USA: OSC Mobile Training Team Joins Fleet

The six members of the new Operational Stress Control (OSC) Mobile Training Team (MTT) have completed three weeks of orientation and intensive training here and will report to their home bases in Norfolk and San Diego, officials said Nov. 2.

The two three-person teams are part of the latest effort to expand delivery of OSC training to the fleet and team members will teach the OSC Leader Course and the Front Line Supervisor Training (FLST) courses over the next year to commands worldwide.

“We’ve heard from both Navy leadership and the fleet that we need to continually expand OSC’s outreach,” said Capt. Lori Laraway, OSC program coordinator. “We’ve heard that our messages about the importance of leaders in identifying and preventing stress injuries are on target, but we want to expand the program’s effectiveness.

“We also know from focus groups, polls and course feedback that Sailors prefer face-to-face training so we designed these new teams to bring the best new curriculum to Sailors at their commands.”

Delivering the OSC message of the role of leadership in creating a command environment that rewards help-seeking behaviors should be relatively easy for the new trainers. Collectively the six members have more than 120 years of Navy service and 70 years of exemplary training experience.

According to the MTT program leader, Ernest “Scotty” Jackson, “Every member of this team has a deep understanding of the Navy and its unique challenges. We believe that their experience coupled with their exceptional training skills will be invaluable to building understanding of the role of Navy leaders in addressing operational stress and building resilience.”

Among the six trainers, three qualified as Navy master training specialists; one was named “Navy Instructor of the Year, one is a USMC “Moments of Excellence Award” winner, while another was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for course proctoring.
Jackson added that the team’s perspectives on Navy lifestyle are enhanced by the new instructors’ expansive and collective experience. Members of the training team served in a variety of positions including hospital corpsman, career counselor, Navy civilian, in the enlisted and officer corps, in line operations, and in the surface, air, and Navy Special Warfare communities.

Key to the Navy OSC Leader training is the face-to-face interaction among attendees and the panel discussion with command leadership. To orchestrate open and honest dialogue, trainers must gain the trust of attendees.

“We know about the sacrifices and challenges of military service and the important role leaders play,” Jackson said. “We are excited about bringing them the tools and techniques they need to be effective.”

[mappress]
Source: navy, November 03, 2011