MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Kaneohe Bay -- Hanging on the program manager's wall, in MCB Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay's Counseling Services and Family Advocacy Program, is a reproduction of a petroglyph with ancient, stony figures joined at the hands. The glyph serves as a reminder (for the social workers, counselors, and those seeking guidance there) of that most important of structures that we never separate from: the family.
Soon, next to the glyph, equally representative of the importance of the military family, will hang an official certificate proclaiming Kaneohe Bay's Counseling Services and Family Advocacy Program as fully accredited, with honors, from the Council on Accreditation, the leading international accrediting agency in the fields of health and science.
K-Bay's Counseling Services was the first of the Marine Corps Community Services programs to go through what is soon to be a Marine Corps-wide accreditation process, and it did so with honors.
"The Marine Corps decided that it was time to go through an official process to ensure the quality of programs and counseling received by Marines, Sailors and their family members, as well as to help us get to the next level," said Arlene McCormack, program manager of Counseling Services.
McCormack said that Counseling Services had about four months to prepare for the inspection that would determine whether or not it would receive accreditation.
"We had to go about our day-to-day work while we were preparing for this, and while we were getting examined, which resulted in more than 400 after-duty hours during the course of this process," she explained.
The Counsel of Accreditation, according to its mission statement, "partners with human service organizations worldwide to improve service delivery outcomes by developing, applying, and promoting accreditation standards."
All reviewers on the CoA team had 10-20 years of experience in the clinical counseling field, in addition to graduate degrees in Marine Corps-approved counseling fields.
Counseling Services had to pass muster in 43 separate categories of review; for example, it showed that it exemplified attributes of a strong and cohesive team, and demonstrated consistent services, respect and dignity toward Marines, Sailors and family members.
"They [CoA] are the experts in the field of family counseling," said McCormack.
According to a statement issued by Jenice Staniford, head of the Marine Corps' Prevention and Intervention Section, the accreditation process will return many important benefits, the most important of which is the assurance that Marines, Sailors and their families are receiving consistent and high-quality services regardless of where they are stationed.
"Getting accredited is like getting a degree from an accredited school," added Camara Sharp, social service assistant. "It shows we know what we're doing, and it will bring a consistency throughout the Marine Corps."
To receive accreditation with "honors," a program must be judged to meet and surpass expectations of quality in 51 percent or more of the 43 categories. MCB Hawaii's Counseling Services was judged to need only minor improvement in only two categories.
"Their praise meant a lot to us; it was completely validating after all the work we'd done," said McCormack. "We're trying to help one family at time, to build greater harmony in our base community."