The Social Justice Backlash: Protecting Faith in Counseling

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Dawn Irons, a counselor educator with over 15 years of experience in private practice. She shared some eye-opening insights into the rising influence of social justice ideology in counseling programs and how it can negatively impact religious clients. Dawn explained how today's counseling students receive very biased training that pits protected classes against each other. Many programs aggressively push LGBTQ causes while dismissing religious beliefs as something to "correct." This prevents therapeutic self-exploration and infringes on clients' cultural rights. We discussed the importance of informed consent so people can choose counselors who respect their worldview. Dawn also offered practical tips for religious counselors to stand up professionally while avoiding legal trouble. Overall, it was an enlightening discussion about protecting diversity of thought in counseling. Dawn wants to equip therapists to serve people of faith well, not treat them as problems to fix. Let me know what intrigued or surprised you most! And stay tuned - we talked about Dawn's upcoming book that dives deeper into these topics from a clinical perspective.Parenting Gender Confused Children Support Group:https://faithfullyengaged.com/support-group/Podmatch:Want to be a podcast guest? Have your own podcast and want to find guests? Usepodmatch! https://www.joinpodmatch.com/faithfullyengagedFaithfully Engaged Substack: https://faithfullyengaged.substack.com/*This description contains affiliate links. These links add no cost to you and help supportthe show.*Dawn’s Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-irons-m-a-lpc-18673b39/Website: http://www.hopeharbortx.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HopeHarborDCBook: IndoctriNation: How Woke Ideology Hijacked the Counseling Profession#SocialJusticeInCounseling #CulturalDynamicsInCounseling #FaithBasedCounseling #ReligiousBeliefsInTherapy #NavigatingSocialJusticeIssues #CounselorEthics #InformedConsentInCounseling #DiversityInCounseling #ProfessionalValuesInCounseling #CounselingBookReleaseTIMESTAMPS:00:00:09 - Supporting Parents of Gender Confused Children00:03:15 - Changes in Counseling Training00:07:05 - Importance of Religious Identity00:12:16 - Informed Consent in Counseling00:16:26 - Building Trust and Respect00:16:46 - Importance of Informed Consent00:17:41 - Mutual Respect in Counseling00:19:23 - Addressing Ethical Complaints00:24:52 - Power of ACA and State Legislative Codes00:29:55 - Writing a Book for Awareness00:33:50 - Importance of AMHP and CEU Training00:34:51 - Addressing Power Plays and Voicing Concerns00:36:59 - Redefining Social Justice and Advocacy00:39:22 - Unity Around Trans Issues00:42:19 - Socially Constructed Problems