Feature Story

ASTORIA, Ore. — Navy Capt. Lori Laraway provides Operational Stress Control Leader Training for Coast Guard Sector Columbia River leaders at Air Station Astoria, Ore., Aug. 23, 2011.

The course was designed to instill in leaders the ability to recognize personnel in the early stages of stress reactions and provide leaders with information on how to take appropriate action.

U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Nate Littlejohn

Operational Stress Control Leader training to promote wellness in shipmates

ASTORIA, Ore. — The Coast Guard is learning from a Navy training model intended to improve the long-term psychological health of service members.

Coast Guard Sector Columbia River, Ore., leaders received Operational Stress Control (OSC) Leader training at Air Station Astoria, Ore., Station Tillamook Bay, Ore., and Station Cape Disappointment, Wash., Aug. 22-26.

The train-the-trainer course, led by Navy Capt. Lori Laraway, OSC coordinator, is designed to instill in leaders the ability to recognize personnel in the early stages of stress reactions and provide leaders with information on how to take appropriate action. The goal of OSC is to build resiliency in personnel and keep them mission-ready.

“Military life is stressful, no matter what uniform you or your family member wears,” said Laraway. “Because this curriculum enhances leadership capabilities and is not a "medical" course, it has been effective across a variety of Navy communities and hopefully will be useful to our Coast Guard brothers and sisters.”

The course emphasized the importance of five core leadership functions of OSC: strengthen your shipmates, mitigate and remove unnecessary stressors, identify shipmates with stress problems, treat and coordinate care and reintegrate back to unit.

The training included dialogue, case studies and personal stories discussing the impact of stress on individuals and their families and the application of tools and leadership intervention to build and maintain wellness.

John Reibling, Coast Guard Employee Assistance Program Manager, is confident the OSC training will help to reinforce current Coast Guard leadership policy.

"It's consistent with the Coast Guard's core values and 28 leadership competencies and adds important tools,” said Reibling. "When we see leaders responding to this training the way they have this week I'm very encouraged.  It just makes a lot of sense to do this."

By teaching our leaders techniques to identify stressed personnel and promote resilience in the face of stressful situations, Coast Guard personnel will be better equipped to meet their responsibilities at work and at home.

For more information on OSC, visit http://navynavstress.com/.