In 1994, the training program moved to Fort Benning, Georgia, to partner with Columbus State University and the Pastoral Institute. Several reasons accounted for the move. First, the combination of Clinical Pastoral Education training (CPE, used for the training of hospital and prison chaplains) and Family Studies did not effectively train chaplains for either discipline. Secondly, it prevented drifting from a focus on pastoral care to a non-theological Family therapy program. Lastly, Fort Benning's population was growing as the military strength at Fort Riley was reduced.
The combination of Columbus State University, the Pastoral Institute, and Fort Benning proved to be exactly what the Family Life program needed. In 1997, a similar program was developed at Fort Hood, Texas, with the addition of a theological integration contract. Soon, both centers were aligned with the gold standard in pastoral counseling -- the American Association of Pastoral Counselors.
As the Army continued to reduce its numbers, installations were closed and divisions were inactivated, bringing with them the expected stress for the remaining force. Nevertheless, operational tempos increased as did personnel turbulence. Commanders and senior Chaplain Corps leaders called for more Family Life pastoral care to include Family Life education programs, suicide prevention, deployment and redeployment readiness programs and accessible marriage and Family counseling. In response, the Chaplain Corps embarked upon a program of training initial entry chaplains in basic pastoral counseling skills, leading to the designation of Pastoral Care Specialist. This has, in recent years, given way to renewed emphasis on pastoral care and counseling courses at the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School (USACHCS) and on installations as part of the ongoing chaplain training throughout the chaplain life-cycle.
At this same time, during the late 1990s, a young chaplain in Hawaii was challenged by his commander to meet the needs of young marriages in his division through an innovative program called, "Building Strong and Ready Families." Out of this initiative grew the Strong Bonds Program, which has become a successful chaplain program used to advance overall well-being as it assists married Soldiers, Family Members and single Soldiers in relational skills. Family Life Chaplains play an integral part in this program by educating newer chaplains in conducting retreats, and often training them to lead the select, researched and validated programs chosen by the Chief of Chaplains for these events.
The Chaplain Corps again changed in the 21st century. Following the events of 9/11, the Family Life Program found itself back where it began -- addressing the needs of Soldiers and Family Members in an Army at war. This required training centers to educate graduates in combat stress and post-traumatic stress interventions. For this, the centers looked to the Veterans Affairs' protocols and aligned themselves with other caregivers on post to provide a holistic approach in addressing the needs of returning combat veterans as they reintegrate into their Families and communities. Family Life Chaplains, because of their theological training, are particularly skilled in helping clients work through existential questions that so often come out of combat trauma. In this sense, they are uniquely qualified to help our returning veterans as they deal with post-traumatic stress, guilt and moral injury.
Another decisive advantage that chaplains have in providing professional pastoral counseling is their ability to maintain Privileged Communication with counseling clients, according to their status under UCMJ. This becomes particularly important to Soldiers requiring a sense of safety in order to share and process their sacred stories from downrange.
Privileged Communication between the chaplain and the Soldier or Family member is protected communication. Total confidentiality in communications with the chaplain is an essential component of the relationship of trust that the chaplain and chaplain assistant have with every Soldier and Family member. It is paired with every effort made by the Unit Ministry Team (UMT) to encourage the client to self-disclose their needs to a wider circle of caregivers, as well as the chain of command. Every effort is also made by the UMT to encourage Soldiers and Family members to seek help for their needs. Absolute confidentiality protects both the well-being of the Soldier and Family member, as well as the expected relationship of trust that Soldiers and Family members must have with chaplains and chaplain assistants.
Combined with the professional training and expertise that Family Life Chaplains possess, privileged communication provides Soldiers and Families a truly confidential counseling relationship with chaplains who can understand and identify with their challenges.
Today, there are a total of three Family Life Chaplain training centers, with the third center opening in 2009 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The outlook for the Family Life Training Program is encouraging, as more Family Life clinical supervisors receive their training. These supervisors, with the many professional credentials they are required to have, provide future resources worldwide for our Family Life Chaplains to continue their training wherever they are stationed.
Pastoral counseling continues to advance, as more secular counseling centers add credentialed staff. The mental health community recognizes that the spiritual dimension of life cannot be ignored as a resource and tool in overall wellness. We are indebted to the early Family Life visionaries within the Chaplain Corps who, at the end of the Vietnam War, strove to provide the highest quality of pastoral care and counseling to our Soldiers and their families. Their vision -- and the impact it produced - continues to serve countless lives within our Army Family today.
A special thanks to CH (COL) William J. De Leo (RET.) who wrote much of the early history used in this article.
CH (COL) Thomas C. Waynick is the Pentagon Chaplain and the previous Director and Clinical Supervisor of the U.S. Army Family Life Chaplain Training Program at Fort Benning, Georgia. His military experience includes 34 years in the Reserve, National Guard and Active components. He has participated in two deployments in Operation Joint Endeavor and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is currently a Diplomate in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, a Diplomate in the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy, and a Clinical Member and Approved Supervisor of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists. He holds state licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist in Louisiana and is ordained in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.
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