U.S. Navy Regulations. In addition, chaplains will not
stand watches other than those of duty chaplain.
Now that we have briefly looked at what a Navy
chaplain will not do, let’s take a closer look at some of
the major duties and responsibilities of this important
billet.
PASTORAL COUNSELING.— The well-being of
all command personnel, their families, or other
authorized individuals must be the concern of everyone
in the CRP. Chaplains counsel and advise individuals
on religious, moral, personal, and morale matters, in
times of joy as well as in times of bereavement, during
domestic crises, and during occasions requiring
religious direction. Chaplains also refer individuals to
resource personnel and agencies. Some professional
counseling resource personnel and agencies are as
follows:
l
l
l
Religious Agencies
(Faith Group) pastoral counselors
(Faith Group) social service agencies
Social workers
Family and child service centers
Community Resources
Financial counselors
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Child care programs
Mental health clinics
Social service agencies
Family service agencies
Military Facilities
Naval regional medical centers
Counseling and assistance centers
Drug and alcohol abuse programs (DAAPs)
Family service centers
The CRP maintains liaison with community, social,
religious, health, and welfare agencies and makes those
resources available to military families.
The foremost issue involving counseling is
confidentiality of information disclosed. Information
disclosed during pastoral counseling is protected by the
Manual for Courts-Martial, United States 1984,
Military Rule of Evidence 503. This rule protects
communication to a chaplain, RP, or CRP staff member
in specific recognition of the nature of the military
chaplaincy and deals only with communication “made
either as a formal act of religion or as a matter of
conscience.”
PASTORAL CARE SERVICE.— Chaplains and
RPs are important team players within the medical
department. Their contributions to spiritual and moral
development are well-founded. Let’s look at some of
the important personal characteristics a good RP should
have.
Sensitivity.— Experience, say many, may be the
only teacher. If an RP has been foretold what to expect,
knowing the art of sensitivity is easier. As an RP in the
pastoral care service, you are in the business of
sensitivity. The people who seek assistance from
pastoral care need to be greeted by a sensitive person.
In the pastoral care service, you will encounter
depressed, unhappy, or angry visitors. Do not push them
further into that condition. Give them a caring
cheerfulness, not a bad attitude.
Visiting chaplains and others have their own
agendas. RPs need to support these agendas as best they
can. One method of support is to stay in touch with
admittance. Your knowledge of the patient, including
the ward, command affiliation, and expected length of
stay, would be timely and vital information to any
visiting chaplain or clergy.
Pastoral care service chaplains need special
sensitivity to be able to cope with traumatic and tragic
circumstances. Imagine the following situation. You
are the hospital chaplain. You are coming from the
deathbed of a child and returning to the office to perform
marriage counseling. Or perhaps you are going from a
series of tedious meetings to the task of preparing an
urgent brief. RPs more than anyone should be aware of
their chaplain’s mood. The swing of his or her
emotional shifts will be great; the RP must adjust and
react to those emotional shifts. In all cases, sensitivity
is the key. You can make the difference for the chaplain
in her or his adjustment through foresight, planning,
preparation, and sensitivity.
Resource Publications.— There are two specific
references that will help you before and during your
tenure in the pastoral care service: Dorland’s Illustrated
Medical Dictionary and Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders, DSM-III-R. You should
be familiar with these resources.
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