FM 6-22 Appendix B (Counseling)
This reference has been superseded by ATP 6-22.1, ADP 6-22, and ADRP 6-22. We provide this because the information contain is still useful in the counseling process.
The following PDF is an excerpt of FM 6-22 which includes the entirety of Appendix B (Counseling). Major sections include:
- types of developmental counseling
- the leader as a counselor
- the qualities of the counselor
- accepting limitations
- adaptive approaches to counseling
- counseling techniques
- the four-stage counseling process
- the counseling process at a glance
- the developmental counseling form
I need some examples of counseling statements to write on two soldiers for the month.
I wrote a counseling on my soldier on 6Oct2011 and it came back. So here it is 24Oct2011 and I have reworte the previous counseling. Can give my soldier the counseling still?
When you say the counseling came back I am assuming that someone senior in the chain of command found the counseling to be sub- standard or felt that certain items were not properly addressed.
You can give counseling provided the chain of command supports your action. I would run the counseling by the chain of command before you attempt to counsel the Soldier again.
You can rewrite the counseling statement and simply put a statement in the new counseling something like: This counseling modifies the counseling you received on _____. or This counseling documents the verbal counseling you received on ______. Once you have completed the new counseling allow the leader that disapproved the counseling to review the new one prior to giving it to the Soldier. You should also keep a copy of the previous counseling attached to the new counseling in case there are ever any questions as to why the counseling was rewritten.
I would also recommend the following actions:
1. Approach the leader that rejected the counseling and ask them to mentor you through the counseling process on this particular subject. By doing this they are assisting you and becoming part of the solution.
2. If you believe that counseling was rejected for other than professional reasons, consider typing up a memorandum of record that documents all the facts and specifics of the event.
3. Anytime you are typing a new counseling that you do not have experience in seek out the assistance of a senior leader and ask them to review the document and mentor you through the new situation.
Let me know if this helps
TOP
How long after an incident happens must a soldier be counseled
If one thing on a counseling is wrong, does that make the entire counseling obsolite?
I would say that depends for example if the you were counseled for being late to work and you were not late…then there would be a issue with the counseling. On the other hand if you were counseled for being late to work and you were in fact late to work but maybe you were only 5 minutes late but the counseling states 15 minutes, you could indicate this in the session closing block and disagree with the counseling but it does not change the fact you were late.
So I received a new soldier two weeks ago, and I’m having a large amount of issues w/him, PT test failure, dirty soldier in general, he’s over weight, and has substantial financial issues, the question being do I need to do separate counseling’s for each incident or can I reflect in it all on the end of the month counseling? Saying PFC SNUFFY on day xxxxxx you failed a PT test, day xxxxxx you received a verbal counseling after coming to work three times after pt without taking a shower, ect… can I put it all on one counseling? I’ve been recommended to put each issue on a separate counseling form. Thanks for the help.
It would be best to document each significant issue separately. For example: PT, and overweight. Then address the personal hygiene issue in the monthly performance with a recap of the PT and Overweight. You do not want to beat the guy up you want to correct his performance and approach this in a professional manner. If you are not able to correct the substandard performance you want the chain of command to view your counseling as a professional and objective attempt to correct substandard performance. Ensure your counselings are professional, factual, and unemotional. Address the issue not the person. Hope this helps. You can also find loads of counseling information at ASKTOP.net
Hello. I was wondering how long an NCO has to write up a soldier after an incident. My husband was told on 20July that he is going to have to be written up for leaving his post to take his child to the ER. He tried calling the LT he was working with but he didnt answer so he left the message with his runner and left. It is now 24July and still nothing. Is there a certain time frame they have to do a counselling?
Starlite,
There is not time limit. FM 6.22 APP B states the counseling should be conducted as close to the event as possible. Now with that stated and given the information you provided if your husband took the steps you described and he is counseled he should very respectfully accept the counseling and then in the session closing portion of the counseling statement check disagree and write a response explaining what happened and the actions he took. He should also ask for a copy of the counseling statement. He is entitled to a copy of any document he signs. In most cases that will be enough and more than likely no further action will be taken. On a side note you can find all types of answers to questions like this on our other site called: ASKTOP.net The site has 1,000s of answers for soldiers that are having difficulties. When you go to the site simply type in your keywords in the search box and it will bring up all kinds of questions/answers and articles on the subjects you are searching for. Hope this helped.
