My Personal Theory

My Personal Theory of Counseling Kristen Bellows University of Texas at San Antonio My Personal Theory of Counseling Perhaps nothing is as significant to the success of the therapeutic process and nothing represents the foundation of successful therapy more than one's personal theory of counseling. All individuals in all aspects of life work from some belief system, perspective, or model of how the world works, how things are, and how things interact. Developing a deep understanding of one's own personal theory leads to better decision-making with respect to the therapeutic process, including therapist approach and client interaction. Such an understanding also promotes a greater ability to intervene more effectively with clients whose values are in contrast to one's own. Being aware of one's own personal theory of the world and, subsequently, one's view of counseling, also helps the therapist identify individual strengths and areas for improvement. The personal orientation of the therapist is a sum total of many influences such as interests, self-awareness, experience, values, and compassion for others, among many other things. Such influences have a direct impact on one's personal theory of counseling. For instance, my Christian upbringing, experiences, and beliefs have a significant impact on my personal view of the world and others and, therefore, also on my theory of counseling. My religious beliefs and values coincide with some therapeutic approaches and not others. In this paper I delve into my recent introspective and reflective explorations as well as the experiences and lessons I have learned throughout my life which has led me to embrace and adopt the particular theory of  counseling I believe suits me the most at this time. Of all the theories I have learned for the duration of this class, none has resonated with me as much as Existentialism. While I have a tremendous reverence for psychoanalysis and its focus on examining the causal factors behind one’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors i. e. one’s past/childhood, the unconscious, as well as its contribution of key concepts to counseling such as transference and countertransference, I am a bit unsettled by the deterministic and rigid view this approach takes of human nature. I connect much more deeply to the philosophies of  existentialism: the emphasis it places on an authentic and genuine encounter with clients, its recognition and respect for the client’s subjective world, trust in the capacity of the client to make positive decisions and the concepts it focuses on in counseling such as meaning, purpose, freedom, responsibility, choice, isolation, death concepts that relate to our mere existing in the world and the larger scheme of life. I tend to shy away from the theories such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, feminist therapy, and gestalt therapy, which are very technique-oriented, exercise-driven, directive in approach, and simply require too much action on the therapist’s behalf. I feel these theories do not allow much of the client’s pursuits and search for meaning in life to come through or at least, it is not the major focus of therapy. I do recognize that for some clients these other therapies may be useful, which is why I do not discredit nor dislike them; I just feel that they do not mesh with who I am personally and are not as inherent to my way of  being as much as the precepts of existentialism are. Personally, I hope to find out my purpose in life and contribute something meaningful to the world. Over the few months of self-reflection, I realize that I simply get great joy through serving others and helping them in any way I can. I am more concerned with creating a meaningful identity and relationships with others as I recognize the limits to my existence. I know that one day, I, as well as everyone else will die, and I therefore have a longing to make the most of my time on earth and the time spent with others filled with less conflict and more harmony and love. To me, love is the ultimate gift in this world, and I think it is one of the most powerful gifts that I possess and would like to share with everyone. I always believe there is something good to love in everyone and don’t believe in categorizing people as good or bad, healthy or unhealthy. I don’t believe that one’s existence is fixed or that people are tied to their  past. I think we are always re-creating ourselves and making sense of each moment of the life we live. Perhaps I relate so well to the concepts of existentialism also because it explores basic dimensions of the human condition, particularly death, which closely ties in with religion. Religion, namely that of the Baptist religion, has played a large role in my life. It has helped me make sense of life and been a moral compass in most regards. The parallel I see drawn between the Baptist religion and existentialism in terms of death occurs when I think about the Lenten season and something the priest says on Ash Wednesday: â€Å"Remember man that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return. † This act reminds me of our mortality, similarly to how the existentialist perspective tries to allow us to grasp the inevitability of death. Death to me is not something I try to avoid thinking about. It is something that I am very aware of and has had a marked impact on my life. I am constantly seeking a life full of zest, meaning, and one that is filled with love and service to others. In this search, I have experienced the existential anxiety that comes from some of the inevitable conditions of simply being alive. That is, loneliness, finiteness