Breastfeeding mum put back to the bottom of counselling waiting list after male therapist refused her an appointment

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Quite unbelievable that this could happen:
"A VULNERABLE mum has been sent back to the bottom of the waiting list for counselling because her therapist was ‘uncomfortable’ with her possibly needing to breastfeed during a session."

www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/Breastfeeding-mum-counselling-waiting-list-male/story-24528473-detail/story.html

You see Celeste's approach means that many women who BF their children will be denied access to a range of vital services.

So her suggestion is unworkable and inappropriate.

I had a male counsellor who was embarrassed by women's things. He appeared to know fuck all about periods, squirmed when I told him about them, and responded to my remarks about everyday sexism in a "What makes you feel they are hostile?" sort of way. I fed this back to my shrink, who told me the counsellor had already raised this with him and thanked me for highlighting that he needed to work on this area After that, I felt like more like his trainer than his patient. I was locked into the course with him by my insurance company so made the best of it.

People who have ishoos with half the human population shouldn't be awarded counselling diplomas.

Is this story true??

I think it's fair enough that a man doesn't want to be alone in a room with a vulnerable woman who has her nipples out tbh.

Where's his protection if his client decides to say that he looked at her inappropriately? He won't have any, because he's the professional, and by agreeing to have a female client breastfeeding while alone with him he is putting himself in a vulnerable position.

It's sad that this is the way things are, but the waiting lists aren't his fault. If a professional counsellor doesn't feel they can adequately support someone, for whatever valid reason, then they should be supported.

This woman's right to counselling is not more important than this mans right to protect himself from potential accusations of a sexual nature.

FFS woo how on earth did to manage to jump from a nursing mother to someone who accuses a man of something of a 'sexual nature'?
Do you have any evidence to prove that nursing mothers regularly make accusations?
Surely all male counsellor will be alone with their female clients at some point, by your reasoning wouldn't it be best if a male counsellor doesn't have female patients?
And why would her nipple be out, usually they are in the babies mouth with thir head covering the breast.

And a woman's right to nurse in enshrined in law under the sex disrimation act. So this 'man' doesn't have the legal right to deny this woman counselling.

He hasn't denied her counselling - he's referred her to another counsellor which is fair enough.

She shouldn't have been moved to the bottom of the queue, absolutely not - I would like to see confirmation from the counselling service that was not the case.

I have just finished a series of cognitive behavioural therapy sessions. Before they started, I had an appointment with a psychiatrist whose report went to the therapy manager - and it was their responsibility to pair me up with someone they felt I would work well with.

Therapy is an intense and personal relationship - if there is stress and tension in the relationship between counsellor and client, it will not work, or it won't work well.

IMO, the counsellor did the right thing when he said that he wouldn't feel comfortable with her feeding during the sessions - please note, I am NOT saying he is right to feel uncomfortable around breastfeeding mothers, but as he does, it would negatively affect the counselling relationship.

However, the service should have a method for dealing with this issue - it would seem reasonable for her to go back onto the waiting list, to be placed with the next counsellor who was comfortable with counselling a breastfeeding mother. It cannot be the first time the service has dealt with a similar issue - both counsellor and client are human beings, and sometimes the relationship will just not click - so if the counselling is to be effective, there must be some mechanism for allowing the client to move to a different counsellor, or the counsellor to say that they feel the relationship is not working and that the client would be better off with a different counsellor.

I'd be uncomfortable with it too. Could she really not have waited? Really?

he may have feel uncomfortable with this as he may have felt this would be a distraction in the counselling process

whatever his reasons it is best she is seen by another therapist