Vet suffering from PTSD suspended from MI college after requesting non-muslim counselor
79 replies, posted
[URL]http://www.campusreform.org/?ID=6527[/URL]
[quote]In an exclusive interview with Campus Reform, the former active-duty Marine who served two combat tours in Iraq said his suspension came after he requested to meet with a different counselor in the school’s Office of Counseling and Disability Services. Rawls, who is diagnosed with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), was originally paired with a female counselor who wore traditional Muslim dress during his initial visit to the office.[/quote]
[quote]In addition to serving in the Marine Corps, Rawls worked as a private contractor in Afghanistan and was a member of the Army National Guard for seven years. He was on active-duty in Iraq during the Second Battle of Fallujah—named the bloodiest battle of the Iraq War—and says he’s lost many friends to suicide due to PTSD.[/quote]
Edit: Mississipi not Missouri.
[quote] with a female counselor who wore traditional Muslim dress during his initial visit to the office.[/quote]
She fucked up. One of the big rules of that kind of counseling is to reveal only the bare minimum about oneself. Putting their religion out there is sort of breaking convention.
I don't get why they would have suspended him, he's clearly uncomfortable with that counciler for legitimate reasons.
[editline]26th May 2015[/editline]
Wow the school really fucked up. They basically told a guy struggling with crippling pain and depression that he is a danger to the student body and should not be allowed to be involved. The issue isn't about the counciler, the beurocracy fucked up big time
This is the kind of topic that can produce the best (read: worst) kind of shitstorms, because on one side you sympathise with the PTSD victim being uncomfortable, but on the other side it's kind of xenophobic to switch counselor just because of their religion.
[QUOTE=Doom64hunter;47807765]This is the kind of topic that can produce the best (read: worst) kind of shitstorms, because on one side you sympathise with the PTSD victim being uncomfortable, but on the other side it's kind of xenophobic to switch counselor just because of their religion.[/QUOTE]
Read the article though, he just asked for a meeting to talk about this and his school suddenly suspends him after already laying him off from their work program
[QUOTE=Sableye;47807717]I don't get why they would have suspended him, he's clearly uncomfortable with that counciler for legitimate reasons.
[editline]26th May 2015[/editline]
Wow the school really fucked up. They basically told a guy struggling with crippling pain and depression that he is a danger to the student body and should not be allowed to be involved. The issue isn't about the counciler, the beurocracy fucked up big time[/QUOTE]
It's this politically correct bullshit we have nowadays. If it had been the other way around, there wouldn't be any fuss.
Also this is why I'd never enlist for the army. You give you life for a cause and they treat you like a used tool.
[QUOTE=Doom64hunter;47807765]This is the kind of topic that can produce the best (read: worst) kind of shitstorms, because on one side you sympathise with the PTSD victim being uncomfortable, but on the other side it's kind of xenophobic to switch counselor just because of their religion.[/QUOTE]
Xenophobic? If someone has some beef with a culture because of their experiences, I'd say it's not tasteful to put them with that kind of person. It's equivalent to saying a rape victim is sexist if they would prefer to have a female councilor.
[QUOTE=Doom64hunter;47807765]This is the kind of topic that can produce the best (read: worst) kind of shitstorms, because on one side you sympathise with the PTSD victim being uncomfortable, but on the other side it's kind of xenophobic to switch counselor just because of their religion.[/QUOTE]
Why tho? He was in Iraq, he was killing muslims all day and he lost a lot of brothers-in-arms to muslims. It's his right to never have to deal with any other muslim.
I'd say he's within his rights to ask for another councillor if he's not comfortable with them.
[QUOTE=Ragekipz;47807800]Why tho? He was in Iraq, he was killing muslins all day and he lost a lot of brothers-in-arms to muslins. It's his right to never have to deal with any other muslin.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, those damn muslins.
[img]http://www.globebaby.ie/shop/200-399-thickbox/organic-cotton-muslin-nappies-3pk.jpg[/img]
[QUOTE=Jamsponge;47807873]Yeah, those damn muslins.[/QUOTE]
Thanks, it's very rare to use m before s here.
Everything is fine and complying when you're complaining to the school about whatever arbitrary triggers give by your special-snowflake-syndrome-induced PTSD.
But god forbid that a man who has been shot at and bombed by people representing a branch of a certain culture; is highly uncomfortable with someone wearing the same cultural clothes those people actively trying to murder him for a long period. And people lose their shit.
