COUNSELING: Wrap-up & Quiz (Week 1)

It’s been a long week covering ATP 6-22.1 (The Counseling Process) in general and event counseling in particular. Let’s run through the major take aways, and then get to this week’s quiz.

The major takeaways about the basics:

• 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.

The major takeaways about event counseling in general:

Examples of event-oriented counseling include, but are not limited to:

• Specific instances of superior or substandard performance.

• Reception and integration counseling.

• Crisis counseling.

• Referral counseling.

• Promotion counseling.

• Transition counseling.

• Adverse separation counseling.

Other key points:

• Successful counseling for specific performance occurs as close to the event as possible.

• Leaders should counsel subordinates for exceptional as well as substandard duty performance.

Some techniques for effective counseling include:

• Explain the purpose of the counseling—what was expected and how the subordinate exceeded or failed to meet the standard.

• Remain neutral.

• Address and explain the specific behavior or action—do not address the subordinate’s character.

• Explain the effect of the behavior, action, or performance on the rest of the organization.

• Actively listen to the subordinate’s responses (see Chapter 2).

• If failing to meet the standard, teach the subordinate how to meet the standard and recognize patterns of behavior that may keep the subordinate from meeting the standard.

• Be prepared to conduct personal counseling, since a failure to meet the standard may be the result of an unresolved personal issue.

• Explain to the subordinate how developing an individual development plan will improve performance and identify specific responsibilities in implementing the plan.

• Continue to assess and follow up on the subordinate’s progress.

• Adjust the plan as necessary.

Specific Instances of Superior or Substandard Performance

• Counsel close to the event as possible

• Counsel for both exceptional and substandard performance.

• Explain the purpose of the counseling—what was expected and how the subordinate exceeded or failed to meet the standard.

• Remain neutral.

• Address and explain the specific behavior or action

• Do not address the subordinate’s character.

• Explain the effect of the behavior, action, or performance on the rest of the organization.

• Actively listen to the subordinate’s responses

• If failing to meet the standard, teach the subordinate how to meet the standard and recognize patterns of behavior that may keep the subordinate from meeting the standard.

• Be prepared to conduct personal counseling, since a failure to meet the standard may be the result of an unresolved personal issue.

Crisis Counseling

• Focuses on the subordinate’s immediate short-term needs

• Assists a Soldier or employee through a period of shock after receiving negative news (I.E. of the death of a loved one).

• assist by listening and providing appropriate assistance.

• May include coordinating for external agency support, (i.e. funding for transportation or contact with a chaplain. )

Referral Counseling

• When issues are beyond the capability or expertise of a subordinate’s leaders.

• Helps subordinates work through personal situations that may affect performance.

• Prevents an issue from becoming unmanageable for the subordinate.

Promotion Counseling

• Army leaders must conduct promotion counseling for all specialists, corporals, and sergeants who are eligible for advancement without waivers (see AR 600-8-19).

• Regulations require that Soldiers within this category receive initial (event-oriented) counseling when they attain full promotion eligibility and then periodic (performance/professional growth) counseling thereafter. Soldiers not recommended for promotion must be counseled as to why they were not recommended and should address these shortcomings and plans of action to overcome the identified shortcomings.

Transition Counseling

• Assists Soldiers who are demobilizing, separating, or retiring from active duty. P

• Prepares subordinates for employment, education, and other post-service opportunities and benefits.

• Transition requires planning throughout the individual’s service.

• Start with identifying military and long-term goals at the first unit of assignment.

• AR 600-8 has other transition guidance.

Adverse Separation Counseling

• Informs the Soldier of the administrative actions available to the commander in the event substandard performance continues

• A unit first sergeant or the commander should inform the Soldier of such proceedings based on the notification requirements outlined in AR 635-200.

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The major takeaways about reception and integration event counseling:

Two important purpose:

• 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.

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• 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.

Now it’s time to take a deep dive into The Weekly Quiz: https://forms.gle/xk8idG9aezCzwAsZ8