and freedom of choice all bring up a certain amount of anxiety in me, yet I use this anxiety as reason to make changes in my life. After I graduated with my degree in psychology in 2003, I worked for a while in a school setting. Working in the school especially caused a lot of  anxiety in me because I constantly felt that I was not living up to my potential. I just felt as though the job I was doing was a means to no end. My view on work is that it should not be just a job, but rather a career, a lifestyle, something that you are proud to call your profession. It has helped me make sense of what I am called to do and given my life a purpose. I am happy with the path I am on right now. As an existentialist, therapy would also be structured around increasing a client’s self-awareness. This is important because we need to be aware of our capacities in order to exercise freedom and live as fully as possible. I would try to especially help clients take responsibility for  their lives instead of passively letting circumstances and external forces direct their future. I would try to point out how it would be an inauthentic way of living if one subsumes the role of a victim instead of exercising the freedom that they possess. I strongly believe that we can create and shape our lives and rise to the challenges that it may present us with. In saying all this, I would not take a directive stance in expressing these opinions, as in doing so, I would be making decisions and choices for the client that they might not choose to accept. I would rather challenge them to explore how they have been living in the past that has prompted them to seek therapy today and help them discover new ways of living that will lead to a change in their situation. A large part of therapy as well would include helping clients trust in themselves to find the answers, rather than look to others to direct them. Ultimately, we are alone. As cynical as it may sound, we did come into the world alone and we will die alone. We of course depend on our  human relationships with others and connecting with others is very important, however, we must be able to function as our own person firstly and form our own identity in order to relate healthily to others. One cannot rely all the time on others for the answers and depend upon them for their happiness. In therapy, when clients try to do the same of me as a therapist, in order to break this pattern, I would explain to them that there is no easy answer and that they alone have the capability to find the right answer. In therapy, I would also try to provide the space for clients to find meaning in their life by asking questions that help them explore whether or not they are content with their current life, and who they are becoming, as well as helping them establish values that they will need to adopt in order to live a life that is meaningful to them. I would also be sure to talk frankly about the reality of death. Ignoring the topic of death makes its presence even stronger than if one were to confront it. In doing this, that is, addressing a fear that seems overwhelming to explore, a client is also opened up to experiencing life in a more authentic way. Along with the goals of exploring anxiety, self-awareness, death, freedom and responsibility, and a meaningful life, the relationship between the client and me is of central prominence. Our therapeutic encounter will be the activator of positive change and it requires honesty and authenticity of me as well, in order to join the client in their subjective experience. I believe as a therapist, it will take a lot of courage, respect and faith in the client’s ability to grow and reach greater heights and it is important that I am fully present to the client in our  encounters. Although right now I am solely focusing on the existential approach to therapy, I believe that later on as I see a variety of clients, I may need to adapt certain interventions or  techniques from other theories that might be suitable for a particular client. However, I believe my main assumptions and goals for clients will remain in line with that of existentialism. The existential theory of counseling appears to be an appropriate theoretical base to use in counseling because it fits my style of counseling. It is supportive of the client finding meaning in life, which resolves the existential anxiety many people are feeling today. In addition the existential philosophy supports clients’ spiritual growth but likewise can be used with a secular approach as well. In the same way I would evaluate a client’s success on the basis of whether they have been able to find a purposeful existence through the discovery of their  strengths, their own freedom of choice etc. , is how I would evaluate myself personally and as a counselor. Can I live authentically? Can I create a life of meaning? Can I sit with ambivalence and anxiety? Can I make my own choices without having to depend on others? Can I face my fears rather than live a restricted existence? I do not have all the answers to these questions thus far, but they are important questions to me that I am always trying to answer. They are questions which I will probably always be asking myself as I re-evaluate and re-discover myself, but one thing I have realized thus far that is true for me, is that love is the highest goal to which I aspire. I wish to serve others and bring about change in others in counseling through this vessel. References Seligman, L. , & Reichenberg, L. W. (2010). Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy: Systems, Strategies, and Skills (3rd ed. ). New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc.

