The officer as a counselor

Title

Language

English

Source

Philippine Armed Forces Journal Volume IX (No. 6) October 1956

Year

1956

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

ARMED FORCES JOliRNAL ._.,. 1 ~\ <1 By Lt. Col. R. Mendoza & Lt. Col. L; I. G ....... had been se\"eral in· cxpansi\·c atmosphere free from COD· flicting interest and lllldue mental st1·mn. In ca.ses of timely plfC}talo. of 10 sudden some soldiers who had gical inroads, timeLY... and ) ntelliae:rlt heretofo1·e been normal get into w:r)' counseling can •·ery.. well s~l the st:l"ious troublt:. These incidents usual- way to complt!te normaJct lt.nd maxlly result in loss of lives and property mum efficiency. and a land mark ttl the Milita1-y. The ordinary ~oldi.er look1 upon T1·ue, investigations are conducted the officer for guidanct. The off~\' on the spot to trace the root cause becomes a fathc1, an o'l4er brother, of tht: troublt~, but the results of the a pastor, a teacher~ anci • frjud alf probes are seldom, if ever, utilized, rolled into one. l.J\Uiilll' time. o{. ~ to help prevent similar incidents. A soldier's confusio11, the oUker il t)le.. majority of ''run-amok" cases could "friend in timt> of n.eed" ad & 1'n-fea~ hB'Ve been p1·evented by proper lend- indeed." The le .. der,., wonh bi• ~at! t:J·ship measures which are within acts as a counselor witll intetes ana the ken of the normal, inte!Hgent skill. This role should lapbdJ t,he military leader. One of these mea- leader into a project dMirrled to Jot• sures is the application of positive a problem of om• periOD but: he It counseling by the leader. It is, there- also given an opportunity to ~Je' JJt.. fore, important that the leader pay .flight into the troublea, probletUS, as much attention to his role as a and pr~vailing idcs,a wkbi6• bb: lUiil. counselot· to his men as he would to Soldier Pr""-• his other lea-dership roles. Milituy leadt:t·s an ~ "A personal problem is a per- agreed that problems of U.. .oldieq sonnet problem." In this era of strin- which lend themselvea to tohztl8a ty, gent and manpower allocations, it is counseling could be gtherallJ" cl~ imperative that all men serving un- fied as follows: der the unit leader be utilized to the a. Soldier-adjustment (lfaladJud,... maximum. This can be done if e\•ery ment, hostility, ten«ioal, ~ man discharges his normal t·ole in an ering, etc.) Chapt~r IX of "L .. derololp (or Ftllplno••• CC<>Hrlrhl Its• ~~ Mendon and G\lnab<l) b, Soldier-leader ('unks, promotions, aasipo,lftrts, punishments, meu, su~plle&y. e. SOJ;dier-¥ily _(jealous)", infi. de~ity, money, lore. family trouble~). ~ Purpoae of Counseling There are two basic purposes for the leader assuming the role of counselor. One is that the counseling role will give the leuder an opportunity to correct misunderstanding within left on his his unit. Misunderstandings when solve these allowed to continue will lead to quar pro e he would rels, complaints, derelictions, neg. b\vartabty tum 9 ha- mother, wife, teet of duty, indifference to instruct~. ~. or, la~er for assis- tions, lack of zeal and consequently ta~ lh the ~~~~~· service, his loss of efficiency. They will go full Ultimat-e" "watliag NaJ,lj is his leader cirele. Such individual misunderstand~ upOa. whodt ~· ~ his trust and ings usually mount into big emotional coafidenct. 'I'hlt g«X! leader helps conflicts rendering personnel ineffect.hhn out wit:h ~per ,application of ive; and sometimes misunderstandC:~an-~=for ~~is :~:~. ~:~id!~:s li~:e t~: :~~~\ ~'ftnn~~~:~! Til feli.ng roJ.. if he cquaints himself Also, counseling aims to help the ,...;tit tlte variaj)le ttpes of problems individual soldier adjust to his sith'l may enco\mter wi~)lin his unit. uation. A soldier in civilian life has Ia tb'ta dlkuuion we purposely had his share of experiences, likes, left 011t · 101tiier'• piclblems a1·ising dislikes, aversions, and comes into hm ~ blJtatrili~ or neurosis the Army with his own set of ideas. wbieh l'lq,1rire tM eomeetent services Acute situational maladjllstment of psreh_ia'triN qr psychologists. may result when he is thrown in the ~leu. even ffi these latter