Yeah the spew Jackets do in fact come in small .. you can have any color you want as long as its yellow.
I think your M is justifying, seems to me experience and what I have read they just HAVE to make the LBS in some way the reason for their problems, they keep slapping mud in the void thinking its going to take away the pain and nothing is working so must still be you, we breath and use their precious oxygen and it just pisses em off.
Strap that spew jacket, stay cool, you know its not you nor the homework ... dude is just lost and there is not a compass that he can use in that dark tunnel. I to think things will get worse the more frustrated he gets when all these choices have not landed him happiness, mine has done the same.
You sound good ... balanced... grounded ... your a tough one