How long do you have to give a soldier a negative counseling? There is no time limit on informing your Soldier on how he/she failed to meet the standard. The bottom line is every Soldier deserves to know what they are doing that needs improvement, and what they are doing well.

Army leaders may employ three major approaches to counseling: nondirective, directive, or combined. 2-35. The Army leader can select from several techniques when counseling subordinates. These techniques may cause subordinates to change behavior and improve their performance.

Typically, backdating counseling statements is unacceptable, especially if it puts the Soldier at a disadvantage. There are no Field Manuals or Regulations that specifically address this matter. Backdating counseling statements may be tempting, but can have negative effects on your record keeping.

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However, if you disagree with the counseling, you should sign and add your comments. If you refuse to sign, the counseling statement can still be used. The leader will annotate that you have received the DA Form 4856 and refused to sign.

No, you should not receive two counseling statement for the same offense. Typically this is done when the first counselor fails to conduct a proper counseling or leaves out key elements that are required for the counseling to meet legally sufficient.

Counseling Answer: Yes, any leader within or external to the chain can conduct a counseling session with a Soldier.

Yes, you can be flagged after an event has happened. For example lets say you fail and APFT test and go on leave for 14 days. When you come back from leave you are flagged. The flag action is dated the date of the APFT failure.

No, you cannot counsel a LT no more than a SPC can counsel a SGT. The goal is that a LT learns from the experience of a seasoned Platoon Sergeant, but in the end the Platoon Sergeant is required to obey the orders of his Platoon Leader as long as they are: legal, moral, and ethical.

You can counsel those Soldiers you outrank. If a soldier outranks you by time in grade, refer this matter to your platoon sergeant. It would be best for another individual to counsel this Soldier until you achieve promotable status.

Counseling Soldiers teaches and assists the counseled Soldier to improve their performance. The Soldier cannot be forced to sign or comment on DA Form 4856. However, if you disagree with the counseling, you should sign and add your comments. If you refuse to sign, the counseling statement can still be used.

If the Soldier refuses, ask the NCO to enter a brief statement in the closing portion of the counseling as a third-party witness. Have the NCO date and sign the note. Example: I observed PFC Doe refuse to sign this counseling statement.

Counseling packets are only destroyed after a Soldier leaves a unit. Look on the DA Form 4856 and it has disposition instructions. They can use these items to show a pattern.

I would also recommend the following actions: 1. Approach the leader that rejected the counseling and ask them to mentor you through the counseling process on this particular subject. By doing this they are assisting you and becoming part of the solution. 2.

You can give counseling provided the chain of command supports your action. I would run the counseling by the chain of command before you attempt to counsel the Soldier again.

There is nothing you can do about the other counselings not being closed out. can counseling statements that are more than 2 years old written by nco’s that are no longer in the unit be used against a soldier after a First sgt already through out the article 15s and chapters Counseling packets are only destroyed after a Soldier leaves a unit.