IndoctriNation: How Woke Ideology Hijacked the Counseling Profession
This post is the foreword, written by Kathleen Mills, LPC-S, for Dr. Dawn Iron's new book, IndoctriNation: How Woke Ideology Hijacked the Counseling Profession. Thought we'd share it with you in hopes you'd find her book worthy of your time.
IndoctriNation: How Woke Ideology Hijacked the Counseling Profession
"Do you feel that our profession is being hijacked by Academia and the accrediting bodies? That they are indoctrinating the next generation of counselors with a far left, Woke philosophy and our professional organizations are complicit? Or that our Generally Accepted Standards of Care are being trashed and re-written based on an agenda rather than evidence-based data, to the detriment of the public?
If so, you're not alone.
If you have been in the counseling field for any length of time, you cannot deny the systemic changes that have occurred in our profession. The slow drip indoctrination of non-evidence based dogma preached by academia, professional organizations, and credentialing entities is pervasive.
Over the past 70 years we have experienced a systematic takeover by those who have nothing but contempt for our patriotism, our faith, our family system, and our US Constitution. Marxist idealogues are deconstructing our freedom of religion, literature, architecture, modern art and free speech. No stone has been left unturned in their pursuit of our national destruction, including our noble profession.
As a veteran LPC-S, CEAP, CIMHP, I have seen dramatic changes in the graduate program curriculum. Orchestrated by self-anointed credentialing entities, they have been allowed to “dictate” academic curriculums in seedy collaboration with our professional organizations.
You may even know graduate students who have been indirectly forced to abandon their religious beliefs, or at least suppress their beliefs in order to complete "the program”. Heaven help them if they question the DEI initiatives or their not so subtle efforts to reshape the Generally Accepted Standards of Care.
Open dialogue and the exercise of critical thinking skills are not allowed outside of the borders of Woke dogma, and a student runs the great risk of failing a class or being expelled from the university for not towing the line. There are countless stories and testimonies of students who have been shamed by professors and subsequently had to change their major or withdraw from the university.
Upon completion of the state licensing requirements, licensees continue to be subjected to a never ending and evolving postmodern wish-list. Licensing boards, professional associations, accrediting boards, conferences, and countless ce opportunities are all seemingly staffed by Woke indoctrinated graduates parroting, even believing, what they have been taught.
The ACA shamelessly promotes a Big Tent club for all counselors (including faith-based ones) and unbeknownst to most counselors (especially the faith-based ones!), the larger organizations like ACA typically promote a radical social justice agenda. That includes gender affirming care, the normalization of sexually deviant behaviors and other liberal efforts not generally accepted by a majority of the majority. And you, their unwitting members, are funding that!
Since when did it become the primary objective of a professional organization or an accrediting body to push a social agenda? Their task is to safeguard the profession and the Generally Accepted Standards of Care from harmful outside influences, not rewrite the GASC, turning it into an "anything goes" ideological handbook written by a relatively small group of unmoored activists.
The Woke narrative has done its work well. You have been lied to. It is a purposeful misdirection to state or imply that you could lose your license should you live your faith or vocally (or in writing) oppose the latest social justice action item. That would include failing to support sexually deviant behaviors, their DEI initiative, or question the gender affirming care “treatment" issued by WPATH, just to name a few."
The only entity with the power and authority to take your license is your licensing board or possibly, as it is in Texas, the entity that monitors your board. And regardless of which state you live and practice in your First Amendment rights are guaranteed. No licensing body or professional organization, no accrediting body or university can take your 1A rights from you nor will it cause you to lose your license. Everything else, everything, you have been told about losing your license or what you can or can't say is simply a lie to control your thoughts and responses.
It is simply a shame to think that our profession has become a conduit for promoting and encouraging social justice victimhood status of various groups, gender affirming care, sexual deviance. Our profession is the "last man standing" in the medical community. Our job is to help our clients critically think through the issues of their lives. Remove that logical bulwark and the Marxists have unfettered access to all facets of the human existence.
We founded the Association For Mental Health Professionals (AMHP) in January 2023. Phillip and I recognized that a large segment of mental health professionals simply weren't feeling represented by the beliefs of the larger professional organizations or by their state licensing boards, or both.
Our association believes that true recovery in the counseling process involves a mind-body-spirit approach. We also believes that you have the God-given right to express your personal beliefs and thoughts freely with your clients, within a proper and professional framework, without retribution from anyone. These rights are protected in the absolute by the US Constitution until we are no longer a free Republic.
Dr. Irons' book is full of examples of how ruthless these entities can be. She reveals the ultimate lack of jurisdictional power and evidence based research when pushing their agenda. She also cites an unwillingness to self-correct when the courts have decreed contrary to their stated positions. They win their battles by ignoring authority and daring someone to hold them accountable. As Dr. Irons points out, that should give you much pause for concern.
- Has our profession been captured by Postmodern influencers?
- Is it too late to take our profession back?
- Can we continue believing in "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness", or is it a thing of the past?
This important book reveals that when you know the facts (not feelings) then you have a solid base from which to mount a defense of our profession. That's a very good place to start because a powerful, appropriate, and effective line of defense against the WOKE agenda is something our field is lacking.
When you read this book you will begin to feel empowered to take a more assertive stand to safeguard your life's work. Then hopefully it will more than adequately motivate you to become active in the fight against the most misguided philosophy of the past 200 years. You can be part of the push-back to hold them accountable and what a story you'll have to tell!
Read the book then head on over to AMHP, join the club and check out the tools in our Advocacy program. You really can make a difference.
It’s up to you, my colleague friend.
Kathleen Mills, LPC-S, CEAP, CIMHP
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About the Author
Kathleen Mills is a fire-breathing, 33+ year veteran of the counseling world. People react in one of two ways when evil touches their lives: some retreat in fear, and some advance without pause to engage it. Kathleen falls firmly in the latter group. She owns and operates Life Tree Counseling in Frisco, TX, possesses a tireless work-ethic, and eagerly awaits your arrival into her growing army of warriors.
