[humanser] Blind counselors and body language

[Justin Williams]

I've never had a problem discerning anything about a situation with my
clients, either as a trainer, a rehabilitation counseling student, or
working as I do now in one on ones with clients as an independent
specialists on college and career exploration.
Justin 

-----Original Message-----
From: HumanSer [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Cheryl Wade
via HumanSer
Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2017 4:18 PM
To: Ayoub Zurikat via HumanSer <humanser at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Cheryl Wade <wadecher at msu.edu>
Subject: Re: [humanser] Blind counselors and body language

Greetings,


I think that like everything else, there's a "yes" and "no" answer to this
question.


I truly believe counselors who are blind can figure emotional things out 
pretty well without seeing body language. On the other hand, I do 
believe we miss things.


I suggest people listen for things like cracking of knuckles, tapping a 
pen on the desk, voice inflection, fidgeting in the chair. I remember 
one client who told me that at first, she wondered how we would 
communicate well because of my lack of vision. (My eyes move around 
quite a bit, and I know that's a detriment.) Then, during our session, I 
remember being fascinated with the things she said. Her voice rose in 
anger, then fell. I was a young counselor glued to everything she said. 
I sat at the edge of my seat, my face seemingly peering toward her, my 
eyes wide open. It was an intense session. Afterward, she told me she 
knew I was totally involved with what she said because she looked at MY 
body language.


I do not know if this is a hiring issue. I already have my blindness and 
my 62 years of previous life to put potential employers at ease about. I 
do know that my first boss, who is a certified rehabilitation counselor, 
said she believed I could provide effective counseling.


Cheryl Wade, MA, LLPC, CRC


On 8/31/2017 4:02 PM, Ayoub Zurikat via HumanSer wrote:
> Hello family, I hope you are all well.
> I am currently doing my masters degree in clinical mental health
counseling. Thing is, I have had this concern ever since I started the
program, and I need advice or feedback.
> So a crucial part of therapy is the therapist's ability to read and
interpret client's nonverbal body language. However, being blind I cannot do
that. Here are my questions.
> 1- has this been an issue for employment? In other words are counseling
centers/employers hesitant to work with blind counselors because of this
issue?
> 2- for those of you who are practicing therapists, how do you deal with
such an issue? Are their skills that can be learned?
> 3- am I going to have to limit myself to do therapy with blind/disabled
clients because of this?
> 4- do any of you know of internship sites in the Chicago area that are
friendly towards blind interns?
>
> I've been very concerned, and quite stressed because of this. Your
feedback and help are so greatly appreciated.
> Thank you
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