As a fairly new NCO, am I supposed to give my soldiers initial and monthly counsellings (PSG is asking for monthly)?

In today's Military the kids you are dealing with came up (as it pains me to say) primarily coddled and although there are those out there that can "self motivate" these kids need to know they are appreciated, where they need improvement, and most of all that hey are not just a number. I was fortunate to not be in the middle of a hot war and I can only imagine y'all that are sacrificing. God Bless Y'all! You, as an NCO, have a lot on your plate with not only your own concerns, but your subordinates fears and insecurities. Not to mention your life is literally in their hands as well. Communication is the key.... regulation or not, it would behoove you as a leader to practice effective communication with frequent counseling being an integral part. I also suggest you find a leader that you and the troops respect and appreciate and find out what they do to maintain effectiveness. Learn from them. Keep up the good work and God be with you.

I choose neither A nor B.

SGT (Join to see) I assume your RP rank in profile is outdated as it says SPC, not that of SGT an NCO.. You are hey by counseled, to update your profile....lol

As a new NCO to the unit, the initial counseling to the unit can be verbal.. Who you are, your expectations of yourself, and the unit. A formal meeting(scheduled, required attendance, announced in sufficient time its not a distractor or "This / That choice" to the team attending) in an non threatening, informal setting is what I preferred. If you have key players in your unit, an individual counseling statement that is a NCOER in progress is a good idea.. At your rank I doubt you are counseling any NCO's though.
After that, Yes initial to each NEW SM to your unit, and monthly for all you supervise.
At a minimum, three sustains, three improves and set a goal for near term and far term.
As needed positive and negative counsel statements are a great way to make building a PCS/ETS award easy for you. They also help in writing the monthly.... think of them as notes for later.... But also a attaboy if positive or a detailed issue, plan / way forward if negative.

Yes. Once you make it in to the NCO Corp, do an initial counseling with your subordinates, to outline expectations you have for them. As well as giving them the chance to inform you of any issues you need to be aware of, could potentially help with. Long term and short term goals are good to discuss as well because it will give you an idea of what they want out of their time in the military, and help you figure out a way to help them. Absolutely do a monthly counseling with your soldiers. They deserve it. It keeps them informed on how they're doing, and any new things they need to be focused on for either personal or professional improvement. Take an interest in them. Learn their background. Likes, dislikes. And give them a chance to speak during the sessions. But don't forget, you're their boss, not their friend. Guide them. Lead them. And show them the right way to behave as a soldier.

Initial to set standards. Monthly? If they're trucking, let 'em truck, tuck away some good ones (follow unit SOP), but for bad Soldiers DOCUMENT everything. This makes it easier when you help them promote to civilian. Of note, a most important counseling is on the spot counseling, and it is a lost art. If they're the type that you gotta' cuddle 'em, then in this digital cammie age, probably gonna have to pat em on the head and tell 'em good job.

Yes, you should be giving them daily counseling via training on daily activities. Counseling helps the troops and leadership in managing duties. Now, formal training accountibility is a little more subjective as to when but as stated if the PSG wants it monthly, then it is monthly. The purpose is to ensure your troops are trained up, know policies, mos, tactics and leadership aspects. The bad part but just as necessary to to perform corrective training and or discipline when required.

you are who trained you. that means you got short-changed. should already know the answer. need to find a competent SNCO and get counseled/trained yourself.

When I was promoted to SSG in 1973. no one told me what my duties were supposed to be. 2 months after I was promoted, I was reassigned to take over as the NCOIC of a 35 man/woman detachment. I was replacing an E7 whose tour was up. I took command and did what I thought was best for the unit. Spent 8 months before another E7 arrived at the unit and took my place. I then was sent to be the Sigsec Advisor to the 2nd ACR and all 7th Corps non-divisional units in the Nurnburg area. No advice or training in this case either. But, I apparently did a pretty good job. Got several
letters of commendation and the MSM for my work.

When you say “Fairly New NCO” I hope you mean “Just got promoted and haven’t been to WLC (or whatever it is called now. I graduated from the last PLDC class of the oldest NCO Academy in the Army, which is in Germany strangely enough) yet. Because if you HAVE been to NCO school they should have taught you that as part of the coursework. But to answer your question: YES, you always have to do an initial counseling on your soldiers when you become their NCO either as a result of you pcsing or them doing the same. It should be done within 30 days of you becoming their leader and should have not only the unit’s expectations for them, but yours as well (and yours should be slightly higher than the unit’s while remaining realistic). Then you should have a certain day set aside on your schedule to counsel them EVERY MONTH and it should have three things on it: what they did good on, what they did bad on, & your ideas/plan for them to be able to keep up the good things while simultaneously improving the bad ones.
Also, never forget to give them good counselings throughout the month & recommend them for awards/promotions when they deserve them as well as giving the bad counselings and recommending/implementing corrective training/demotions when they are warranted. TOO MANY NCO’s remember the bad counselings and forget the good ones (and apparently monthly ones in some cases nowadays going by your question). In any case, congratulations on your promotion and good luck in your new role.

During 3 years of Army service in the 70s I was never counseled even once. Maybe if one of my superiors has taken some interest in my career development, I would have stayed in.

From the perspective of a Vietnam era 1LT, fresh from achedemia (and the farm), I encountered varying degrees and styles of "leadership" among Officers, NCO's, and Enlisted personnel. I gained insight into what constitutes "effective" military leadership, that it can be found outside the bounds of rank, and that it is equally effective, properly buffered, in the private sector

That said, may I share my thoughts on the post by SGM Vidakovich;

"Thank God for such NCOs. They are the heart of the greatest military organization on Earth. And by process of elimination, men and women of high character."