Activity

  • cplenge replied to the topic Helping Soldiers with Non-Military Related Problems in the forum Junior Officer 8 years, 2 months ago

    Great question!  I believe the two best things you can do are to identify problems and provide information/referrals to relevant resources.  You are likely not able to solve all of the problems on your own.  However, if you can identify the problem, you can get the Soldier to someone who is an expert in that area. Also, by posting resources and making sure Soldiers know how to use them, you can get Soldiers to seek them out on their own.

     

    There are a lot of resources you can use on post.  If a Soldier has financial issues, Army Community Service (ACS) typically runs a lot of financial classes and also normally has financial counselors.  Some posts also run Financial Peace courses.  ACS, MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation), and MyArmyOneSource have a lot of different programs for various Soldier problems.  There are also counselors called Military and Family Life Counselors (MFLC).  These counselors are free and take no record of their interaction.  That can sometimes be a great resource for Soldiers.  I encouraged my Soldiers to use the MFLCs.  Another fantastic resource is the Chaplain.  The Chaplain can provide advice, serve as a sounding board, give training, and so much more.  If you have a good chaplain in the unit/on post, they are very value added.  The Army Substance Abuse Program also will run classes for those with alcohol problems.

     

    You may also have resources within your unit.  In one unit I had a Solider who was an accountant before she joined the Army.  She was amazing at helping Soldiers with financial challenges.  The Soldiers also felt comfortable talking with her over some of the other resources.  I had one Soldier with horrible finances as a PL, I put that Soldier in her team so they could get special attention.  You have to be careful with using internal resources, though.  Sometimes people may not always give the best advice or still be on top of their game.  You as a leader need to make sure you analyze each option before choosing it.

     

    Chad