Can't this just be fixed by temporarily dying his hair turquoise and claiming that he's severely triggered by turbans and the like after the first Harry Potter film and just drop the suspension.
[QUOTE=Sunday_Roast;47807980]Everything is fine and complying when you're complaining to the school about whatever arbitrary triggers give by your special-snowflake-syndrome-induced PTSD.
But god forbid that a man who has been shot at and bombed by people representing a branch of a certain culture; is highly uncomfortable with someone wearing the same cultural clothes those people actively trying to murder him for a long period. And people lose their shit.
Can't this just be fixed by temporarily dying his hair turquoise and claiming that he's severely triggered by turbans and the like after the first Harry Potter film and just drop the suspension.[/QUOTE]
this post is a tragic mess from start to end
[QUOTE=Ownederd;47807988]this post is a tragic mess from start to end[/QUOTE]
But still not as much of a tragic mess as the political correctness in today's academia.
[QUOTE=Sunday_Roast;47807980]Everything is fine and complying when you're complaining to the school about whatever arbitrary triggers give by your special-snowflake-syndrome-induced PTSD.
But god forbid that a man who has been shot at and bombed by people representing a branch of a certain culture; is highly uncomfortable with someone wearing the same cultural clothes those people actively trying to murder him for a long period. And people lose their shit.
Can't this just be fixed by temporarily dying his hair turquoise and claiming that he's severely triggered by turbans and the like after the first Harry Potter film and just drop the suspension.[/QUOTE]
ugh I hope you realize just how dumb this post is
besides, even though ptsd is awful it doesnt justify his request, mainly because he should learn the differene between the enemy and someone who isn't
ptsd isnt something you can fix overnight, true, but if this person has these kinds of association issues then he'd be better off receiving specialized therapy than continue to enable his fear
[QUOTE=Sunday_Roast;47808017]But still not as much of a tragic mess as the political correctness in today's academia.[/QUOTE]
lol
it was irresponsible of the counselor to disclose her religion in the first place, and as irrational the dude may be: it's important to realize that having PTSD can and will change you
[QUOTE=Sunday_Roast;47808017]But still not as much of a tragic mess as the political correctness in today's academia.[/QUOTE]
ugh
[QUOTE=Limed00d;47808028]besides, even though ptsd is awful it doesnt justify his request, mainly because he should learn the differene between the enemy and someone who isn't[/QUOTE]
You're right that he should, but I don't think sticking him in a room and telling him to completely trust and confide in a person who reminds him of his past experiences is a very good way of solving that problem.
The counsellor fucked up by not remaining neutral in terms of religious ideology within the counselling environment.
And patients are allowed to request a new counsellor at their will
[QUOTE=Limed00d;47808028]
besides, even though ptsd is awful it doesnt justify his request, mainly because he should learn the differene between the enemy and someone who isn't
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, no. PTSD and the responses/behaviour/actions it causes aren't a simple matter of "he should learn the difference between the enemy and who isn't". His post is dumb, I agree on that, but this remark is equally moronic.
The councillor should not have showed up in traditional muslim clothing, simple as. To say that the school's handling of the situation following this is exceptionally bad is a massive understatement.
[QUOTE=Limed00d;47808028]ugh I hope you realize just how dumb this post is
besides, even though ptsd is awful it doesnt justify his request, mainly because he should learn the differene between the enemy and someone who isn't
ptsd isnt something you can fix overnight, true, but if this person has these kinds of association issues then he'd be better off receiving specialized therapy than continue to enable his fear[/QUOTE]
PTSD is not something one can control easily. So I'd say that it'd justify his request for now, then would come the therapy.
My best friends grampa fought in the war between Finland and USSR. And our army did not have rifles for everybody and thus he was forced to kill a few men using a hatchet and a knife. Can you guess which item in the kitchen managed to trigger his shellshock?
[QUOTE=LarparNar;47808047]You're right that he should, but I don't think sticking him in a room and telling him to completely trust and confide in a person who reminds him of his past experiences is a very good way of solving that problem.[/QUOTE]
It wasn't even that.
[quote]“It’s not that I didn’t want to participate… I didn’t want to traumatize her and it wasn’t a good environment to be talking about [my disabilities] with that specific person,” Rawls said.[/quote]
He says he literally just felt uncomfortable discussing being in combat with and killing Muslims with a Muslim. That's a perfectly valid reason to request another counselor. If you're afraid of offending your counselor with the content of your session or of your counselor being judgmental towards you then your sessions are not going to be nearly as productive because you're going to withhold information or avoid approaching certain issues.
