Students enrolled in counseling programs today are taught, very intentionally, about the importance of advocacy. It was, and has remained, a hallmark of the counseling profession and many other mental health and helping professions (e.g., psychology, social work, etc.).
Advocacy efforts can take a number of forms. They can be regional or national in scope, like a letter writing campaign to one's congressman or congresswoman. Or, the advocacy can be done at a very local level, such as high school parents organizing their efforts for more rigorous course offering for their students. The best definition of advocacy I've heard in my (relatively short) life was offered by a faculty mentor, Keith Wilson. He said, and I'm paraphrasing, that advocacy is fighting for the rights of a group of whom you are NOT a member. (insert "a-ha" moment here). Nile came home earlier this week and told me she had something to share with me. I was in the regular routine of running the kids to their respective activities and asked if she could tell me when we got home. She agreed, reluctantly. So, while fixing their dinner (if that's what you'd call chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and broccoli), she recalled that during the day there were kids who were being mean to the boy in her class who was on the autism spectrum. She was bothered because the kids were making fun of him, while he thought they were meaningfully engaging with him. He called them his friends even though their behavior was not really friendly. The young man was verbal, she said, and from what I could interpret, sounded A LOT like her brother. He was in a mainstream class, generally enjoyed social interactions, but had some trouble interpreting social cues and nuances. Her feelings ranged from anger, sympathy, and empathy toward the students being mean and for the student with autism. As we talked about it, Nile discussed one girl who she thought was particularly mean, and it bothered Nile. I tried to connect with her as she conveyed those emotions, saying things like: I understand why you would think that's mean. I'm not sure why some folks would be that insensitive. What is it that makes you so angry about how they're treating him? *You know I had to throw a "counseling" question in there! Don't judge me!* Lo and behold, I think we got the answer to that question. The girl Nile perceived as most insensitive... has a younger sibling with a form of autism. As Ni and I continued to talk through her frustration, I tried to convey the risks and rewards of speaking out against things that she believes to be unfair or unjust and advocting for those who may be targets of such actions. I shared that we ALL can either take the risk of speaking out and being ostracized by our peers and others OR not speaking out and having to confront the guilt that can sometimes accompany silent consent. I told her that she already knew the right thing to do, even if it was having a 1:1 conversation with the girl because we both acknowledged we wouldn't want anybody treating her brother like that. Of course, after saying that her mom and I would support her in any way we could, my final question was: So, what's gonna happen next time you see your friend? I thank God for reminding me of how important it is to be an advocate. Peace, -mike
2 Comments
Jeff Wright
1/19/2013 12:51:18 pm
Great stuff brother! Keep it up.
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Michael Hannon
1/19/2013 01:18:14 pm
Appreciate that, bro. Hope you are well.
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AuthorI'm Mike. If you have an interest in mental health, family functioning, and disability advocacy, this blog may be of interest to you. Archives
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