Music Videos

Most songs have a videos produced as a sort of advertisement back up for the song to sell. Videos narrate the song, while actions take place in the background. An example of a video having a narration would be the Oasis song ‘Stand by me'. The movie shows part of what is happening, then repeats the scene, however so you can see what is actually happening in the second clip. The first scene shows a baby getting snatched, a shop being robbed, also a motorist trying to run over a person. This is the gut feeling of what you think is happening. In actual fact what happens is; a motorist loses control of his bike, a man grabs the baby out of the way, the motorist drives past a person, then through a shop window. People help move the objects from the window, helping the injured motorist, where this is thought to be the shop getting robbed. We would expect to find music videos on TV, where certain channels show music videos, being named music channels. An example of a popular music channel being The hits. It is very important for record companies to produce videos for their songs as many people are influenced by songs which have good videos, with decent tunes. Many people mostly watch, or listen to music on their TV's, whether they are getting ready, or just chilling watching the movies. If a record company did not have a video, or their song was not advertised on TV, then you could expect it not to sell well on the net, or by singles in shops. The reason behind this is when songs are advertised on TV, or played on TV; a person would remember it better than a quick listen to it on the radio. I took certain parts of research for designing my music video, one thing surprising me is that not most people like pop music than I thought, tending to have a mixed variety. Depending on the type of genre the song is, would decide which TV channels your music video is to be played or advertised. My planning source for my music turned out to be quite difficult, however I done the difficult parts first, to make it not as sophisticated to do there on. One of the most difficult things was to watch all of Alan Shearers 206 goals, deciding the featured top five, and crediting on another magnificent six. First of all I thought of doing the song Local Hero, produced by Dire Straits. This decision is because I am a Newcastle United fan, knowing it would be good to produce something about the club I support. So the idea developed from there, as Alan Shearer being as what all ‘Toon' fans class as the ‘Local Hero' I thought I could do nothing other. The name of the song is a sort of narration for Alan Shearer's incredible 10 year career at Newcastle. Shearer being the man to demolish Sir Jackie's 200 goal record plus gaining the heart of all the Geordie faithful is a fanatical achievement to establish as a player. I think the planning for my music video was very successful, having completed almost all the work without errors. I think my movie would work as a music video, as it has a purpose, which is to remind Newcastle United fans of the exceptional talent Shearer has. Also the song is a great song, matching a great player. If I had to produce another music video I would produce a video, with a pop genre.

How people change management is related to Business Process Management Assignment

How people change management is related to Business Process Management - Assignment Example This paper explores the relationship that exists between people change management and Business Process Management. Organisational change management or people change management plays a very vital part in ensuring successful business process management. It involves changing the beheviour of people making up the organisation and equipping them with the necessary skills required to take the organisation into the desired direction. People change management helps organisational change managers as well as business process managers to create change awareness, reduce employee resistance, manage change impact and implement desired business process change effectively (Brocke & Rosemann 2010; Jeston & Nelis 2014). Business process management is a field usually focused on bringing efficiency in business process and increase the effectiveness and agility with which the organisation strives towards its set objectives. In many cases, organisations pursue efficiency in order to cut down production costs and contain employee lay-offs through cost control. Effectiveness in every business process is the sure means through which companies can attain their goals such as establishing high customer experience and hence satisfaction through excellent customer service. In the modern market, consumer dynamics are fast changing and organisations have to be in better positions to respond to changes in the markets (Brocke & Rosemann 2010). Agility enables companies to swiftly respond to the changes in the market and turn existing challenges into business opportunities. Change management is basically one of the most daunting tasks for managers. This is because it involves changing people. Organisational change demands the transformation of the culture of the organisation, which stills comes down to changing people within the organization (Brocke & Rosemann 2010). Every change

