Enough!

As many of you know I am in school. I attend ASU and I am in the Counselor Education Department pursuing my Master's in School Counseling. If you live in the area you know that there has been a lawsuit brought against the counseling department and the school president by one of my fellow students. I have kept my mouth shut for a while, but I am really discouraged by this suit and the attention it is getting for multiple reasons. Now the irony of the situation is the drama in the counseling department. I am sure (I am not currently in classes) that they are practicing what they preach and the counselors are doing their best to get through the situation.

Because ASU is not really addressing the matter, the public is drawing their own conclusions. I love freedom of speech, but it is getting a little out of hand. When I first talked about the lawsuit (that made front page headlines) with my Mom, she was like "Good for her." It is good that she is standing up for her Christian beliefs, but not good for her at the cost or the fact that a lot of what is being said is completely incorrect.

Well, here is what is discouraging to me. In almost every one of my classes we do icebreakers and little getting to know you activities. I would venture to guess that at least 85% of the time a classmate, a student in the SAME program brings up their faith. A lot of them refer to the Bible as their favorite book, but yet, this one student is being told she cannot hold her Christian beliefs? I am a Christian, I am a student, and I hope one day to be a certified school counselor. With this goal in mind, I know that there will be times when my personal values and/or beliefs conflict with a student. The amazing part of what they are helping us to learn at ASU is that it shouldn't matter. If a student walks in my office who is homosexual, or not a Christian, or different from me in any way, it is not my place to judge them. The client sets the goals, they are the ones who are working through their issues. I am not to work through my issues or convert them to my beliefs. It is not only unethical, it is just not helpful. Who am I to judge? I know I am supposed to help spread the Word of the Lord, but I am not going to make believers out of people by jamming the Word down their throat or telling them they are wrong.

Maybe I am wrong for holding my beliefs. ASU (in my opinion) is not telling her she cannot be a Christian, they are simply telling her (as they tell everyone) your beliefs are not to become the center of counseling. If a client walks through the door and your beliefs don't match you are not to refer them on or tell them the "right" way, you are to show true care and concern. If we refered every client that was different than we are, we would be without clients.

What breaks my heart is the fact that not only is the suit making counseling as a profession look to be judgmental and unapproachable, she is also making Christians look the same. To me it is not an option to pass judgment. I am not sure she is passing judgment as much as she is ignoring the obvious which is, it isn't about her. It is about the client.

Augusta State has every right to deny her a degree based on her lack of experience, or on her unwillingness to improve on herself as a person. I have been through my first review. They tell you things about you that you may not agree with, but eventually you realize that it is not all about what you think, it is how you are perceived. If my department trusts me enough to give me the privilege of getting a degree, then I trust their judgment enough to point out things about my counseling technique that may need improvement.

I pray for this suit to end in a positive light for both Christians, counselors, and Augusta State.

www.chronicle.augusta.com/news/crime-courts/2010-07-22/christian-student-sues-asu

A link to read the story for yourself.