Counselors Guide
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.