TOP
does a counseling need to have a start time and a end time or can the nco just right on there what he wants for your correction training and you will continue that training until he feels you are done or he is “tired” or he says its over
King you can find the answer to this question on our sister website ASKTOP.net
The link to the answer is: http://asktop.net/articles/using-corrective-training-to-motivate-substandard-performers/#more-633
thxz
Is it a requirement to have monthly counseling ‘proofread’ prior to actually counseling the soldier (on monthly counseling). I have been trying to find it in writing for a couple hours now, but to no reveal.
There is no requirement for proof reading. However proofreading does provide a supervisor the ability to mentor and guide inexperienced leaders. It also helps to ensure the counseling statements Soldiers received are well written and present a professional image
I just got a soldier in from another unit and none of his counseling got closed out. What can I do cause he has a board coming up and don’t want to make him or me look jack up.
SGT Q,
I would simply conduct a reception and integration counseling and then state in the plan of action that you will conduct an assessment at the 15 day and/or 30 day time period. There is nothing you can do about the other counselings not being closed out.
can counseling statements that are more than 2 years old written by nco’s that are no longer in the unit be used against a soldier after a First sgt already through out the article 15s and chapters
Counseling packets are only destroyed after a Soldier leaves a unit. Look on the DA Form 4856 and it has disposition instructions. They can use these items to show a pattern. If your case was previously dismissed you should probably go see JAG immediately.
I am a new NCO and I am writing iniital counselings for my soldiers. In the Plan of Action box can I start the bullets with “I will”, or is that against FM 6-22 appendix B?
SGT G, the plan of action is designed to explain to the Soldier how they will achieve the goals you agreed to in the key points of discussion. The goal of the Plan Of Action is for these steps to be an agreement between you and the Soldier. The key is to get the Soldier’s buy in on the Plan of Action. Therefore the Plan of Action comments usually sound something like: Soldier agreed to, or Soldier will. In a disciplinary counseling the Plan of Action is usually more directive in nature.
When it comes to the items you are suppose to do in support of the Soldier these will be listed under leader responsibilities. For Example I will or Leader will
On a side note FM 6.22 will is scheduled to be obsolete on the 26th of September 2013. It should be replaced by ATP 6-22.1
Hope this Helps
TOP
I am a new NCO and my counselings were not ready on the first. I wanted them to be perfect but now my squad leader is saying im failing my soldiers. Is there a specific date I have to counsel my soliders? Does it have to be exactly the first of every month?
SGT V,
There is no time requirement specified for E-4 and below counselings. The Commander is responsible for establishing a unit policy. Most units establish the 1st of the month as a policy. As a NCO you need to make sure you are communicating effectively with your subordinates. Monthly counselings usually address issues like: areas to sustain and improve upon, upcoming events, promotion status, education, etc. We have developed tools to help young leaders such as yourself counsel their subordinates. I would encourage you to check out Counsel Quick Volume 1. You can find it on GIpubs.com as well. This might help you speed up your counseling process. The bottom line is your counseling must be completed on the date specified by your chain of command. What I use to do was set aside a page in my notebook for each Soldier. Then I would take notes on each of my Soldiers throughout the month. What they did well, what they failed to do, What they could do better etc. This allowed me to quickly compose my counselings and it ensured they were individual counselings rather than a cookie cutter approach. If you are interested in professional development I would also encourage you to check out our sister website ASKTOP.net this site shares information of common topics of interest to Soldiers and Leaders. It also contains an area we call the ARMSROOM. This area is filled with 1,000s of free documents including: classes, briefings, SOPs, etc. This is designed to share information with Soldiers so they can spend more time leading their Soldiers and less time with paperwork. Your desire to have perfect counseling statements is admirable. However it is just as important to ensure you meet the deadlines set by your superiors. keep up the good work. Please let us know if you found this post useful!
TOP
I recently received four new soldiers from another section in my unit. If I give them a Initial Couseling when they arrive do I have to give them a monthly counseling also
SGT B,
Your initial counseling would be their counseling for the month. Basically used to set the standard for expectations and standards. Many of your Counseling and Leadership Questions can be found on our Sister site ASKTOP.net We also have a free resource center on ASKTOP.net called the ArmsRoom with 1,000’s of free classess, SOPs and anything else you can think of. Please check us out!
TOP
Is there a specific time period you need to have an initial counseling done by after receiving a new soldier (E-4 & below)
Reception and Integration counseling should be completed within 30 days of arrival. See FM 6.22 Appendix B. Soon to be ATP 6.22-1
Did you find this information useful? We appreciate your feedback! You also might find ASKTOP.net a useful site as it addresses 100s of questions like this.
TOP
Can the plan of action be changed after the DA4856 is signed without re doing another one
No the plan of action should not be modified once the counseling statement is signed. If the plan of action is changed it should be changed by modification in the assessment portion of the DA FORM 4856 or in another counseling statement explaining the situation and reason for the change to the plan of action.