This counselor was a woman who he felt couldn't help her in the way he needed to be helped, and the fact that the school is demonizing this guy for pointing this out is sickening.
[QUOTE=Bathacker;47808129]It wasn't even that.
He says he literally just felt uncomfortable discussing being in combat with and killing Muslims with a Muslim. That's a perfectly valid reason to request another counselor. If you're afraid of offending your counselor with the content of your session or of your counselor being judgmental towards you then your sessions are not going to be nearly as productive because you're going to withhold information or avoid approaching certain issues.
This counselor was a woman who he felt couldn't help her in the way he needed to be helped, and the fact that the school is demonizing this guy for pointing this out is sickening.[/QUOTE]
This.
Plus it isn't wise to have someone who can trigger you in a session.
It just the pairing is awful for both sides.....
[QUOTE=kill3r;47808058]The counsellor fucked up by not remaining neutral in terms of religious ideology within the counselling environment.
And patients are allowed to request a new counsellor at their will[/QUOTE]
So, in that case, here's a question. If he'd just straight-up requested a new counselor without specifically saying he didn't want a Muslim one, would they have given him one without a fuss?
As much as I hate to word it like this, it really does look like a case of over-political correctness. If counselors are supposed to remain totally neutral then this counselor violated school policy, and rather than grant the vet [I]something other students are allowed[/I], they suspended him. I'm sorry, that's not acceptable.
What is traditional Muslim clothing?
A headscarf and a big dress???
A male rape counselor should show up naked to his meeting with a female victim and she can't complain because it's his religion and she's a racist if she don't like it.
[QUOTE=LarparNar;47808047]You're right that he should, but I don't think sticking him in a room and telling him to completely trust and confide in a person who reminds him of his past experiences is a very good way of solving that problem.[/QUOTE]
of course I didn't mean this though. I should have been more clear in my original post but because I was writing it on a phone with a massive input lag it got too frustrating to continue. what I meant was to get some help overcoming that part of his trauma, to disassociate the things he experienced with the culture as a whole. if this isn't done, it could end up breeding some pretty mean prejudice towards people who aren't responsible for any of the atrocities at all.
in the end however, most of the blame lies with the college who appeared to pay no heed to the very reason he was seeking counselling in the first place, before this all went to crap. his concerns should have been noted, rather than ending with his suspension, yes.
but I disagree with the whole denying the counselour to wear clothing just because she wears it for religious/cultural reasons. it's part of her tradition and identity, why deny her that if there's no real uniform to follow?
again, sorry if I didn't make myself clear enough.
[editline]26th May 2015[/editline]
[QUOTE=Explosions;47808196]A male rape counselor should show up naked to his meeting with a female victim and she can't complain because it's his religion and she's a racist if she don't like it.[/QUOTE]
are you for real
[QUOTE=Limed00d;47808199]
are you for real[/QUOTE]
I think he might be joking, like I was too.
Sarcasm and the internet don't mix well.
[QUOTE=Limed00d;47808199]of course I didn't mean this though. I should have been more clear in my original post but because I was writing it on a phone with a massive input lag it got too frustrating to continue. what I meant was to get some help overcoming that part of his trauma, to disassociate the things he experienced with the culture as a whole. if this isn't done, it could end up breeding some pretty mean prejudice towards people who aren't responsible for any of the atrocities at all.
in the end however, most of the blame lies with the college who appeared to pay no heed to the very reason he was seeking counselling in the first place, before this all went to crap. his concerns should have been noted, rather than ending with his suspension, yes.
but I disagree with the whole denying the counselour to wear clothing just because she wears it for religious/cultural reasons. it's part of her tradition and identity, why deny her that if there's no real uniform to follow?
again, sorry if I didn't make myself clear enough.
[editline]26th May 2015[/editline]
are you for real[/QUOTE]
you obviously didn't read the article. He doesn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. Probably because he needs to talk about killing muslims to a Muslim. It's not that he holds any prejudices towards muslims or associates the head dress with his ptsd.
[QUOTE=Explosions;47808196]A male rape counselor should show up naked to his meeting with a female victim and she can't complain because it's his religion and she's a racist if she don't like it.[/QUOTE]
That was the worse attempt at satire I have ever read.
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