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, environment in which authentic, challenging, respectful, and “safe” dialogue can take place. The
rules help identify and address student concerns, as well as increase the likelihood that student—
and instructor—goals for the course will be met. This activity also provides an additional vehicle
for instruction.
I conduct this activity using an acronym—R-E-S-P-E-C-T—which not only conveys an
important element of the course, and Multicultural Counseling and Therapy, as well, but also
provides letters that will cover most of the concerns, wishes, and goals that students are likely to
have (see Appendix I).
“If It’s Unmentionable, It’s Unmanageable”: Handling Challenging
TU
Situations
The Judge Baker Good Grief Program, in Boston, Massachusetts, embraces the following
concept: “If it’s unmentionable, it’s unmanageable.” I encourage you—my fellow course
TO
instructors—to adopt this as one of your guiding principles. It should come as no surprise that a
course that focuses on a topic that continues to be such an increasingly vitriolic and loaded one
for our country, would be expected to result in challenging, oftentimes uncomfortable
conversations and situations inside—and possibly also outside—of the classroom. I strongly
believe that if students cannot have these difficult discussions in a “controlled” and emotionally
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“safe” class setting, then where can such discussions take place? I am not suggesting that
students should be coddled or overprotected. Rather, for such discussions to become maximally
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meaningful and transformative, the 400-pound gorilla must be “named.” We do our students (and
their future clients) a disservice, to do otherwise. As instructors, we become important classroom
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models of effective ways to engage in this naming, claiming, and transformation process. By
exhibiting constructive ways to discuss emotionally charged issues in a non-defensive way, we
encourage students to courageously own, examine, and alter their beliefs, feelings, worldviews,
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and issues that would likely interfere with their effectiveness as a multicultural counselor and
embracer of social justice. It is through this naming, claiming, and “taking students where
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they’re at” process, that the “unmentionable” can lose its powerful often paralyzing hold on
students and real student change can occur.
Downloaded by: tutorsection | Want to earn $1.236
Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?
R
U
G
R
TO
TU
, U
R
U
G
R
TO
TU
, U
R
U
G
R
TO
TU
, environment in which authentic, challenging, respectful, and “safe” dialogue can take place. The
rules help identify and address student concerns, as well as increase the likelihood that student—
and instructor—goals for the course will be met. This activity also provides an additional vehicle
for instruction.
I conduct this activity using an acronym—R-E-S-P-E-C-T—which not only conveys an
important element of the course, and Multicultural Counseling and Therapy, as well, but also
provides letters that will cover most of the concerns, wishes, and goals that students are likely to
have (see Appendix I).
“If It’s Unmentionable, It’s Unmanageable”: Handling Challenging
TU
Situations
The Judge Baker Good Grief Program, in Boston, Massachusetts, embraces the following
concept: “If it’s unmentionable, it’s unmanageable.” I encourage you—my fellow course
TO
instructors—to adopt this as one of your guiding principles. It should come as no surprise that a
course that focuses on a topic that continues to be such an increasingly vitriolic and loaded one
for our country, would be expected to result in challenging, oftentimes uncomfortable
conversations and situations inside—and possibly also outside—of the classroom. I strongly
believe that if students cannot have these difficult discussions in a “controlled” and emotionally
R
“safe” class setting, then where can such discussions take place? I am not suggesting that
students should be coddled or overprotected. Rather, for such discussions to become maximally
G
meaningful and transformative, the 400-pound gorilla must be “named.” We do our students (and
their future clients) a disservice, to do otherwise. As instructors, we become important classroom
U
models of effective ways to engage in this naming, claiming, and transformation process. By
exhibiting constructive ways to discuss emotionally charged issues in a non-defensive way, we
encourage students to courageously own, examine, and alter their beliefs, feelings, worldviews,
R
and issues that would likely interfere with their effectiveness as a multicultural counselor and
embracer of social justice. It is through this naming, claiming, and “taking students where
U
they’re at” process, that the “unmentionable” can lose its powerful often paralyzing hold on
students and real student change can occur.
Downloaded by: tutorsection | Want to earn $1.236
Distribution of this document is illegal extra per year?
