Ken Oliver

I’ve questioned whether or not to write about this topic for some time now. It’s not that the topic is particularly controversial in itself, but rather that the issue is not often discussed by a…gasp…man! I suppose I’ll start the discussion in the same manner as I do in my Human Growth and Development course; with a question. How old were you when you learned that women were inferior?

I currently live in small, rural town in Missouri. Phewww, typing that was cathartic! The town is predominately made up of White, working class Protestants who, until the last presidential election, were tried and true democrats. The town recently renovated the local playhouse and currently shows a movie a few Saturdays a month. You know, one of those movies stuck in the “purgatory” between the theater and DVD release. But, I digress! Much to my delight, the leaders of the playhouse produced a comedy show this past weekend. They brought in a few comics from the St. Louis area and put on a very funny show. The comedy, as typical, was laced with misogynistic and racially insensitive humor that brought the audience to one belly laugh after another. It wasn’t until one comedian started to discuss the Obama presidency, however, that the air of discomfort and tension settled over the room. The comedian jokingly asked how many in the room voted for Obama. Not a peep!

I learned a long time ago not to offer information about what I do for a living. In fact, nowadays I find myself giving as little information as possible when asked. To paint the picture, I’ve been a Licensed Professional Counselor since the ripe old age of 22. Now that you’re done gasping, I’ll continue. You could only imagine the puzzled looks I received when I would proudly respond to that inevitable question, “So, what do you do?” The nonverbal reaction usually spoke much louder than the words that would follow. YOU? A COUNSELOR? Hmm!

As many of you may be well aware, a prominent counselor educator at a prestigious institution was recently accused of having sexual relationships with several current and former counseling students. Just “process” that sentence for a couple of seconds. Now, unfortunately my first response was not of outrage or disgust, but rather of wonder about how much this actually occurs within academia and, more specifically, within the field of counselor education. The ACA code of ethics clearly states that within counselor education, “Sexual or romantic interactions or relationships with current students are prohibited.” But then, being my annoyingly inquisitive self, I wondered, “what in the world does ‘current’ mean?” Does it mean currently enrolled in a course that semester, or does it mean currently a student in the program, or does it mean students who have been enrolled but may be on hiatus? Well, maybe “clearly” isn’t the right word...maybe we need to polish this up a bit.