Confidentiality
I’ve heard a lot about confidentiality; what does that mean? Does that mean that a
counselor can’t repeat anything they hear? If I send you a question, are you going to
post it on your website?
Andrew's Response:
Confidentiality isn’t as simple as “what’s said in here, stays in here.” The key component
that confidentiality is striving after is safety: safety in that the person can disclose
information and not feel as though they have placed themselves at undue risk; safety in
that if the person has placed themselves or others (or have themselves been placed at
risk by others), intervention will be coordinated in order to assist them to coming to a
point of being safe. (click here for full answer).
Professional Counselor
A lot of people consider themselves to be “counselors.” What exactly is
a “Licensed Professional Counselor”?
Andrew's Response:
Licensed Professional Counselor means that you’ve completed at least a masters
degree along with further post-graduate clinical experience and that you’re allowed to
provide counseling for mental health disorders and such. (click here for full answer).
Caring for a troubled family member
Our family consented to take in the teenage son of a family member last
year. His father’s never really been a part of his life. His mother got together with some
abusive men who abused both of them and got her addicted to drugs. Social services
got involved. They tried to get his father to take him but neither he nor his family was
interested. They asked us and we just couldn’t say no.
We’re having a hard time. It seems that no matter what we do, he thinks we’re doing
wrong by him. He isolates himself from the rest of the family and even the
littlest direction on our part turns into a big argument. We thought that it would take
him a few months to adjust but it just seems to be getting worse and worse. We don’t
want to put him into a home or something and there really aren’t any other family
members who’d be willing to take him in.
What do you think we should do? Does he need counseling? Do we need counseling?
Andrew's Response:
God has "wired" us to run to our parents for help. This young man sounds conflicted in
that he can't run to his parents - they're his problem! (click here for full answer).
Helping a teen with self-injurious behavior
A teenage girl in our church came forward with concerns about her friend (another girl
who attends our church) who has been cutting on her arm with a knife. She apparently
has been doing this for over a year and has dismissed it as “no big deal.” But some other
kids in the youth group have been concerned and some parents have asked if this girl
might be trying to get attention – or might even be suicidal.
In nearly 20 years of ministry, this is something that has never come up before. Can
you provide some guidance as to what might be going on and how to help this girl?
Andrew's Response:
Those who self-injure acknowledge that it is damaging, yet they continue to do it because
of the comfort it provides. (click here for full answer).
