Counseling
Counseling Styles - Directive, Nondirective, Collaborative
Three styles. Directive runs senior-led for new or struggling Marines. Nondirective runs junior-led to grow ownership. Collaborative blends both. Style mismatch derails the session.
Leader Steps
- Read the Marine's experience level before the session
- Choose the primary style based on the Marine and the issue
- Adjust mid-session if the dynamic shifts
- Avoid drift into giving an order
The Three Styles
Per NAVMC 2795NAVMC 2795 paragraph 4001, three styles cover the field.NAVMC 2795 4001
Directive
You analyze, diagnose, and lay out the plan. The Marine receives. Senior-centered.
- Use when the Marine is new, inexperienced, or unsure.
- Use when speed matters and the issue is concrete.
- Risk - the Marine never owns the problem or the solution.
- Risk - you fix the symptom and miss the cause.
Nondirective
You ask questions, listen, and draw the Marine into self-analysis. Junior-centered.
- Use when the Marine has the maturity to think through the issue.
- Use when the issue is attitude, motivation, or long-term direction.
- Risk - the session rambles without senior guidance.
- Risk - the Marine without skill at self-reflection produces nothing.
The advantage of nondirective work is the Marine builds the muscle to solve future problems alone.
Collaborative
A blend. You shift between directive and nondirective inside one session.
- Default style for most senior or junior pairings.
- Use directive moments for facts and standards.
- Use nondirective moments for attitude, motivation, and goals.
- Read the Marine in real time and adjust.
Choosing the Style
| Marine condition | Issue type | Primary style |
|---|---|---|
| New, inexperienced | Concrete skill gap | Directive |
| Mid-experience, drifting | Attitude or focus | Nondirective |
| Performing, on-track | Goal setting | Collaborative |
| Struggling, defensive | Performance failure | Collaborative leaning directive |
| Mature, self-aware | Career direction | Nondirective |
Two Failure Modes
- Locked-in directive. You run every session as a one-way brief. Marines stop owning anything. Performance plateaus.
- Locked-in nondirective. You ask open questions to a Lance Corporal with no framework. The session goes nowhere. Set the framework first, then open the questions.
Style Versus Personality
The style is a tool, not a personality. Stay yourself. A senior performing an artificial style reads as insincere.NAVMC 2795 4001.4.a Pick the style the situation requires, then deliver it in your voice.
References