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

[Susan]

As a Christian myself, I just wanted to step up and say that I agree with 
all of this so much.


---- Original Message ----- 
From: "Donna Rose" <wild-rose at sbcglobal.net>
To: "Discussion list for ACB human service professionals" <acb-hsp at acb.org>
Sent: Friday, October 14, 2011 7:24 PM
Subject: Re: [acb-hsp] Remediation That the Tolerant Left Won't Tolerate


> Leaving the social work code of ethics aside, I think there are many left 
> winger people who are Christians.  Jesus was a left winger.  After all His 
> most important tenet was "love one another".  He hung with the people less 
> likely to be accepted by others.  I suppose we will all find out someday, 
> but I think many Christians will be very surprised about how we were 
> supposed to handle issues like this throughout our lives.  I have to admit 
> I do not understand why some people are gay and others are not. But it 
> doesn't seem to usually be a choice because there are some who want to 
> change and find it extremely difficult if not impossible.
>
> I am disappointed that this student didn't even want to do this guy's 
> intake.  He was depressed.  Heaven help him.  The number of people who are 
> so judgmental about the behavior of two consenting adults could cause such 
> depression.  But, after the initial assessment, if she really didn't feel 
> qualified to help him then it might be valid to ask someone else to work 
> with him.  On the other hand, if you have learned the skills to help 
> people deal with depression, and that is truly the goal, then I don't 
> understand this student's problem.
>
> Personally I think Jesus would be disappointed in a servant who couldn't 
> just act out of love.  I used to treat sex and other offenders.  Some of 
> them really disgusted me.  I did not support their values or their views 
> of life, but I tried my best to do my job and help them through their 
> issues in the hope society would be better off for it.  And I thought I 
> was called to do my best.  But some of these people had purposely hurt 
> others, unlike the problems which others do not perpetrate    on 
> themselves.  I guess we need to think about the harm in trying to help 
> someone regardless of our own values.
>
> Obviously this student needed some counseling to discover where she was 
> going to work with her current viewpoint, but maybe this was done.  And 
> you know, even if she works in a Christian counseling environment she will 
> still encounter a variety of differences in that specific group too. 
> Christianity does teach that all humans are sinners, so sin is everywhere!
>
> I may be sorry for saying this, but here goes.  I am a Christian.  I think 
> the reason Christians get such a bad rap is because of this type of issue. 
> People of many faiths use their religions to be very judgmental of others 
> instead of trying to just practice the main tenets of their faith which is 
> usually love.  If we could use the Bible as more of a guide, taking in 
> account its historic value and not so much the literal, we might all be 
> better off.  As individuals we need to follow the commandments, including 
> the two in the New Testament.  But since we were all given freedom of 
> choice it is not up to us to decide who is living right and who is living 
> wrong. According to Christianity God is the final judge.
>
> In my work at CMH we do discuss spirituality at times.  In my life as an 
> American Indian I find that balance between mind, body and soul is 
> essential.  But I would prefer to allow others to find their own path and 
> not let their path hinder me in my effort to be of assistance where they 
> feel they need it.
>
>
>
> Go Bravely,
> Donna Rose, LMSW
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Sharon" <mt281820 at comcast.net>
> To: "'Discussion list for ACB human service professionals'" 
> <acb-hsp at acb.org>
> Sent: Thursday, October 13, 2011 10:20 AM
> Subject: Re: [acb-hsp] Remediation That the Tolerant Left Won't Tolerate
>
>
>> Frankly, I loved this article. While I agree that we should work with
>> clients whose values we do not espouse, she simply asked to have the case
>> reassigned. While I would definitely work with clients who are unmarried
>> within their own value systems, I think she has a right not to work with 
>> any
>> client who would be better served by a different counselor. Expelling her 
>> is
>> way out of bounds, and again the left tends to tolerate everyone but
>> Christians. Instead, she should have been counseled to work within her 
>> own
>> faith tradition upon graduation. Nowadays, if I refused to work with 
>> every
>> unmarried client cohabiting, and every gay client, I don't know how many
>> clients I'd have left!
>> Sharon
>> Sharon
>>
>>
>> -----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 10:24 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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