I think Dr. Laura would agree ...

• What do I do? by Private, 1/9/99
  
  

Too bad about your past substance abuse. Too bad about your slip 6 months ago. But do you really think people should be entrusting you with their mental health (or anything else)? If I hired you for anything related to human services or counseling work, I'd be putting lots of people at risk (especially since you've shown that even a long period of sobriety doesn't remove your risk of relapse -- and thus of acting against the interests of patients or clients in that, and probably other, ways). Sorry, but patients need and deserve better.... Can you get into the counseling field in any honest and ethical way sometime in the future? I don't know. Are you "entitled" to a chance to prove yourself in a hospital or clinic? No. Should we give you an unsupervised job in substance abuse counseling, on the theory that you've "been there" and "know what it takes"? I don't buy it for a minute.... It troubles me that lots of people drift into masters-level counseling training programs by default, after they have screwed things up for themselves and others in some way (such as, but by no means limited to, substance abuse). Their irresponsibility, trouble with life, bad divorces, child neglect, drinking & drugging, and/or criminal behavior (and often guilt over the above) DO NOT make a good foundation for the mental health professions. If they want to help, they can volunteer to do something nice; but I don't like their trying to heal themselves while they play around with other people's serious problems.

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