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Letters
Counselors as sex educators
I really appreciated the Reader Viewpoint article “Entering the danger zone” (November 2014) by John Sommers-Flanagan on discussing sex and pornography with boy clients. I agree that these topics are far too easily ignored and overlooked, probably often subconsciously, with clients of any age, but especially with young males. It’s crucial for us as counselors to model healthy, open discussion around topics that can be embarrassing and hidden for clients.
Susan Henkel, LPCA, NCC Greensboro, N.C.
u
I’m a graduate student in a mental health counseling program and a member of ACA. I recently got the November issue of Counseling Today and read the “Entering the danger zone” article. I just wanted
to write and say thank you so much for including this valuable information in your publication.
The harmful effects of pornography
are something that I’ve been aware of for
a while now, but I have had difficulty translating that into my current internship and future counseling practice. In short,
I think this is such valuable yet ignored information, not just in our culture but also in our profession. Thank you again for helping to spread the word about an important topic.
Kristin Morgan
The College at Brockport, State University
of New York
u
He seems to be leaving out the other half of the population — girls. For many reasons, girls are equally important recipients of sex education. The United States has alarmingly high rates of teenage pregnancy; girls are just as likely as boys to contract sexually transmitted infections (and more likely to suffer longer term consequences than boys); girls are more likely than boys to be sexually victimized (including online victimization); and girls access sexually explicit online material. In addition, girls face the challenge of traditional gender attitudes promoting imbalance in their adolescent sexual relationships.
Sommers-Flanagan’s advice about parents being a good source of sexuality information is on target, but parents need training to be educators to their children. Counselors are well-positioned not only to be open to sexuality discussions with children but also to assist parents in the task of carrying out these conversations at home. The level of family involvement, family structure, parental monitoring
and parent-child communication are all important aspects of the youth’s decision- making. Helping parents and adolescents communicate, particularly about sexual issues, assists in reducing risky behavior.
While it has been shown that adolescents prefer to get sexuality information from their parents than from other sources, many parents may feel ill-equipped to stage these discussions. The messages
that parents give to their children about sex are critical in shaping adolescents’ beliefs about sex roles and behavior. Thus, counselors can play an important role in giving parents information and advice to help educate their teens.
All adolescents need and want sexuality education. They want to know about
normal sexual development, relationships, pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. If this information is not provided to them by parents, counselors or teachers, they will seek it out online, which may potentially put them at risk for victimization. So in planning our sexuality discussions, let’s not leave out girls.
Maureen C. Kenny
Author, Sex Education: Attitude of
Adolescents, Cultural Differences and
Schools’ Challenges
Professor, Florida International University Counselor Education Program
Miami
Extending the profession’s compassion to animals
Kudos to Peter Wollheim for his article, “The case for animal-protective counseling practice,” in the November 2014 issue. This past summer, I posted to the ACA Animal- Assisted Therapy in Mental Health Interest Network and wrote to our state licensing board to inquire about the steps needed
to change the ethics guidelines to include harm to animals as a factor in the “duty to warn” requirement. Neither request resulted in a response. I don’t believe the silence is because people don’t see the need but rather that they don’t know how such a task would be accomplished.
Consider that over half of all households have a pet, and 63 percent of pet owners consider their pets a member of the family (per a 2011 poll from the American Veterinary Medical Association). Add to that the millions of dollars spent on pet toys and other nonfood items, and it’s clear that we value our nonhuman companions. Also consider the increasing number of childfree-by-choice couples and how pets might become even more integral to the
While I read with interest John Sommers- Flanagan’s article, I was dismayed to see the focus solely on boys’ sexuality education.
Letters policy
Counseling Today welcomes letters from ACA members; submissions from nonmembers will be published only on rare occasions. Only one letter per person per topic in each 365-day period will be printed. Letters will be published as space permits and are subject to editing for both length and clarity. Please limit letters to 400 words or less. Submissions can be sent via email or regular mail and must include the individual’s full name, mailing address or email address and telephone number.
ACA has the sole right to determine if a letter will be accepted for publication. Counseling Today will not publish any letter that contains unprofessional, defamatory, incendiary, libelous or illegal statements or content deemed as intended to offend a person or group of people based on their race, gender, age, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, language, ideology, social class, occupation, appearance, mental capacity or any other distinction that might be considered by some as a liability. ACA will not print letters that include advertising or represent a copy of a letter to a third party. The editor of Counseling Today will have responsibility for determining if any factors are present that warrant not publishing a letter.
Email your letters to ct@counseling.org or write to Counseling Today, Letters to the Editor, 5999 Stevenson Ave., Alexandria, VA 22304.
8 | ct.counseling.org | January 2015