Assessment of Interpersonal Communication and Counseling Skills: Perspectives from NCOs
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to identify the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities that allow Non-commissioned Officers (NCOs) to competently communicate and counsel Soldiers, identify existing training gaps, and to assess the utility of Transtheoretical Model of Change (TTM) and Motivational Interviewing (MI) as potential interpersonal communication and counseling skills (ICCS) training models for NCOs. A sample of 64 NCOs (Corporal to Sergeant First Class) from four Army installations (Bragg, Eustis, Hood, and Polk) were interviewed and/or completed a survey during umbrella week data collections from August to November 2017. The primary finding of this research was that the gaps in current Army doctrine and available Army training did not sufficiently address problems commonly seen by NCOs in the role of counselor. Basic communication skills, limited use of two-way communication processes, effective use of feedback and follow-up, resistance to the counseling process, and difficulty with emotional content were problem areas commonly reported by participating NCOs. These problems mirror those seen among other beginning and mid-level helping professionals (e.g., therapists, counselors, nurses, social workers, etc.). Motivational Interviewing, an empirically validated tool for creating behavior change could be easily adapted to serve NCOs training needs. Based on the findings of this research, the need for ICCS training is supported at the operational level and the development of a TTM/MI-based ICCS training model for NCOs is warranted.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1060682
Entities
People
- April D. Sanders
Organizations
- U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences