What are some ways that counselors can misread alcoholic-family signals?
1) John’s alcoholic wife, Augusta, picked up yet another man. She came home and told him that she “didn’t want to be married anymore.” They went to a marriage counselor who didn’t see the alcoholism, and told them: “Augusta seems depressed. Maybe she is just sad and wants to leave you, John.” Augusta didn’t even remember the counseling session the next day. Has this counselor ever heard about depression induced by alcoholism? 2) Melody, recently divorced, was in counseling. Her ex-husband is alcoholic. Three of her four adult children were very anxious to talk with her counselor in a family session. The counselor was pleased with their prompt response to her request to come in for such a session. They, like their father, were charming, quick-witted, alcoholic, and facile in their indictment of their mother. The facts never emerged about their own drinking and collusion with their father to defend the family’s alcoholism. The counselor had no knowledge of the questions to ask to dete
