Counseling Department

The Counselor assists the CO with ambassadorial functions including dealing with alien races and trying to make peace. Counselors are also responsible for the mental health and well-being of the crew, in cooperation with the CMO.

Other duties may include responsibility for internal communications, morale, and scheduling and preparation for special events aboard ship. This person should also assist in getting new recruits settled into the routine of the play.

A Counselor generally have no staff, per se, but may have one or two assistants on larger starships, especially if the ship has a large civilian contingent present. Smaller ships may not have a counselor at all. On larger ships with civilians aboard, the Counselor may work closely with those 
specializing in psychology and social work.

As with the Chief Medical Officer, the Counselor has been given the power to relieve the CO of his or her duty if he or she is determined to by mentally unfit. If, however, the Counselor is proven to be incorrect in his or her determination, he or she may be held accountable for placing the ship at unnecessary risk due to the removal of the Commanding Officer. Any unnecessary removal of the CO will result in a court marshall and turned over to the JAG office.

Dramatically, the traditional Counselor offers an optimistic, starry-eyed approach to problems to contrast with the TAC/CSO. Counselors may be any rank (unless Chief, SEE RANKS), or possibly even unranked civilians in some cases.

Rank.

Chief Counselor on a starship/starbase start off with the rank of Lt (j.g.)

Positions.

Chief Counselor:  Head of the dept

Assistant Chief Counselor:  Assists the Chief Counselor in Counseling duties. Assistant Chief Counselor is usually only used on Starbase/Colony/Large Starship.

Counselor's Aide:  Helps the Counselor keep track of appointments and does all the "paper work"

Education

Counselors act as general overseers of the crew's mental well- being. They give advice and guidance for personal problems that crew members may have. If necessary, they can provide psychiatric and psychological treatment and care. Counselors can also refer clients to other medical personnel for more conventional treatments. They work closely with the Chief Medical Officer. They may have several more Language, Psychology, and Xenology skills than the requirements below. Counselors do not have to choose a Minor.

Training includes:

*Starfleet Counselor Duty*
(This course prepares you for your duties on a starship, it is required to graduate from the Academy)

Diagnosis: (Terran)
Diagnosis: (native or non-Terran)
Diagnosis: (non-native -and- non-Terran)
(Using skills to diagnose a mental problem)

Diplomacy: Basic
Diplomacy: Advanced
(Study in mediation topics and skills.

Electronics Operations: Life Support
(Covers operations of all personal Federation life-support systems. Includes the Life-Support Belts worn on some missions, but does not include Vacc Suit Operations, which is covered by a separate skill. It also includes Life-Support equipment used by doctors and nurses. It does not include ship-based life-support equipment - that is covered by Engineering and/or 
Mechanic)

Electronics Operations: Medical
(Covers operation of all Federation electronic medical devices. The ability to read and interpret the information gained by such medical equipment is also conferred, but a working knowledge of the medical terms, symptoms, diseases, and cures is also required in order to use such information properly. For instance, a medical student who had not taken this skill could probably use the IQ default with no additional minuses)

History: Federation
(Knowledge of the history of the United Federation of Planets. This includes significant dates, periods, and events in the development of the UFP, as well as its military history.)

Language: Federation Standard
Language: (non-native)
(Covers terrestrial and alien languages. It can be extended to include ancient and written languages, or languages that are so non-human so as to not even be sound based, such as flashing lights, waving tentacles, etc. The communicator must use mechanical devices to convey or receive that type of info. Even with the use of the Universal Translator, some people will still be fascinated by languages. Each individual language is a separate skill. Starfleet personnel are required to learn Federation Standard, if it is not their native language. This language has become a popular second language among Federation members, and many non-Federation races as well. Examples 
include: Klingon, Tellarite, Andorian, Bynar, and others.)

Law: Federation: (general)
Law: (non-Federation)
(Rules and regulations of the United Federation of Planets, including the non-interference directive (Prime Directive), and regulations of Starfleet. Includes some basic knowledge of the laws of most Federation member planets and cultures)

Pilot: Shuttlecraft
(Covers operation of the standard Federation Shuttlecraft. A Shuttlecraft in very limited usage (and still somewhat experimental in nature) is the Aquashuttle, a Shuttlecraft capable of both underwater as well as atmospheric and extraterrestrial operations)

Physiology: (Terran)
Physiology: (native or non-Terran)
(Covers study of alien as well as native physiology)

Psychology: (Terran)
Psychology: (native or non-Terran)
Psychology: (non-native -and- non-Terran)
(Covers study of alien as well as native psychology.)

Starfleet Protocol
(Covers Starfleet Protocol such as ranks, procedure, general orders, chain of command, alert conditions ect)

Xenobiology: General
(The general scientific study of all kinds of alien life. Note that this is a general skill, and skills in Xenosciences can also be chosen as specialization's. Xenobiology must be taken in order to take any Xenosciences fields. These include: Xenobiochemistry, Xenobotany, Xenoecology, 
Xenogenetics, and Xenophysiology.)

Xenology: General
(The general cultural study of all alien cultures native to the Federation, and those life-forms that the Federation has had contact with. This provides a basic understanding of cultures of all those races, and is used as a prerequisite for further study of individual races by Starfleet Academy. )

Xenology: (non-native)
(The cultural study of a specific alien race. You must choose a specialty from any known races. This provides thorough knowledge of all the alien life-forms of that race, including the race itself. Note that this means Andorians (for instance) must take Terran as a specialization. You must take 
Xenology: General to take these specialization's)

Uniforms

A Starfleet Counselor has a more relaxed uniform code than any other dept. Because of the unique nature of the position, a lot of Counselors don't wear a uniform when counseling a patient, as it usually makes the patient more comfortable.

When a Counselor has bridge duty, or is attending an offical function s/he will wear the Medical/Science dept uniform.