Photo By Sgt. Joshua Oh | Chaplains, religious affairs specialists, and spouses with America's First Corps, 11th...... read more read more
JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash.-- "You can't pour from an empty cup." This adage underscores a crucial point emphasized by experts: in order to effectively support others, individuals must first prioritize their own well-being.
Chaplains, religious affairs specialists, and their spouses from America’s First Corps, 11th Airborne Division, and 25th Infantry Division gathered for the America’s First Corps Chaplain’s Care for Caregivers Symposium from Sept. 3-6, 2024, at the American Lake Conference Center.
The symposium opened with remarks from Col. J.P. Smith, the command chaplain of America's First Corps. He emphasized the crucial balance between caring for others and maintaining one's own spiritual health.
“Our unit ministry teams, and chaplain sections spend countless hours caring for those within their formations, but rarely slow down to care for themselves," said Smith. "As the senior chaplain on JBLM, my guidance to our spiritual leaders is to lead from their overflow rather than leading on empty.”
The symposium aimed to teach self-care to chaplains and religious affairs specialists at I Corps and subordinate commands, focusing on personal and professional well-being. It emphasized the importance of self-care to prevent burnout and compassion fatigue, highlighting the analogy of an empty cup. The training also stressed the need for effective communication and teamwork within unit ministry teams. The symposium also aligned with the America’s First Corps’ commanding general’s Holistic Health and Fitness (H2F) line of effort.
“I think Lt. Gen. Brunson made it clear that it's important to him,” said Retired Sgt. Maj. Chris Patterson, an online political science teacher at the American Military University and a guest speaker at the symposium. “That's a huge positive indicator that taking care of yourself is a very important part of the mission. I think since the time I retired 10 years ago this month, we always talked about care for the caregiver. I don't remember there being this intentionality though. I think that the intentionality behind the I Corps’ chaplain team, Col. J.P. Smith and Sgt. Maj. Flo Arthur, shows that they want to do the right thing by taking care of their people and preventing burnout and compassion fatigue.”
Retired Col. Dr. B.G. Edison, a leadership consultant, author of Self-Care: The Need and A Model, and guest speaker at the symposium, explained that compassion fatigue can lead to issues such as lower job performance and personal health decline. In contrast, burnout is described as a gradual erosion of one’s ability to function effectively, akin to a slow leak in a tire.
“Oftentimes the unit ministry teams as well as individuals in the military, particularly the Army, work out of scarcity versus abundance,” said Edison. “When we work out of abundance, it prevents some pitfalls and helps us with adversity, but when we work out of scarcity, we deal with the negative effects of compassion fatigue and burnout. This is where understanding self-care comes in, and fortifying the unit ministry teams so that they can see these triggers and try to get ahead of it, which would enhance their operational readiness to ensure that they're ready and fit to fight."
The symposium continued with a focus on fostering strong communication and trust within unit ministry teams. Both Edison and Patterson stressed the importance of genuine care in building effective relationships with Soldiers.
“If you don't feel like you have the relationship with your partner in the ministry team that you are being most effective, then you need to stop, pause, sit down together and communicate what your expectations are of your religious affairs specialist and vice versa,” said Patterson. “You have to take the time to work out the differences in order to move forward in harmony”
The symposium also explored how unit ministry teams are often seen only as crisis responders, rather than integral parts of the daily operations.
“We want to shift the perception of unit ministry teams from being just crisis support to being valuable members of the command structure,” Edison said.
“You are all skilled and trained professionals who contribute significantly to the unit’s overall readiness.”
Looking ahead, both Patterson and Edison hope that the symposium will lead to enhanced self-care practices and a more supportive environment within the unit ministry teams at America’s First Corps and subordinate commands.
“Success will be measured by how well these teams integrate self-care into their routines and how they pass these lessons on to their units and families,” Edison added.
The event concluded with a call for continued support and advocacy for the well-being of military religious support personnel, emphasizing the importance of self-care in maintaining operational readiness and overall effectiveness.
| Date Taken: | 09.06.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.10.2024 19:20 |
| Story ID: | 480488 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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