YPSILANTI, Mich. (BP)--A string of recent controversies regarding views on homosexuality in the counseling realm has some wondering whether conservative Christians eventually will be shut out of the profession.
"If you want to be in the counseling profession, you better check your conservative, orthodox Christian beliefs at the door."
-- Attorney Jeremy Tedesco | The latest controversy involves Augusta (Ga.) State University, where the faculty allegedly required Jennifer Keeton -- a counseling student with strong Christian beliefs -- to attend "diversity sensitivity" training, increase her interaction with homosexual populations, read scholarly articles about homosexuality, and then write about what she learned and how her beliefs were impacted. The faculty allegedly even encouraged her to attend a "gay pride" parade in Augusta.
The Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian legal group, filed suit against the school July 21. The school, in part, pointed to the American Counseling Association's (ACA) code of ethics, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of a host of categories, including "sexual orientation" and "gender identity." The American School Counselors Association has a similar code.
The Augusta case, though, is only the latest dust-up pitting religious beliefs against non-discrimination policies.
On July 26 a federal judge ruled that Eastern Michigan University was within its rights to dismiss a graduate student, Julea Ward, from its counseling program because she chose not to counsel a homosexual patient; the man previously had been counseled about his sexuality and now wanted counseling for depression.
Ward wanted to refer him to another counselor, but the school found her action insufficient. She was given three options: 1) going through a "remediation program," 2) voluntarily withdrawing, or, 3) going before a university panel. She chose to appear before the panel, which found she had violated the ACA's code of ethics.... Read More
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