UMHB offers military counseling degree program

Posted: 6/01/06

UMHB offers military
counseling degree program

By Laura Frase

Communications Intern

BELTON—A new, Pentagon-approved program implemented by a Texas Baptist university will have lasting effects on the military—nationally and internationally.

The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, near Fort Hood, created a master’s degree program in marriage and family Christian counseling, which has caught the military’s eye for their chaplains.

With 7,075 divorces reported among enlisted personnel in 2005, military marriages need as much help as they can get, family life experts in the armed forces insist.

“With the stresses put on military families during war, having well-trained chaplains who will provide effective and ethical counseling is crucial,” said David Scheider, director of the Family Life Training Center at Fort Hood.

The family life counseling training program is offered at only two locations in the United States—Fort Hood and Fort Benning, Ga. Two schools offer this program near Fort Hood—UMHB and Tarleton State University.

Chaplains can choose between the two, but “the major aspect UMHB offers is the opportunity to ask faith questions in the classroom. This will facilitate better theological integration for the chaplains,” Scheider said.

Raylene Statz, psychology department chair at UMHB, is pleased with this new “blending of spiritual, religious and moral concepts with human development.”

Because “many students wanting to become counselors have recognized a spiritual emptiness in the public with whom they hope to work,” the new program was formed where “a synergy has been created that benefits students and the public they will serve after becoming licensed practitioners,” she said.

Scheider believes the program is perfect for the chaplain’s mission because it “encourages theological integration for chaplains who specialize in counseling … and is designed with 100 percent of the courses applying directly to working with couples and families,” Scheider said.

Currently, seven military chaplains are enrolled in the intensive 16-month program at UMHB, and about 70 chaplains are waiting to enter the program. Each group begins and completes the program together.

“Students are excited about the chaplains coming into the program and look forward to a mutual sharing of knowledge, ideas and experiences,” Statz said.

While all chaplains already hold a master’s degree in religious studies, emphasis on counseling is needed as soldiers continue to be deployed, placing stress on families and military personnel alike.

“Chaplains have no choice whether or not to counsel soldiers and families. The only choice is whether or not they will do it well,” Scheider said.

Based on reporting by Carol Woodward of UMHB Communications