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Many people believe that the
role of a counselor is a dull one, and nothing can be done until somebody
comes to them for counseling. This is an uninformed opinion. This course is
for Counselors and would-be counselors alike. The bulk of this course is
positions that can be taken by a counselor and the roles that they can play
on the ship and it's missions. The aim is that by reading this guide,
talking to the lecturer and taking the exam, you will be able to contribute
to the plot that your ship is involved in and add inspiration to the crew
and be inspired by them. COUNSELOR'S DUTIES The counselor has a number of duties upon a starship. This is a list of the more important ones - A. Crew Member Counseling B. Crew Member Evaluation C. Crew Member Orientation D. First Contact Procedures E. Away Missions F. Morale Officer G. Middle Person Role H. Advisory Positions CREW MEMBER COUNSELING In the unlikely event that there is nothing you can do in the present situation, a Counselor can always write a Post that has them counseling a non-player character. If you are to counsel a character that is played by a person you should always check with them first, or wait until they come to you. It is intolerable to just take control of another person's character and give them psychological problems. In this situation you should discuss the details with the other person first, what they want the problem to be, what has caused the problems etc. You can use this duty at anytime and can be anything from marital problems and family counseling to childhood and deep emotional trauma, and everything in between. CREW MEMBER EVALUATION The First Officer and the Counselor normally do this, of course you have no real say in who gets promoted, that is the Commanding Officer's duty, it is an In Character (IC) plot line you could use. To do this effectively you should coordinate the story with the FO. You should *not* mention any promotions unless the CO has already announced them. In some sims, on the other hand, it is standard procedure that the Counselor and CMO first give their evaluations about the crewmember before he/she gets promoted. In the Counselor's evaluation you should describe the crewmember's behavior during the sim (Ex: Towards Senior officers etc.) and you should keep an eye at their attendance FIRST CONTACT PROCEDURES When your ship encounters a new species for the first time, first contact procedures should be observed. First contact procedures are as follows: CO, FO, Security, Counselor and Chief medical Officer should be present in full dress uniform; an official greeting on behalf of the Federation should be offered; etc. The main concern you will have, as counselors, will be advising the CO after observing the behavioral patterns of the species. When these procedures can not be done, ie the new species attacked on sight, the counselor should be on the bridge to help the CO interpret the actions of the species, if possible. This should be used rarely, and only when the CO states that the procedures are being followed. You can't just decide the ship is meeting a new species. It is the Counselor's duty to make a report about the First Contact Procedure together with the FO and the CMO. In the report the Counselor should at least describe: The behavior patterns of the species, the appearance of the species and all special abilities the species might have (Telepathic etc.) You will have to sent this report to your CO (He/she will sent it to the Fleet Commander). AWAY MISSIONS In non-hostile away missions a counselor is often invited to join the team. There could be any number of reasons for this: cultural exchange; interaction with other or new cultures (Again you will have to write a report about this); advising the Officer in command of the team of your opinions and the cultural peculiarities; etc. The CO and FO are extremely busy people and they have a lot to learn before they can affectively command a ship, and a lot of that is technical, it is the counselors' job to have studied the cultures that are in Starfleet, he Confederation, and any other races they might encounter and interact with. This can be used whenever an away team is sent and it is non-hostile. Joining a hostile away team or even a non-hostile away team can only be done on the CO's permission. MORALE OFFICER This is pretty self-explanatory. A morale officer is responsible for keeping the spirits of the crew up during times of duress. Things you could do to lift their spirits could range from personal attention to arranging a party. Keeping an eye on crew morale is a good reason to be in places such as sickbay or anywhere on the ship, the counselor can be where the action is when it happens. This is a good way of making sure you have something to write about, just remember you are not restricted to your quarters or the office. This can be used on a number of scales: a single person could be feeling depressed and you could be trying to cheer them up; the entire crew is starting to feel depressed/angry etc (due to an ongoing war etc but it would have to be extenuating circumstances before the entire crew where in need of cheering up) and you could arrange a party or something along those lines; to anywhere in between. ADVISORY POSITIONS There are many roles that a Counselor can fulfill on a ship, and one of them is the advisory role. Whether it is for individual crewmembers in their own pursuits, or on Away missions to other species' planet, an important part of your duties, is to help people solve their problems. One of the main advisory positions on board the ship will be in your interaction with the CO or the FO in the communication between the ship and other cultures. This situation may require you to interpret and/or translate the actions and behaviors of these people.
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