i know a guy, who has a friend, who knows this other guy, who heard about someone maybe wanting to talk to a pro about...

July 14, 2006 2:17 PM

i'm curious if anyone has experience getting counseling or therapy (for career-advice/depression/whathaveyou), *without* losing the security clearance (and hence the job)? or scotching chances to get another job where a clearance is all-too-assuredly-required (here in d.c.)? how is that done? alternatively, where could...my friend...go to read about the policies attending to such a quandary? kthxby.

[cough] um, purely out of benign curiosity. of course.

posted by anonymous to Law & Government (1 answer total)

If you think no one at the CIA has ever seen a psychiatrist and kept their clearance, think again. You can google for cases such as this [PDF file linked], from other agencies, for more insight into the resources and process that go into access authorizations (although this particular case didn't go well for the individual involved). Or you could pay a few bucks to talk to an attorney specializing in these matters about your "friend's problems."

A lot would have to do with the particulars of the problem, the treatments/followup undertaken therapeutically, and the agency involved. Not all access authorizations are created equal, by far. Not all problems are security risks.

Most genuine mental health problems will require treatment.
posted by paulsc at 8:09 PM on July 14, 2006