Being offered counseling services

PatrickJ

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I'm probably going to be lynched for commenting about this but why is it that anytime we see or hear something violent on the television we are offered a counseling service. When the credits are rolling we hear a patronizing voice over suggesting that if we have been effected by the contents of this programme call some organization. A recent court case has also offered jurors counseling if they require it. The nanny state at its best.
 
I'm probably going to be lynched for commenting about this but why is it that anytime we see or hear something violent on the television we are offered a counseling service. When the credits are rolling we hear a patronizing voice over suggesting that if we have been effected by the contents of this programme call some organization. A recent court case has also offered jurors counseling if they require it. The nanny state at its best.

I agree, if they need counselling they shouldn't have been chosen as jurors in the first place.
 
I agree, if they need counselling they shouldn't have been chosen as jurors in the first place.
I presume the logic is that they didn't need counselling before the case but due to the graphic nature of the evidence they may need it now.
I'm not sure as I didn't follow the case that closely.
 
I agree, if they need counselling they shouldn't have been chosen as jurors in the first place.

Have you ever sat through a case where you were forced to watch videos of a man stabbing bounded and gagged women and listen to them cry and scream or having deranged sexual fantasies read out. Most normal people would find that disturbing and might well be damaged by it. It doesn't make them weak or incapable of being jurors. I have never felt disturbed reading news reports about cases but I was once on a jury on a case where an man was accused of sexually abusing his niece. I have no problem in admitting that I was deeply upset after that case. It took me a long time to get that girls testimony out of my head. I didn't need counselling but I wouldn't have judged anyone on the jury with me that felt like they needed it.
 
When the credits are rolling we hear a patronizing voice over suggesting that if we have been effected by the contents of this programme call some organization

You would be surprised how a program can affect people - I know someone who's sister committed suicide - and scenes in programmes (sadly not just violent based programmes - but comedies and other types of programmes) that portray the same method of suicide had impacts on them (including nightmares that evening). Having a simple voice over at the end of the programme giving contact details of support services may help people like them finally make contact with an appropriate help point.
 
Have you ever sat through a case where you were forced to watch videos of a man stabbing bounded and gagged women and listen to them cry and scream or having deranged sexual fantasies read out. Most normal people would find that disturbing and might well be damaged by it. It doesn't make them weak or incapable of being jurors. I have never felt disturbed reading news reports about cases but I was once on a jury on a case where an man was accused of sexually abusing his niece. I have no problem in admitting that I was deeply upset after that case. It took me a long time to get that girls testimony out of my head. I didn't need counselling but I wouldn't have judged anyone on the jury with me that felt like they needed it.

Being upset or disturbed are two different feelings. A juror must be able to reason all the evidence available and make a decision beyond a reasonable doubt. If emotions play and for some reason the juror is shocked, disturbed etc his/her judgement becomes tainted. In my opinion any juror worth his/her salt should be able to cast emotions aside and make a proper assessment of what is at stake. Jurys have massive power. They can send a person to jail for a long time. Jurors should be cold in their decisions and ensure the correct decisions are made. Anything else and justice is not seen to be done.
 
Jurors are meant to be representative of the citizenry, the "man on the Clapham omnibus" that Rumple made famous. They cannot be selected for their level of disinterest nor their level of emotional objectivity because to do so makes the jury different to another random collection of qualifying members of the public.

I've served on coroners' juries but not on a jury in a criminal matter. The medical evidence can be very disturbing in some cases.
 
I hear what you are saying but do we as a State need to offer this service? It's a big, bad world out there and we need to get a thick skin to survive it. The case in question was not an easy trial to sit through and it made for harrowing reading but the jury made their decision and should now leave all emotion at the door. They have now given the victim and general public justice and kept a very deranged individual off the streets.

I wonder are the families, solicitors, barristers offered counseling?

I was the victim of a crime some years ago that could have resulted in my death. The Gardai knew the perpetrator but did not have enough evidence to haul them before the courts. I was not offered counseling just a pat on the back to say we will be keeping a very close on the individual. For a long time I sat up each night expecting my hall door to come in on top of me. I wasn't offered counseling nor did I expect to be.
 
...I wonder are the families, solicitors, barristers offered counseling?
Families, through their GPs or self-referral, can access free Mental Health Services / counselling as can every other citizen of the State.

Professionals who earn their living in this environment including judges, court clerks, Gardai, paramedics, nurses, can self refer to State services or access private services if they wish and presumably reclaim counselling / insurance costs against their tax. Some can even access services through their unions.

