Let’s discuss about the mental health problem in Deaf community. April is the month of National Mental Health Awareness. It is also National Counseling Awareness Month, and Stress Awareness Month.

The mental health system in hearing world is arguably the front-burner issue it has been crafted for Shock Doctrine style that the failure has been forgotten. Meanwhile, Deaf people who have been neglected in the hands of hearing counseling community remains an obstacle for Deaf community. Mental health is one of the most challenging problems in Deaf community. It may be a long-term treatment site of last resort.

It is a trust that is no longer warranted from confidentiality. The role of hearing privileges has played in these and other oppressive environment has largely been downplayed by the hearing privileges.

The governing philosophy of an oppressor in Deaf community to continue ignorance against Deaf community is dangerous and ineffective mental health system could be lifted straight from the Hippocratic Oath: First, Do No Harm. Then, Second, Do What Works. 

Putting Deaf people before hearing privileges overcoming the barriers to recovery. What is “recovery”?

Today’s laissez-faire oppressive climate and broken counseling and psychological services. Unfortunately, hearing counseling system compromised by lies and denial, and the taxpayers and political leaders are being invisible by ignorance, preventable deaths, and the need for counseling for Deaf community is noted.

Who else would understand Deaf-centered counseling? Deaf-centered counseling is the hope that will bring better compassion to our understanding of a mental health system how it works.

Counseling for the Deaf is far more than being a member of hearing community who has shown apathy or incompetence is involved in creating a mental health field that Deaf community is a shamble. Since, it is National Counseling Awareness Month.

Let’s take a look this way. There are many, many, many hearing counselors who cannot afford ASL interpreters around the nation. Deaf members are referred to as the lack of mental health awareness, but without support and opportunities, and there were thousands of times, has fallen through the cracks. Many times, Deaf people were hurt when they are being neglected for counseling. That builds great stress. When they are being denied, too many times is too much just like this quote on left-side below:

Deaf-centered counselors would able to develop support skills, life skills, and thinking skills along with the Deaf core philosophy. Deaf members who would learn from Deaf-centered counselors taught how to be mentored and also be a mentor, too.

It was all because of these connections and help them to reach ability to advocate for themselves that they receive Deaf-centered counseling when they did while many Deaf members are being denied in hearing counseling world.

When a Deaf person seeking counseling is being denied in hearing world due to the fact that they cannot afford ASL interpreters has plunged themselves for ignorance. I deeply hope that Deaf members should not demonized for state of being Deaf and still misrepresented in the counseling world. It is extremely important that Deaf members should never denied for their well-being and become a better person.

Stress is the powerful force that influences their bodies, lives, and mental health. How can they deal with stress? Most importantly, how many Deaf people will they deny because they have denied counseling and cannot be afforded by hearing professionals? When I saw this picture, Pac-Man as hearing counseling system who denied Deaf people services will always have hard time chasing Deaf souls away because they hurt the most.

-JT

Copyright © 2018 Jason Tozier

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