For extensive information on counseling, leadership and other professional development issues I would suggest you visit ASKTOP.net
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TOP
If a Soldier is to be counseled for disrespect, is there a time period that the Soldier must be counseled with in from the time of the incident?
No, there is no time limit. FM 6-22 Appendix B (Which should come out as ATP 6.22-1 sometime in 2014) states the counseling should take place as close to the incident as possible. Now with that stated if the disrespect happened 3 weeks ago and you are just being written up then the chain of command will most likely want to know what caused the delay. If you get a counseling you may want to consider disagreeing with the counseling and writing your statement. There is alot of information about this type of situation on our sister site ASKTOP.net I would encourage you to go to the site and do a keyword search for items like: Counseling Time limits and disagree. I think you will find some valuable information on the site. Everything is free. Check out the ASKTOP.net ARMS ROOM while you are there. Everything you need from SOPs, Classes, Briefings, etc all of it for free.
Hope this helps!
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TOP
I have 18 years in the United States Army and I found your replies to my fellow soldiers to be OUTSTANDING! Not only did you address their concerns but you gave them constructive feedback as well along with reference points in the regulation. This is an outstanding site and I will definitely past it on to my team leaders for mentorship.
Thanks for your AWESOME comments. You might also find our sister site to be useful in assisting Soldiers: Asktop.net
Top
I have a unique question. If my NCO counseled me and set up a plan of action, the plan of action was completed to standard; can my LT counsel and recommend UCMJ for the same event that the original was for?
Yes, there is nothing that prevents this. The counseling is an administrative action. The Article 15 is a punitive action. You can receive corrective training for an issue and then receive an Article 15 as well, but you cannot be punished twice for the same offense. Corrective Training is not punishment.
Hope this Helps
TOP
I have a real good question. Can you receive a counsel for failing a drivers test?
If we are speaking about a military drivers license, then yes. If your MOS reasonably requires you to drive a military vehicle then the command can counsel you for failing a military drivers test. Usually they will provide you with corrective training to assist you in passing the test.
If you are speaking of a civilian drivers license, then I would say yes they can counsel you but I am not sure of the impact it will have because they do not have the authority to direct you to obtain a license. However, as a Soldier you are required to be at your appointed place of duty at the appointed time.
Check out ASKTOP.net for all of your military questions and free resource center
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TOP
I was told to find out what the difference is between a verbal counseling and a spot check and what Regulation covers them. I was verbally counselled and after the verbal counseling I received a coin for our mission and then the following day I was wrote up for the offense I was verbally counselled on. I have been informed that is a form of punishing me twice for the same offense because they are going for an article 15. This is after my leadership verbally counselled me and said that”were good”, during the verbal counseling. I hope that explains my question well enough, thank you!
There is no double jeopardy here. If you received a verbal counseling and it is later documented as a formal counseling and you are recommended for an Article 15 these are administrative actions. The Article 15, if administered, would be considered punishment. Receiving the coin would be a point of mitigation you might bring up during the Article 15 to discuss why you should not be punished or punished lightly. Our sister Site Asktop.net has some very specific information on the Article 15 process and action you could consider. Article 15 posts on ASKTOP.net
Hope this helps
TOP
I have a Soldier who I recommended for an artical 15, is it required to have a initial counseling in his packet from day one he was received in order for the other counselings pertaining to the artical 15 to be valid or does this effect the case?
I have a Soldier who I recommended for a article 15, my question is: is a initial counseling from day one needed in his counseling packet in order to make the counselings relating to his article 15 valid or can it effect my case if I don’t have it?
SGT G,
You do not need to have an initial counseling to recommend an Article 15. In fact depending on the issue a counseling statement might not even be required for an Article. For example, let’s say the Soldier came up positive on a urine analysis test. Usually an Article 15 is prepared without a counseling statement. The only item needed for the Article 15 is the official document that shows the Soldier was positive for an illegal substance.
You might find the following site ASKTOP.net useful as it contains information alot of information for Soldiers and leaders. It also has an area called the Armsroom which contains free classes, SOPs, etc.
Hope this Helps
TOP
I have an nco that has given me several counciling statements and is not turning them into my first sgt but is also giving me a corrective training as far as I knew my first sgt was supposed to keep track of every counciling statement and corrective training and now my nco is holding it over my head that if I screw up she will give all my councilings to my first sgt and get me kicked out for one I see this as blackmail which is illegal so I know for sure it should not be done in the army so what can I do about this