Family Life
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Resources for Graduates of USARLA
In 2023, the United States Army Religious Leadership Academy redeveloped and redesigned programs of instruction for CHBOLC and C4. The family life module for CHBOLC includes lessons on chaplain identity, emotional intelligence, basic counseling skills, clinical models, Prepare-Enrich relationship faciliator training and theological integration. CHBOLC students receive 42 hours of Family LIfe instruction and practice pastoral care and counseling during CAPSTONE (culminating event for CHBOLC). C4 students receive an additional 54 program of instruction hours.
The CHBOLC Smart Book (Updated 1 April 2024) summarizes this instruction in one quick reference. C4 Lessons include supervisory identity and how to supervise pastoral care and counseling of subordinate chaplains. The C4 2019 Religious Support Family Ministry Smart Book for C4 is currently being updated to reflect the redesign. Please keep checking the website for version 2024!
Send comments, questions and ideas to:
the USARLA Family Life Subject Matter Expert.
How to Develop and Execute Family Life Focused Training
- Analyze the chaplain pastoral care and counseling tasks (ICTLs) on the Chaplaincy Task Analyst page.
- Download the tasks from CAR or ATN that you would like to train. Input and search on the task number or task title in CAR or ATN.
- Read the performance steps and performance measures from each task.
- Use the outline from the performance steps to develop and design your training.
- Collaborate with your commander, XO and Family Life Chaplain to enhance your training.
- Use resources on this page to enhance your training.
- Plan and resource your training in conjunction with your S3 and S4. Use the Orders Process in your unit.
- Conduct the training using the Army Learning Model.
- Look for a demonstration of competency in the learner to see if they meet the performance objective of the task.
- Evaluate training using the AAR process.
Additional Family Life Resources and Training Aids
ATTENTION: The links, resources, persons, and books listed on this page are not endorsed by the US Government, Department of Defense, the US Army, or the USARL. The listings are for your informational and situational awareness only. The US Government, it's agencies, and departments do not endorse a particular therapeutic approach, a particular religion, or a certain religious approach to pastoral counseling. There are risks and caveats associated with all therapeutic approaches. You should consult with a competent supervisor before you employ any technique. You should inquire with your religious denomination or center for higher education to learn more about religious approaches to therapy congruent with your religious tradition and endorser.
Lectio Divina Primer (doc) - A one page guide to the ancient practice of "Divine Reading", a contemplative approach to sacred text. This can be helpful to increase mindfulness and resiliency.
Chaplain Identity Heuristic (ppt) - a conceptual model on Chaplain Identity
Pastoral Counseling and Counseling Center Resources
Myers-Briggs Type and Temperament Notes for Counselors (doc)
Sample SOP for Engaging Your Installation Family Life Chaplain (doc)
Counseling that is sound, but also pastoral can be challenging. This one page document, "Pastoral Counseling Is..." (pdf) attempts to define what pastoral counseling "is" and isn't.
Chaplain Family Life Ministry Overview and Information Briefing (ppt) - Designed for Senior Chaplains and Leaders on an installation to understand the capabilities, battle rhythm, and ministry of an installation family life chaplain.
Use this Sample Intake Form (pdf) to collect basic data to better understand those who come to you for care.
Use this Sample Informed Consent (pdf) to explain who you are and what you do in order to set expectations for how the pastoral counseling relationship will unfold. Staff this through your local Family Life Chaplain and Staff Judge Advocate in order to account for any local or new changes in law or policy prior to use.
Sometimes your clients want you to talk freely with others. Use this Confidentiality Release Form (pdf), which is specifically designed to cover the issue of suicidality, in order to gain permission to engage others on confidential matters.
Articles and Presentations Related to Trauma & Healing
Post-Traumatic Stress and Moral Injury Understanding and Treatment (ppt)
Healing Professions Heuristic (pdf)
4D Anti-fragile Conditioning (ppt)
Healing and Preventing Trauma (pdf)
Religious Care for Trauma (ppt)
The Complexity of Loss and Grief (pdf)
The Paradoxes of Healing Trauma (pdf)
Trauma Timeline & Typology of Trauma Personal Inventory (doc)
Essential Elements for Processing Traumatic Memories (doc)
Soldiers and Families may struggle with attaching a name to their emotion due to adverse childhood experiences or other trauma. Dan Siegel coined the phrase, "You have to name it to tame it!" The Feeling Wheel - Tool for Expanding Awareness of Emotions (Gloria Wilcox) is a great tool for helping people name their emotions.
