[humanser] Question for discussion

[Carmella D Broome]

I know something similar came up on this list when we talked  about Voc Rehab counselors a while back.  A counseling colleague recently emailed me.  She stated of knowing of a woman who  was director of a local program for people with disabilities. This woman told my colleague that people with  disabilities didn't "need" counseling. My colleague is perplexed. Below is part of her comments and my response.  I asked  if I could open  her concerns for discussion and she said sure, as long as I  didn't give any identifiable info. So, please feel free to  let me know on or off list what you think.  I will share responses with  my counseling colleague.

Colleague: She says people with disabilities don't need counseling.
In fact she says it hurts them...  I know that counseling will not change a disability
whether it is physical or psychological, but I can think of many ways
it can help a person with or without a disability.  What are your
thoughts?  


My response:  I can see how counseling from someone with  a negative  or limitting view of  disabilities 
or the people living with them could be a problem.  Clients wouldn't need 
pity or to be cottled or to have things sugar coated for them.  Counseling 
can be just as appropriate for this population as for any other, though. I 
don't think someone with a disability automatically needs counseling, and 
there are times when they may need counseling for issues  completely 
unrelated to their disabilities.

I think  some issues in my book relate to how someone with a disability 
could be helped to accept their limitations, capitalize on their strengths, 
address self-esteem issues and identity formation, etc. through counseling. 
I may have been more "well adjusted" if I'd had some counseling around these 
issues in high school or early college. I eventually did  get involved in 
counseling for other reasons, but it helped with these blindness related 
concerns, as well. I also  think the  ongoing stress associated with  living 
with any chronic physical concern that  causes a person to constantly have 
to "work around" it  could bring about, at some point, the need for 
counseling. Things such as rejection,  the discrimination that still exists 
and is alive and well, and  the extra effort that goes into planning and 
executing some daily tasks, can lead  to feeling depleted and frustrated at 
times and counseling may help with these things. Any depression or anxiety 
condition that may be associated with a physical  disability is just as 
appropriate for counseling as anything else.  I wonder what she   thinks 
counseling is for, if not for adjustment and life issues?

She may think that peer support is the best thing, such as those in AA do. 
That idea would be that no one else could understand. She may also think 
that counseling "pathologizes" a disability.  Why would that be anymore than 
it  "pathologizes" marriage problems or even real mental health conditions, 
such as depression, bipolar illness, etc.  I don't get it.  Is she saying 
people with disabilities should "never" see a counselor, or that they don't 
all automatically need to see a counselor?  Does she have a disability 
herself?

Can I  post this, anonymously, to  a couple lists I'm on for other 
counselors who are blind?   I can then forward you any responses they  have. 
I'll just say "I have a colleague who is concerned about..." and paraphrase 
what you've said here about confusion over why someone working as  Director 
of a program for people with  disabilities would maintain disabled people 
shouldn't have or don't ever need counseling. Let me know if this is okay. 
I won't do it without your consent.

Carmella