DEVELOPMENTAL
COUNSELING
FM 6-22 Army Leadership
DEVELOPMENTAL COUNSELING
TERMINAL LEARNING OBJECTIVE
 Action: Conduct Developmental
Counseling
 Conditions: As a leader in a garrison
environment given FM 6-22
 Standard: Prepare for counseling and
conduct a subordinate-centered
counseling session that produces a plan of
action focusing the subordinate on
individual and unit goal accomplishment
Types of Developmental
Counseling
Event counseling
Performance counseling
Professional growth counseling
Event Counseling
 Instances of superior or substandard
performance
Reception and integration counseling
Crisis counseling
Referral counseling
Promotion counseling
Separation counseling
Counseling for Specific Instances
Explain the purpose of the counseling
Address specific unacceptable behavior or
action
Explain effects of behavior, action, or
performance on the rest of the
organization
Actively listen to subordinate's response
Remain neutral or unemotional
Reception and Integration Counseling
 Counsel all new team members when they join
the organization
 Serves two important purposes:
Identifies and helps alleviate any problems or
concerns new members may have
 Familiarizes new team members with
organizational standards and how they fit into the
team (sends message that chain of command
cares)

Reception and Integration Counseling
(continued)
 Chain of Command
 Off limit/danger areas
 Standards
 Functions & location
of support activities
 NCO support channel  On/Off post
recreational,
 On/Off duty conduct
educational, cultural,
 Unit history,
and historical
structure, & mission
opportunities
 Soldier programs
 Security/Safety
Crisis Counseling
 Includes getting a Soldier through a period of
shock after receiving negative news
 Focuses on subordinate's immediate shortterm needs
 Leaders may assist by listening and providing
appropriate assistance
 Referrals are a part of assistance
Referral Counseling
Helps subordinates work through a
personal situation
May or may not follow crisis counseling
Aims at preventing a problem from
becoming unmanageable
Involves agencies such as Army
Community Services, Army Emergency
Relief, a chaplain, or an alcohol and drug
counselor
Promotion Counseling
 Required for all specialists and sergeants who
are eligible for advancement without waivers but
not recommended for promotion to the next
higher grade
 Soldier receives initial (event-oriented)
counseling when they attain full promotion
eligibility and then periodic
(performance/personal growth) thereafter
Adverse Separation Counseling
 May involve informing Soldier of administrative
actions available to the commander
 May not apply when an individual has engaged
in serious acts of misconduct
 Considered when rehabilitative efforts fail
 Serves as final warning to Soldier to improve
performance or face discharge
 Ensure you include the “Magic Statement”
(AR 135-178 Para 2-4 and AR 635-200 Para 1-16)
Performance Counseling
 Conduct a review of subordinate's duty
performance over a certain period of time
 Leader and subordinate jointly establish
performance objectives and standards
 Rather than dwelling on the past, focus on the
future: strengths, areas of improvement, and
potential
 Required under the OER/NCOER evaluation
process
Professional Growth Counseling
 Planning for the accomplishment of individual
and professional goals
 Identify strengths and weaknesses to create
an individual development plan
 Use short and long term goals and objectives
 Include:
Military and civilian schooling
 Future duty assignments
 Reenlistment options

The Leader as a Counselor
 Developmental counseling must be a shared
effort
 Leaders assist subordinates in identify
strengths and weaknesses while creating a
plan of action
 Success = subordinates commitment to
improve and candid in their own assessments
and goal setting
The Leader as a Counselor
(continued)
 Caring and empathic leaders conduct
counseling to help subordinates become better
team members, maintain or improve
performance, and prepare for the future by
focusing on these key characteristics:
Purpose
 Flexibility
 Respect
 Communication
 Support

Qualities of the Counselor
 Qualities include: respect for subordinates,
self-awareness and cultural awareness,
empathy, and credibility
 Ability to select proper approach to a specific
situation
 Consistently develop and improve own
counseling abilities
 General skills needed in almost every
situation: active listening, responding, and
questioning
Qualities of the Counselor
(Active Listening)
 Active listening includes:
Eye contact
 Body posture
 Head nods
 Facial expressions
 Verbal expressions