Anger is a common human emotion especially with Soldiers working through PTSD. What we do with it can make or break a relationship. This one page TTP explains how to process anger in a healthy way: Processing Anger Protocol (pdf)
Parenting
1-2-3 Magic an evidenced-based approach to effective discipline for children 2-12 years old. Dr. Phelan has other resources here for parenting teens and he specializes in ADHD.
Scream-Free Marriage and Parenting - are trainings provided by Hal Runkle (and often by Army Community Services) to empower couples with a protocol to "Calm down, grow up, and get closer" to have a better marriage and to be better parents.
Human Sexuality
Out of the Shadows:material by Patrick Carnes for treating sex and pornography addiction.
"Emotionally Focused Therapy and Hyper-Sexuality" - A Routledge article explaining the use of EFT for helping treat disrupted attachment in couples struggling with hypersexual behaviors. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, 13:219–239, 2006 DOI: 10.1080/10720160600870786
Dr. Snyder's "Affair Stabilization Protocol" Training (ppt) - a copy of training presented by Dr. Douglas Snyder to Family Life Chaplains on how to stabilize and work with couples dealing with the effects of an affair.
"Rid of My Disgrace: Hope and Healing for Victims of Sexual Assault" a resource written by a couple who are trained and informed in victim response and theological healing.
"Modifying Sex Therapy: Treating Sexual Dysfunction in Orthodox Jewish Couples" Some Orthodox Jewish couples can feel frustrated due to the lack of resources and therapeutic approaches that also take into account the strict observances of the orthodox Jewish community. This resource is designed for Orthodox Jewish couples.
"Toward a Growing Marriage" by Dr. Gary Chapman covers the practical aspects of marriage from a evangelical perspective.
"A Celebration of Sex" by Dr. Douglas Rosenau (Ph.D.), is an internationally known, licensed and credentialed expert and theologically trained therapist. Dr. Rosenau has over 40,000 clinical hours working with couples in this area.
"Restoring Pleasure" by Dr. Clifford (Ph.D.) and Joyce Penner (M.N.) - a step-by-step approach couples can employ for themselves to overcome the negative effects of past trauma on sexual intimacy.
Models of Therapy
Dr. Janine Bernard (Ph.D) and Dr. Rodney Goodyear (Ph.D) developed the "Discrimination Model" for Supervision of Counseling, the most researched and popular model of clinical supervision. A video overview can be found by searching on line for the Discrimination Model.
Search for Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Emotionally-Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Couples Collaborative Therapy.
Books on Counseling & Inner Healing
Sacred Therapy: Jewish Teachings on Inner Wholeness by Estelle Frankel
Islamic Counseling Introduction, Theory and Practice by G. Hussein Rassool
Transforming Self and Community (Roman Catholic Counseling) by Len Sperry
Healing Care, Healing Prayer (Evangelical Counseling) by Terry Wardle
An Introduction to Buddhist Psychology and Counseling by Padmasiri De Silva
When Hearts Become Flame (Orthodox Counseling) by Stephen Muse
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by
Gottman's 10 Principles for Effective Couple Therapy by John Gottman
A Practical Guide to Rabbinic Counseling by Yisrael N. Levitz
The Body Remembers: The Psychophysiology of Trauma and Treatment by Babette Rothschild
Waking The Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter Levine
EFT Couple Therapy with Survivors of Trauma by Susan Johnson
The Mindful Therapist by Daniel Siegel
Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling (Christian) by Charles Kollar
Solution Oriented Spirituality (not religious specific) by Bill O'Hanlon
After the Fight by Dan Wile
After the Honeymoon by Dan Wile
Christ-Centered Therapy (Internal Family Systems) by Russ Harris
Self-Therapy (Internal Family Systems) by Jay Early
The Practice of Emotionally Focused Therapy by Susan Johnson
Created for Connection: The "Hold Me Tight" Guide for Christian Couples by Susan Johnson and