... I was the victim of a crime some years ago that could have resulted in my death. The Gardai knew the perpetrator but did not have enough evidence to haul them before the courts. I was not offered counseling just a pat on the back to say we will be keeping a very close on the individual. For a long time I sat up each night expecting my hall door to come in on top of me. I wasn't offered counseling nor did I expect to be.
Sorry to hear that. There are victims' organisations you could have accessed or again, free State services.

.. When the credits are rolling we hear a patronizing voice over suggesting that if we have been effected by the contents of this programme call some organization.
I've never heard this.
 
You know what lads? There are now councillors for everything. These councillors can make an easy living. There's the guy seeking promotion within his job paying some talkative shrink to egg him on and assert himself in the workplace. There's the girl who thinks that employing a enjoy-your-wedding-more councillor that the big day will even be bigger. Then you have the guy who cannot get out of bed in the morning employing his advisor to tell him how to run his day (and of course how to get the elastic limit most from that day). Now juries are getting in on the act; we need counselling because of the evidence we heard when you can hear the like most nights on American television programmes.

There comes a time when we must "man-up" to reality and stand on our own two feet. Or must our nanny state molly coddle us into old age?
 
You know what lads? There are now councillors for everything. These councillors can make an easy living. There's the guy seeking promotion within his job paying some talkative shrink to egg him on and assert himself in the workplace. There's the girl who thinks that employing a enjoy-your-wedding-more councillor that the big day will even be bigger. Then you have the guy who cannot get out of bed in the morning employing his advisor to tell him how to run his day (and of course how to get the elastic limit most from that day). Now juries are getting in on the act; we need counselling because of the evidence we heard when you can hear the like most nights on American television programmes.

There comes a time when we must "man-up" to reality and stand on our own two feet. Or must our nanny state molly coddle us into old age?
Being exposed to the grief and suffering of victims and the visceral reality of some violent crimes is far removed from nightly American TV programmes.
I agree with you that there is a culture of psychological dependence in much of society but where the state exposes people to disturbing and distressing things through jury service I don’t have any objection to offering some support afterwards.
 
I hear what you are saying but do we as a State need to offer this service? It's a big, bad world out there and we need to get a thick skin to survive it. The case in question was not an easy trial to sit through and it made for harrowing reading but the jury made their decision and should now leave all emotion at the door.
The jurors were performing a service for the state so yes I think it is only right that the state offer support after where needed.

There comes a time when we must "man-up" to reality and stand on our own two feet.
Ah here now, that's like something Bertie was saying in his heyday. Not everyone has the same ability to remain cold and unemotional during a trial Leper and your suggestion that "any juror worth his/her salt should be able to cast emotions aside" is quite a harsh statement tbh. Jurors don't offer their services, they are selected and must perform their duty unless they have a valid excuse not to.
 
I'll tell ya one thing lads! I hear the Irish Taxpayer is to pay for Ian Bailey's Compo case and Graham Dwyer's infamous case thought to be in the region of €6,000,000.00 and probably more. I (as an Irish Taxpayer) need counselling quick.
 
I'll tell ya one thing lads! I hear the Irish Taxpayer is to pay for Ian Bailey's Compo case and Graham Dwyer's infamous case thought to be in the region of €6,000,000.00 and probably more. I (as an Irish Taxpayer) need counselling quick.
The real issue is the costs charged by the lawyers.
 
We have the full range in this thread, councillors, counsellors, counsel!

People have different perceptions and interpretations of the same event and one person may need and benefit from counselling and another not.

If just one person rang a helpline after a TV program featuring an issue, than that would be good.

I have benefited from counselling in the past, arising from cancer treatment, so, I understand how someone who experienced a traumatic event would benefit from counselling eg train driver seeing suicidal person look at him in the last moment of life. A juror in a murder case with gory and graphic details could be traumatised even though they didn't witness the alleged murder.
 
Why all the negativity about counselling??, I know it historically has a bad name as some namby pamby American drivel, but the reality is that psychotherapy, CBT and other "talk therapies" can and do actually work and are a fair part of the solution to many mental health issues - the other approaches being 'drug 'em up' or (thankfully less so now) - 'Lock 'em up'. I know the context of this thread is more about announcements at the end of programmes, but I think in fairness there, they're intended for someone who had a past personal experience of the subject matter - lets say child sex abuse - as opposed to someone who randomly tuned in and you imagine has been turned to mush by this TV experience.

But I would hope we've moved on from 'man up' (a newer version of "just get over it"), the stats are out there, more are dying by suicide than car crashes so lets encourage people to look for help, not make them feel they're lacking. (I realise this is a mini-rant, but it comes from a good place....;))
 
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