rank

Ranks and Positions

Counselor

Combining sensitivity with understanding, the Counselor maintains the mental health of starship crews.	The Counselor’s main role is to monitor and evaluate the crew’s mental health. In order to help them do this, they have the same kind of access as the chief medical officer to the captain and personnel records, and, on a regular basis, will liaise closely with the first officer.
	The emotional well-being of the crew used to fall within the domain of the CMO, but has now become a separate role. The seeds of this were sown as early as the 2260’s, when psychiatrists such as Dr. Elizabeth Dehner were assigned to deep space exploration vessels to evaluate the effects of such missions on the crew. By the 2360’s, crew morale and psychological well-being had been assigned to the specialist field of ship’s Counselor.
	In common with other officers, they must graduate from Starfleet Academy before being allowed to enter active service.
	The Counselor is the first point of contact for crewmembers who are having personal problems, especially in times of bereavement, depression or strain. Official appointments can be made on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, but the Counselor is never really off-duty and can usually be approached informally.
Vital role	A Counselor’s advice and experience often proves invaluable, especially if they have empathic abilities, such as the half-Betazoid Deanna Troi of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E.
	However, even most non-empathic Counselors have, through experience, ways of understanding a person’s thoughts and emotions.
	There are many instances of Counselors providing their captains with advice and insights on command decisions; they have helped to avoid conflict on many occasions and can advise the captain when someone is attempting to deceive him.
	There is no stigma associated with seeing a Counselor, and even the most well-balanced of individuals seek their help.
	The importance of the Counselor position is illustrated by the fact that they are required to sit in on the majority of senior staff briefings and meetings, and often accompany away team missions, especially on diplomatic visits or functions.