Qualities of the Counselor
(Responding)
 A leader responds verbally and nonverbally to
show understanding of the subordinate
 Verbal: summarizing, interpreting, and
clarifying subordinates message
 Nonverbal: eye contact and occasional
gestures such as a head nod
Qualities of the Counselor
(Questioning)
 Should be used with caution
 Too many can aggravate power differential
between leader and subordinate
 Too many could be an intrusion of privacy
causing subordinate to become defensive
 Ask questions to obtain additional information
 Should not lead to simple yes or no answers
Counseling Errors
 Talking too much
 Giving unnecessary or inappropriate advice
 Not truly listening
 Projecting personal likes, dislikes, biases, and
prejudices
 Rash judgments
 Stereotyping
 Losing emotional control
 Improper follow-up
Accepting Limitations
 Know you cannot help in every situation
 Seek outside assistance
 Respect individual's preference to contact an
agency on their own
 Some agencies to know: Red Cross, AER,
ACS, ASAP, Chaplain, Career Counselor, IG,
EO, Education Office
Adaptive Approaches to Counseling
 Nondirective
 Directive
 Combined
Nondirective Approach
 Advantage
Encourages maturity
 Encourages open
communication
 Develops personal
responsibility

 Disadvantages
More time
consuming
 Requires greatest
counselor skills

Directive Approach
 Advantage
Quickest method
 Good for people
who need clear,
concise direction
 Allows counselors to
use their experience

 Disadvantage
Subordinates not
part of the solution
 Treats symptoms,
not problems
 Discourage
subordinates from
talking freely
 Solution is
counselor's, not
subordinate's

Combined Approach
 Advantage
Moderately quickly
 Encourages maturity
 Encourages open
communication
 Allows counselors to
use their experience

 Disadvantage

May take too much
time for some
situations
Counseling Techniques
 Nondirective or combined approach:
Suggesting alternatives
 Recommending
 Persuading
 Advising

 Directive approach:
Corrective training
 Commanding

Four-Stage Counseling Process
 Identify the need for counseling
 Prepare for counseling
 Conduct counseling
 Follow-up
Identify the Need for Counseling
 Counseling associated with evaluations
 Command directed
 Developmental counseling
Prepare for Counseling
 Select a suitable place
 Schedule the time
 Notify the subordinate well in advance
 Organize information
 Outline the counseling session components
 Plan the counseling strategy
 Establish the right atmosphere
Conduct Counseling
 Opening the Session
 Discussing the Issues
 Developing a Plan of Action
 Recording and Closing the Session
Opening the Session
 States purpose and establishes subordinate-
centered setting
 Invites subordinate to speak
 If applicable, starts by reviewing the status of
the current plan of action
Discuss the Issues
 Attempt to develop mutual and clear
understanding of counseling issues
 Use active listening; invite subordinate to do
most of the talking
 Ask questions without dominating the
conversation
 If substandard performance leader must be
clear why standards were not met
 Leader must clearly establish what the
subordinate must do to meet standard in future
Plan of Action
 Identifies method of pathway for achieving a
desired result
 Specifies what subordinate must do to reach
agreed-upon goals
 Plan of action must be specific
 Include a tentative date for the assessment
session (this holds the leader accountable for
follow-up to determine if the plan of action
worked or needs to be modified)
Record and Close the Session
 Leader benefit is to document main points of
counseling session, even informal ones
 Documentation serves as:
Ready reference for plan of action
 Helps leader track subordinate
accomplishments, achievements,
improvements, personal preferences, problems
 Required for separations, bars to reenlistment,
and overweight program

Follow-up
 Leader Responsibilities
Modify initial plan if necessary
 Teach, coach, mentor, or provide additional
time, referrals and other appropriate resources

 Assess the Plan of Action
Leader and subordinate jointly determine if
desired results were achieved
 Determine assessment date during initial
counseling session

DEVELOPMENTAL COUNSELING
TERMINAL LEARNING OBJECTIVE
 Action: Conduct Developmental
Counseling
 Conditions: As a leader in a garrison
environment given FM 6-22
 Standard: Prepare for counseling and
conduct a subordinate-centered
counseling session that produces a plan
of action focusing the subordinate on
individual and unit goal accomplishment
After Action Review
1. What was supposed to happen?
2. What did happen?
3. What were the strengths during this class?
4. What were the weaknesses (or what went
wrong) during this class?
5. What can be done better next time to
improve this training?
Reference: TC 25-20