[acb-hsp] Remediation That the Tolerant Left Won't Tolerate

[Donna Rose]

Hi,

Here in Michigan we were under the impression that the social work student 
in question had refused to do this client's initial assessment.  I believe 
it would be important to do an assessment prior to making a decision to 
refer the case to another clinician.  If this info I have is true, I wonder 
how the student knew in advance the person she was going to assess was gay? 
Personally I believe if this student intends on working in the general 
public as a social worker, and not solely with those of her own faith, she 
is in big trouble.  Seldom do we know who we will be assessing next.  I 
believe she has pigeon holed herself to working with a very limited number 
of clients, and therein lies the conflict for Eastern Michigan.  However, 
she has the right to pigeon hole herself and should be allowed to graduate, 
but social work ethics won't be served well and neither will the clients she 
will serve unless they completely fit within her values system.  This needs 
to be explained to her.  Perhaps it would have been more beneficial for her 
to attend a college or university which embraced her faith and could find 
her a position within the constraints of her value system.  When I attended 
U of M here in Michigan, we had Black Muslim students who blamed the Jewish 
students for everything wrong known to man, particularly slavery.  They all 
had a huge argument over the flowers which would be used at graduation.  I 
often wonder what became of them all and why they thought they wanted to be 
social workers in the first place?  Some people really make you mad when you 
are in social work school and you are trying to learn how to empower people 
and they have so many unrealistic judgements about the clientele they will 
likely serve.  Surely there must be a better degree path for these 
individuals.




Go Bravely,
Donna Rose, LMSW
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lisa Gorden-Cushman" <crysania at sbcglobal.net>
To: "'Discussion list for ACB human service professionals'" 
<acb-hsp at acb.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2011 1:53 PM
Subject: Re: [acb-hsp] Remediation That the Tolerant Left Won't Tolerate


> The problem with the logic about her sexual orientation being not 
> important
> is that her client never had the legal right to marry, so he could not be
> within her value system, even if he wanted to.
>
> Best regards,
> Lisa
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: acb-hsp-bounces at acb.org [mailto:acb-hsp-bounces at acb.org] On Behalf 
> Of
> peter altschul
> Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2011 7:24 AM
> To: Acbhsp
> Subject: [acb-hsp] Remediation That the Tolerant Left Won't Tolerate
>
> Remediation for those the tolerant left won't tolerate
>  David Cortman
>  In January 2009, Julea Ward, who is a Christian, was a graduate
> student in the counseling program at Eastern Michigan University.
> She was nearing the end of the program and had accumulated a 3.91
> GPA.  Then she was expelled.
>  Why? Well, EMU asked her to counsel a client in a manner that
> would have violated her Biblically-based faith and values.
> Following standard profession practice, she asked her supervising
> professor whether it would be okay to reassign the client to a
> different counselor.  EMU expelled her from the program for
> making this simple referral request, and because of the religious
> beliefs that motivated it.
>  Unfortunately, media reports on Ward's lawsuit often claim that
> EMU expelled her for refusing to counsel gay clients.  This is
> simply untrue.  She asked for the referral because her religious
> beliefs prevent her from providing counseling on any non-marital
> sexual relationship.  This means Ward would raise the same values
> conflict regardless of the sexual orientation of the client
> seeking such assistance.
>  Put simply, Ward would raise the same conflict and seek a
> referral regardless of whether the client was homosexual and
> seeking counseling on a non-marital sexual relationship (which is
> the context in which her referral request arose) or if the client
> was heterosexual and seeking counseling on a non-marital sexual
> relationship.  The "gay animus" angle often seen in media reports
> is dead wrong.
>  It is also important to note that referrals, including those
> based on values conflicts, are common and accepted in the
> counseling profession.  The code of ethics for the profession
> contains two provisions endorsing the practice of referring
> clients.  Ward acted consistent with these provisions, and with
> the advice of her supervising professor, by having a client
> reassigned in a situation where she believed another counselor
> would be better suited to meet his needs.  The profession is,
> after all, most concerned with serving the best interests of
> clients.  And sometimes, a client's best interests are served by
> working with a different counselor.
>  Rather than approving Ward's simple request to refer a single
> client, EMU initiated disciplinary proceedings against her.  EMU
> also informed Ward that the only way she could remain in the
> counseling program was if she agreed to undergo a "remediation"
> program aimed at changing her "belief system."
>  Unsurprisingly, Ward declined the "remediation" program.  And
> who would agree to such a thing? It is hard to imagine any
> student agreeing to change their beliefs as a condition to
> getting their degree.
>  In addition to the Orwellian "remediation" program, the
> disciplinary proceedings also involved EMU professors putting
> Ward's religious beliefs on trial.
>  For example, during Ward's final disciplinary hearing, Suzanne
> Dugger, one of EMU's counseling faculty, asked Ms.  Ward whether
> she viewed her "brand of Christianity as superior" to other
> Christians who may disagree with her.  And Perry Francis, another
> EMU faculty member, told Ward he was going to take her on a
> btheological boutb and then directly attacked her understanding
> and interpretation of scripture.
>  Throughout these things, Ward remained steadfast, refusing to
> abandon her religious convictions or violate them as a condition
> to getting her degree.
>  What is amazing about Ward's situation is EMU's harsh and
> drastic reaction to her request to refer a single client.  Rather
> than honoring Ward's simple request (which, again, was consistent
> with the professional standards regarding referral), EMU expelled
> an academically stellar student and, in the process of doing so,
> targeted and attacked the religious beliefs that motivated her
> referral request and told her she had to change them to get her
> degree.
>  Now, instead of being a Christian and a graduate student at
> EMU, Ward is but another Christian whom the tolerant left will
> not tolerate.
>  David Cortman serves as senior legal counsel with the Alliance
> Defense Fund at its Atlanta Regional Service Center in Georgia,
> where he heads litigation efforts to defend and reclaim the First
> Amendment rights of public school students across the nation.
> Cortman joined ADF in 2005, and is admitted to the bar in
> Georgia, Florida, and the District of Columbia.  He has practiced
> law since 1996 and graduated magna cum laude from the Regent
> University School of Law, where he earned his J.D.
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