Shawn Spurgeon, associate professor in Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, is speaking out about a controversial bill being debated in Tennessee right now. The bill would allow professional counselors to deny services to clients and students with whom they don’t share common values or religious beliefs. Spurgeon, a member of the American Counseling Association, agrees “that counselors have an ethical obligation to reach beyond their own frame of reference and try to understand their client’s perspective. Awareness of values and beliefs and willingness to challenge them is an essential component of counselor development.”
More information regarding the bill, SB1556, can be read here.