THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 12, 1994 TAG: 9411110020
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
I am a clinical social worker who worked with a family thrown into crisis by a well-intentioned but misguided and inept school counselor.
The family had sought out the school counselor for a daughter, who was experiencing minor problems. The daughter was led by the counselor to make remarks resulting in a Child Protective Services complaint against her parents.
When attempts were made by the parents to discuss the incident with the counselor, they were refused. The parents were also told that they had no right to any records related to their daughter's counseling at school.
Bringing the incident to the attention of the school system did not to our knowledge result in any disciplinary action toward the counselor. Fortunately, this family had the wherewithal to manage the incident extremely well. But many other families might have not.
Despite this incident, I do not support the current proposal to require written approval before a child can be seen more than once by a school counselor. There are many children whose parents simply do not have the ability to provide their offspring with the nurturing and support so critical to functioning in our complex society.
These are the same parents who are least likely to review papers sent home, sign them and send them back. The above-mentioned parents' permission did not raise the counselor's skill level.
An ``opt out'' plan rather than the proposed ``opt in'' would better serve the children who are in need of an adult to talk to. The proposal should also include defining and restricting certain psychotherapy techniques unless the counselor is licensed. Parents should be granted access to discussing their child's conversations with the counselor as well as access to any written records. There should be a provision for disciplinary action when a counselor oversteps the bounds.
There is a better way of meeting everyone's needs in this case other than the current proposal.
TRISH O'KEEFFE BRENNAN, MSW
Virginia Beach, Oct. 29, 1994 by CNB