[nfbmi-talk] Rehab Counselling

[Cheryl Wade]

Hello,

Fred, you mentioned how, at NFB programs, counselors invite students to 
their homes for meals. That's a great idea for a program that's 
self-contained, and I think I would feel comfortable doing that in such a 
situation. But for ethical reasons, counselors feel they might compromise 
their relationships with clients if they become too friendly outside the 
office. It's kind of like my reporting career: if your beat is city hall and 
you hang around at the city manager's house for BBQ, some might consider you 
suspect.

Of course, counselors should above all be caring, loyal to their clients, 
considerate of clients' needs above those of the status quo or outside 
parties. They should, and indeed are commanded to, practice beneficence and 
justice toward clients. That sometimes means treating all clients in a 
similar way -- though not alike. So, if there are cuts and prioritization of 
services, we must handle emergency situations but must not push some clients 
ahead of others

You guys are tough, and I like that. But I hope you give some of us newly 
emerging counselors a chance. I would encourage clients to tell their 
counselors when they're unhappy.

Fred, you also mentioned how counselors should take the lead role in finding 
jobs for clients. There is considerable discussion about that. I believe 
that counselors should encourage clients to take as much responsibility as 
they are comfortable doing, but prepare them for that level of independence. 
The reason is that, if we don't encourage that kind of personal 
responsibility in the counseling venue, we might unwittingly be making 
clients more dependent, not less so, and patronizing them by making them 
feel that the job search is the counselor's agenda. It is the client, after 
all, who will be working at that job for awhile and should be comfortable 
and happy as possible with it.

Cheryl Wade
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Larry D. Keeler" <lkeeler at comcast.net>
To: "NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 14, 2011 9:33 PM
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] Rehab Counselling


> Great points Mary and Fred!  I was thinking of the general counselling 
> program at Eastern Michigan University.  It is a generic program that 
> teaches the skills of counselling to a wide variety of proffessions.  What 
> I have found out is that yes, you can come out with many of the essentials 
> but some of the specifics not so much.  Fred, we sure do need a center 
> like that one in Michigan!  Joe, we need to change the system here in 
> Michigan because everyone shouldn't have to leave the state to become self 
> reliant.  Right now I see you are entirely correct but my hope is that we 
> can change it before there is nothing at all!
> Intelligence is always claimed but rarely proven!
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