company of several others whose inC!l~Mt it iJ th• Ieider's duty to see dividual characteristics are in varthat inc:Uviduala belet with these ills ianc~< with his own. He may become .,._ lm!nedi&telJ. •nt to hospitals for ll mental case wherein he becomes ~ -~ treatment. nervous, irritable, moody, detached Mi,uncler<londins• omon11 membetJ of o unit mor feod lo lock of nof ond con•equentfr ~ lou of effici•nc, in ~~. unil. T~e coun•efor muJI Jlrive b .. l lo en~once good comoro· derie omon9 the unifJ petoonnef or even violent. It is the dut~ of the him without the stiffness oi forc.:s leader to detect these symptoms and formalities. assist commit the mentally ill soldier The Interview to competent medical help. Counseling We will discuss counseling as the technique of usinl'!' the personal interview to assist the individual soldier adjust to his surroundings or to his job. The leader must know and understand his men and must take a personal interest in their welfare, befot·e he could aspire to have a well-functioning unit. He can show or pronounce his availability to any of them for straightening out their problems. Beforehand, he can prepare for this role by building up a reputation for understanding, tole. ranee anrl objt:ctivity. At the same time, he can provide for a setup whe~·eby individuals could approach The following are suggested rules for conduct of the counseling inter view: a. Make thorough a preparation as ~~e d~:e b:illex~~~ing T:~~st~~; . ~ records of the individual or by exhaustive use of reports and observation dat11. b. Put the counselor at'·ease. This phase may well deterrr:ine whether the case will turn into a battle of wits or a cooperative effort. Break the ice by talking about things you know he is intertlsted in. -1{1 c. Inform the counselee that the counselor does not have the answer to the problems. ... ' ""-<!. 1 1 OCTOBER lUI d. Be a good listener. After the counselee had loosened up and after both have agreed on the common ground and purpose of the interviews he is asked to !"elate his full story. e. Li.:o;ten to the soldier in friendly but objective manner. Never display impatience. f. AJ;k questions only when necessary. Questions should be made to fill gaps in the man's story or to stir discourse along essential lines. g. Do not indulge in arguments. Don't force your opinions on the . h. Refrain from displaying any kind of authority. The counselee will only shrink farther. i. Work out solutions together af. ter the full story. If possible let the solutions come out from. the counselee. He s~ould arrive at it with the minimum of ad· vice from the counselor. j. The counselee must concur with the solutirn. Make him believe it will wo1·k and that he will be willing to try it. k. Terminate the interview skill. fully. Tactfully, make him feel that he has done a good thing and that you are sincerely in. terested in his welfate. Mttl<ngr r~ould o/woyr bt ~tid btlwttn cou/utlor ond mtn lo lod-lt common ptobltmr. Th• ormr load •• rvi<• program Jhovld be I givenlhenudedoffenlionbr•h • oulhodlie• ARMED FORCES JOURNAL L Follow up the case. See what had been accomplished. Get reports or make observations. m. Evaluate your findings. P1·ofit by them. If the caSE' is solved it is possible your counseling technique worked. You may use it again in a similar case in thl' future. If it failed, use a new gpproach. Keep trying until you succeed. The above techniques and princi· pies of counseling show that the proper application or the pay-off comes only after assiduous study and me· ticulous attention to correct leader· ship practices. Succees in the coun. selor role comes hand-in-hand with proper practice of the other basic "JJ roles of the leader. For most men, the matter of learning is one of personal pre· ference; but to Army officers, the obligation to learn, to grow in their profession, is clearly a public duty. -Gen. Omar N. Braaley which to defend our country. -General Joseph T. :lfcNarney A ,..JI.progromrned load •ervice wiiJ mino ::•;r~;p~ol lolo!/y ero•e comploinl• among "--J~~~;;;;;i!S~!E!!l'l'Oir..J

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