Shannon Ruane

Since the submission of my last blog post about deaf individuals and some of their negative experiences in counseling, I have been seriously touched and somewhat humbled by the outpouring of communication I have received not only from counselors and counseling students; but also from deaf and hard of hearing individuals themselves.

It’s almost May – the month well known for great weather and flowers, graduations, and family barbeques. It’s also a month known as National Mobility Awareness Month. Did you know that? I didn’t for the longest time acknowledge or even know such a thing existed – which is odd considering the years spent working as a rehabilitation counselor for a state rehab agency. Looking back, even though we all spent countless hours of the day working with individuals with mobility challenges in their efforts to return to work or become job ready, I honestly think we likely acknowledged Administrative Professional’s Day…and maybe even Earth Day…as an office, bypassing such an incredible month that acknowledges and celebrates our clients and others.

I’ve been counseling deaf and hard of hearing individuals for more than 10 years. The majority of that counseling was done in a state rehabilitation agency and the rest as an individual counselor in private practice. I’ve heard my fair share of horror stories of what deaf clients sometimes face when seeking counseling – some so remarkable I had to shake my head and wonder if the client wasn’t pulling my leg as I do have an exaggerated shock affect. Unfortunately, these are true and ripe for your reading and (hopefully) learning.

Many counselors probably have, at some point, needed to deal with a Facebook issue. Be it the dreaded friend request from a client, learning of an employer checking on a client you’re working with in a rehabilitation setting, or even accidentally discovering something about your client while browsing on Facebook. There were so many issues to take into consideration from the counselor perspective that the original blog I had started about Facebook took on a life of its own. I decided to, rather than post an obnoxiously long blog, narrow it down one of the more interesting topics – my experience having a client impersonate me on Facebook.

Standing with some colleagues in a crowded restaurant one night, a group of shirt & ties inquired our occupation. 'We're Rehab Counselors,' we shouted over the cheers of the Phillies’s game. Confused, they glanced at each other, 'But...you're drinking!?' as we responded, "Umm, yeah, and...?" Did we put down our Miller Lites and make a dash for it? Nope. We explained what it was that made us unique and awesome - that 'rehab' in our title didn't necessarily mean we worked with (or were) alcoholics.