JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. – Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Thomas Solhjem, U.S. Army chief of chaplains, and Sgt. Maj. Elian Strachan, U.S. Army Chaplain Corps regimental sergeant major, lead the Spiritual Readiness Initiative at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, for unit ministry teams, behavioral health professionals, and command teams, Sept. 15-16.
The Spiritual Readiness Initiative equips chaplains with skills to assess the spiritual readiness of first-term Soldiers, and encourages collaboration between the Army Chaplain Corps, Army Behavioral Health, and other care providers. It also engages Army command teams with scientific findings to facilitate holistic Soldier care.
Army Field Manual 7-22, Holistic Health and Fitness, establishes the Army’s doctrine for readiness training for Soldiers. Spiritual readiness is the fourth domain in the H2F system.
“We need to understand that we have a responsibility to the Army as a holistic health and fitness platform to help deliver spiritual readiness to the Army's people,” Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Solhjem told the unit ministry teams in attendance from the National Capital Region and neighboring states. “That’s our job.”
Dr. Lisa Miller, a professor in the clinical psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University, discussed the value of the scientific method and the power of spirituality. She described research showing that every person is built to be spiritual and those with a strong spiritual life are less likely to become depressed. “In the clinical sciences, there is nothing as profoundly protective against the diseases of despair as a strong spiritual core,” she said.
Col. Kevin Goke, U.S. Army chief of behavioral health, presented the needed cross-discipline collaboration and underscored the importance of spiritual wellness.
“A commander’s ultimate focus is on the mission,” Goke said. “In order to meet the mission, a commander has to have a ready Soldier. They’ve got to be ready across all the different domains, including spiritually readiness.”
He emphasized the need for chaplains and behavioral health professionals to work together as a team. “The more we collaborate, the more we share, the better the picture we get on the individual Soldier.”
Social Sharing