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Chaplains, family advocates, counselors and mental health workers from around the KMC attended a marriage counseling workshop Aug. 5 on Ramstein.
Approximately 40 helping agency members took part in a workshop hosted by the Ramstein chapel community to gain additional knowledge and improve their ability to help military members seeking marital advice.
Tech. Sgt. Jessica Osgood, 86th Medical Operations Squadron NCO in charge of mental health, said she was more motivated to do her job thanks to the knowledge she gained during the workshop.
“(I feel) more inspired because there are more tools I can use when dealing with families and military members,” Osgood said. “(The speaker) gave us a lot of different techniques, advice and good ideas to encourage military families.”
Gary Chapman, marriage counselor, was the guest speaker at the event. Some topics Chapman discussed were how different people express and receive love, common misunderstandings between spouses and how spouses can improve communication and mitigate misunderstandings.
“The deepest emotional need we have as humans is the need to feel the love of the significant people in our lives,” Chapman said. “In fact, if we do feel loved then life is pretty good, but if we don’t feel loved by the significant people in our lives then life can be pretty dark.”
Chaplain (Capt.) Kristin Swenson, 86th Airlift Wing and event coordinator, expressed her confidence that the participants were given helpful tools for counseling.
“They’re leaving with resources that they can use for their own study or preparation for counseling,” Swenson said.
The participants had the opportunity to have face-to-face dialogue with Chapman, which Swenson believes further added to their knowledge for counseling couples.
Although Chapman only held the workshop for one day, Swenson believes the participants will be able to put his teaching to good use.
“In a way, he’s kind of like a force multiplier,” Swenson said. “He can’t be here every day to work with every couple on this base. The fact that he’s here to equip us who are here day in and day out will multiply his impact that much more.
“As couples come to see us for counseling … they get the benefit of (Chapman) through us,” Swenson continued.
As Chapman concluded his speaking engagements at Ramstein, the chaplains, counselors and members of various helping agencies returned to their units with more power to help the couples of the KMC strengthen their relationships.
