Hi. So I'm planning on applying to some schools soon (Master's level counseling programs), but one of my letters of recommendation is going to come from an instructor who taught me at another grad school. I feel as though some of the schools may ask me what happened at the previous school, and why I am no longer in their program.
What I was planning on telling them was that, during a weekly group therapy session in one of my classes, I revealed that I had been hospitalized in the past year for a mild psychotic episode. A month later, the program director met with me, and told me that she was requiring me to submit a diagnosis, treatment plan, and letter of clearance to the school, provided by a psychiatrist. I was also then told that I would have to complete my classes remotely, and that I wasn't allowed on campus. Later, I was told, by either the Head of the Counseling Center, that they would want to speak to the psychiatrist first. My psychiatrist and therapist both spoke to the Head of the Counseling Center. I was told by the therapist, that both her and the psychiatrist advocated for me to remain in the program. I had psychological testing proving that I wasn't psychotic. My therapist told the Head of the Counseling Center this. According to her, they then said that they wanted to see these results. Shortly after, without even seeing the results, the school met with me, and told me that I would be dropped from my classes, and that I would not be allowed to continue the program, until Fall at the earliest. They also told me that my return would be contingent upon my therapist's word on my behalf, and that they wouldn't be willing to negotiate until it is near time for the Fall semester.
I was also thinking about adding that my therapist at one point said, in front of my psychiatrist "Dr. _____, I feel like they don't respect what we have to say;" and that I strongly felt that I was in my best interest to start applying to other schools.
The class that I had with the instructor in question, was graded based on two major assignments, and class participation. I was able to attend just under half the semester, before being told to work remotely. While I was attending, I did participate. I finished the first major assignment, and was working on the second one, before being dropped. The grade I received on the first assignment was a near perfect score.
I specifically asked him if he would be able to write me a positive letter, and he affirmed. I'm wondering if it would be beneficial for me to include this instructor's letter of recommendation, or if it would be detrimental.
