseling in general. The rest of the week and Friday's quiz will cover event-oriented counseling. There's a lot of it and giving our readers really useful information in a size you can quickly digest requires a slow, methodical approach. Next week we will get into other types of counseling and compare the new form to the ATP 6-22.1.

As always, italics added 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:

Regular counseling provides leaders with opportunities to:

• Demonstrate genuine interest in subordinates.

• Help subordinates understand their role in accomplishing the unit’s mission.

• Acknowledge and reinforce exceptional work or dedication.

• Evaluate subordinates’ potential for development.

• Provide subordinates with assistance or resources to address issues or further strengths.

• Empower subordinates to identify and solve issues on their own so they are more self-reliant.

• Identify issues before they become significant problems.

• Identify and pre-empt causes of sub-standard performance.

The three major categories of developmental counseling are:

• Event counseling.

• Performance counseling.

• Professional growth counseling.

Diving deep in the doctrinal details:

Here are the types and categories of counseling. We will get deeper on each category this week.

TYPES OF DEVELOPMENTAL COUNSELING

1-1. Regular developmental counseling is the Army’s most important tool for developing future leaders at every level. Counseling responsibilities are inherent in leadership. Leaders at all levels must understand the counseling process. More importantly, Army leaders must understand that effective counseling helps achieve desired goals and effects, manages expectations, and improves the organization. Leaders should emphasize routine counseling to reinforce positive behavior and superior performance. Regular counseling provides leaders with opportunities to:

Demonstrate genuine interest in subordinates.

• Help subordinates understand their role in accomplishing the unit’s mission.

• Acknowledge and reinforce exceptional work or dedication.

• Evaluate subordinates’ potential for development.

• Provide subordinates with assistance or resources to address issues or further strengths.

• Empower subordinates to identify and solve issues on their own so they are more self-reliant.

• Identify issues before they become significant problems.

• Identify and pre-empt causes of sub-standard performance.

1-2. Developmental counseling is categorized by the purpose of the session. Understanding the purpose and types of counseling enables the leader to adapt the counseling session to the individual subordinate’s needs in order to achieve desired outcomes and manage expectations. Counseling is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor; it is a shared effort between the leader and subordinate.

1-3. The three major categories of developmental counseling are:

• Event counseling.

• Performance counseling.

• Professional growth counseling.

1-4 While these categories can help organize and focus counseling sessions, they should not be viewed as separate or exhaustive. For example, a counseling session that focuses on resolving an issue may also address improving duty performance. A session focused on performance often includes a discussion on opportunities for professional growth. Regardless of the purpose or topic of the counseling session, leaders should follow a basic format for preparation, execution, and follow-up. DA Form 4856 (Developmental Counseling Form) provides a useful framework to prepare for counseling. It helps organize the relevant issues to discuss during counseling sessions.

Want to master counseling? Take A Doctrine Deep Dive with a read of ATP 6-22.1