Running head: SYNTHESIS ESSAY 1
Synthesis Essay: Work Family Life Consultant
James W. Griffin Jr.
Liberty University
SYNTHESIS ESSAY
Work Family Life Consultant
My target career is one that is specific. The occupation of a Work, Family, and
Life Consultant is one that is particular to military services. The Work and Family Life
(WFL) consultant supports a central delivery system for service members and family
support. The WFL consultant works at the installation to provide services that facilitate
personal and family readiness as well as adaptation to life in the military. The programs
they support are designed to keep individuals and families resilient and strong, preventing
individual and family dysfunction, facilitating personal and family self-sufficiency, and
creating overall command and community well-being.
WFLCs are non-clinical personnel who may provide one-on-one consultation,
information and referral, classroom training, workshops, and seminars. The WFL
Consultant works as a specialist primarily in the Life Skills and Relocation functional
areas, but could be assigned to assist in any specialty. The career position requires
experience in public speaking, an ability to conduct training sessions, a degree in social
or behavioral science and some military experience either as a service member, spouse, or
direct affiliate. My military status as a twenty-year veteran and retiree along with my
interdisciplinary studies in Government Administration and Behavioral Sciences have
prepared me to not only qualify for this position but also to excel within the career field.
My experience in the military, as a Paralegal Specialist, has provided me some
insight as to what are the critical needs of the military family and the service member.
When it comes to deployments, being able to talk to families about being prepared to
handle the feelings of frustration, detachment, and loneliness provides them with options
of relief and lets them know that they are not alone. Along with the emotional distress
2
SYNTHESIS ESSAY
that a service member and their family may endure there is also the stress of handling
common home duties and repairs, ensuring that the deployed member’s family is
prepared to handle financial decisions, any legal issues the family may encounter and
how will the family and the service member communicate during the deployment.
Having gone through the gauntlet, as a Marine and as a Soldier, of both a war
time and multiple peace time deployments, I am in a position to be empathetic and
sympathetic to the issues that these families may come to endure. I am able to share with
them my experiences that worked for my family’s dynamic and the things that absolutely
did not work. Also, being able to give a first-hand account of the things that my family
and I went through at each echelon, before deployment, during deployment and returning
home from deployment, gives some clients a level of comfort. Knowing that as a
consultant that I am not just pushing mandated material but providing products that
actually work insures the client that I am working in their interest.
My experience as a military Paralegal and my education in the Government
Administration and Legal studies are critical to this profession. Understanding that one of
the major duties that the family faces when a service member is deploying is the handling
of financial responsibilities I know that being able to provide some legal references is
highly important. Families may require Powers of Attorney in order to conduct certain
functions such as managing bank accounts, registering their children into school,
renewing identification cards, and even just to travel out of county or country with
children. Knowledge with knowing some of the primary necessities of the bureaucracy
and the inner workers of legal channels that may come with a list of common daily
responsibilities the military family could encounter.
3
SYNTHESIS ESSAY
Being able to address legal concerns and give some legal guidance is critical both
while deployed and at home. A Work Family Life Consultant also needs to be able to help
guide families with questions that they may have about purchasing a home or protecting
assets that they may accrue through Wills, and insurance. These matters, are ones in
which the consultant should be a subject matter expert who knows; who to file forms
with, what forms are needed, and what may be required in order to successfully complete
administrative or legal request. That is information obtained through my education in the
field of Government Administration and Legal Studies. Many families have special needs
which make them eligible for additional programs. The families are owed a proper
advocate to help them navigate the fields of legality and be able to guide them soundly.
My education in Government Administration concentrating in Legal Studies provided me
a road map to guide families through minefields. Along with having the knowledge of
managing the legal and administrative concerns of the client, a Work Family Life
Consultant also must be able to address the emotional needs and behavioral issues that
they occur of that they are dealing with. Handling the behavioral or psychological issues
as a counselor to clients may not be directly the role a Work Family Life Consultant, but
being able to recognize through observation, analyze through interviews, and direct to
appropriate channels are the cruxes of handling the third tier of this career position.
Obtaining and education in the field of behavioral sciences grants me the ability to be
able to provide a level of care to help military families deal with some hard issues.
Having been trained in classes covering Child Behavior, Women’s Issues, and Martial
Counseling I could assist in military programs such as Operation Camp Purple, Key
Spouses, and Strong Bonds.
4
SYNTHESIS ESSAY
Operation Camp Purple is a program for military children, providing an outlet for
them to be able to associate with other children who live under the same family dynamic.
The children are provided with coping counseling, special tutoring opportunities and
invited to partake in other fellowships designed just for children who are often forgotten
and may endured some sort of drama. Key Spouse is a program that is a spouse support
group that is sponsored by the service members’ unit to kept spouses informed and also
give another outlet to commune with other spouses. Strong Bonds is an enrichment
program for married and single service members to help them develop tools to strengthen
their intimate relationship with their partners and spouses. I will be able to teach on
subjects within each of these programs because I have gained that knowledge through my
education in behavioral science. Work Family Life Consultant is my dream career and
obtaining an interdisciplinary degree in Government Administration and Behavior
Science I am more than prepared.
5
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org
