Another pothole on the road of life
Submitted by Forgiven on August 02 2000 18:50:04
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Having calmed down from the frustrations of last week (when you guys were great as acting as the lightening conductor I needed) I go to the church organised counselling session that I've had for the last few months - to be told that the counsellor has run into ethical issues with my history and can't see me anymore. Great achievement, church - or at least counsellor. He was very reasonable about it - though it is a reminder to us all that the child protection rules are getting completely out of control; in this case he's got it wrong having assured me it was OK, and the wider issue of confidentiality appears to be under control. However the way ahead for my church leadership - in whom I have long since lost confidence, by the way, over this and other issues - is even more of a problem. Meanwhile sharing this with a friend this evening, she told me of a situation where a parent had gone to a work provided stress counsellor; the cause of the stress was the behaviour of their 12 year old son with a very young member of the extended family; the joint decision of the family was to treat it as minor and not approach the authorities. When the counsellor was told of the issue, she immediately declared that she had to get the authorities involved; this had the effect of tearing the extended family apart. Cautionary tale for us all - we need to ask hard questions before we go seeking help; credit where credit is due - it is one issue where the Roman Catholic 'Seal of the Confessional' serves us well - though no doubt there are scenarios where it is catastrophic for others. |
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