Professional skill Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Professional skill - Case Study Example In this case, the data was "personal" because the data subjects could be identified from the data. There were no emergencies to process the data, the data was processed for a new application and the data subjects were identifiable from the parameters. Assuming that the company had finished serving the purpose of obtaining the data, it needed further consent from the subjects to reuse it or it should have deleted the data as per law. (2) The Sports Goods Chain did not protect the data from being easily accessed and the company is responsible. The Seventh principle of the Act was breached with the onus of responsibility on the company. Data must be kept private and secure. This means that the data must be protected by sufficient technical and organisational means and restricted to authorised persons by means of passwords or other secure means. The responsibility of the breach lies on the sports goods chain. The breaches can be attributed to the fact that the Sports goods chain did not put sufficient technical and organisational mechanisms in place to ensure that it adequately protected its data. The company's implementation of privacy and published data protection policies were not executed properly. There was an absence of system level authentication and authorization to protect the data and make specific portions available to only those who require it. It was because of this that the contractor was able to gain unauthorised access to the data. The contractor must have been bound rigidly by the terms of the non-disclosure agreement and terms of use, which clearly define his rights, and his curtail the retention of the data for future use by him, even if he was able to access it. (3) There was unauthorized access to information by the contractor facilitated by inadequate protection by the company. The Data Protection Act of 1998, Chapter 9, Part VI section 55, (1) (a), (3) was breached. From the contractor's perspective, he accessed data and obtained data, which he should not have, in spite of the fact he was able to access it. He also retained the data for future reference. This may cause further distress to the data subjects if the data is used for other purposes that it was originally meant to be utilised. (4) There was disclosure of information of personal data for which the contractor was wholly responsible. The Data Protection Act of 1998, Chapter 9, Part VI section 55, (1) (b), (3) was breached. He discussed the wrongly acquired personal data that identified its data subjects, with his pals at the pub and that was absolutely a disclosure of information. Hence, the contractor is liable of an offence. Email Etiquette Following the right email, etiquette will ensure that there is no miscommunication or misunderstanding. It will make the usage of email more efficient, productive and professional. The fundamental rules of email are very basic and simple in personal and official communications. In organisations, the boundaries of usage are generally well documented. 1. E-mails are to be checked regularly and promptly responded. Messages need to be clear, concise, and focused and readable. Clear identity to recipient and a crisp subject line allow a hint of the content. ( http://www.iwillfollow.com/email.htm) 2. Simple fonts, sufficient formatting, adequate

Security Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Security - Assignment Example The solution should prevent IRS from spending a fortune on network infrastructure upgrades. Modernization of the E-File is an important step of IRS re-engineering its efforts to enhance enforcement, improve its services, and modernize work processes and technology (Chamberlain 15). This is achievable through the introduction of the modernized E-file. The modernized E-file should be an internet-based system that should use the standardized Extensible Mark-Up Language (XML) constructs. The main component of the modernized E-file is introduction of transmitters. The transmitters present in the modernized E-file will provide postmarks to all taxpayers for individual returns. The receipt present in the electronic postmark will provide the taxpayers with confidence that they have filed their returns on time. However, the date of the electronic postmark will be considered as the date of filling. This happens when the date of electronic postmark is prior to the endorsed due date and the return is gotten by the IRS after the recommended due date for filling. All the requirements for signing the tax return and completion of a paper of declaration and timely submission of the rejected timely filed tax return has to be followed to for the electronic postmark to be reflected the date of filling (Grayson and Warren 22). The electronic postmarks will be available to the taxpayers through the online filing. Markedly, when the transmitter creates the electronic postmark with the time and date, the information is recorded by the transmitter host computer. With the introduction of the electronic postmark, IRS can ensure that people do fill in their tax returns on time but they can submit them later. If the electronic postmark is before or on the recommended deadline of filing a tax return, but the IRS obtains the tax return after the deadline of submission, the IRs will treat the submission as timely

Management Development Programme Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Management Development Programme - Assignment Example This paper illustrates that high-quality management at the Globalink computer retail stores will thereby mean better performance, and hence the success of the entire company. In businesses and organizations, management refers to the functions that serve to coordinate the efforts by employees in order to accomplish the organizational goals and objectives through effective and efficient utilization of the scarcely available resources. According to Stephen, management can be defined, explored or divided into diverse components depending on its roles. These elements (roles of management) include planning, staffing, organizing, controlling, leading, directing and motivating. In order to become effective and efficient managers, the newly upcoming Globalink retail managers must thereby be equipped with the knowledge and skills in such undertakings for the accomplishment of goals and success of the organization. Since a business is a system within which management endeavors to create the arc hitecture for the production system, the roles of new managers in organizational design will be central and hence they must be able to understand their general responsibilities within the Glabalink organization. This proposal thereby presents a chronological plan on how the management development programme will be piloted in order to best equip the new Globalink store managers with adept knowledge of management. Globalink Organisation is an organization that offers computer accessories but majors in computing solutions and services such as networking of home PCs and corporate networking solutions. For about a decade, the company has been operating majorly as an online organization, offering computer networking solutions and other related services. Nonetheless, for the past few years, the company has been restructuring, opening a number of chains or retail stores within Europe, and is currently spreading its roots into other continents such as America and Asia. Research by the compan y’s customer service department revealed that both home and organizational PC customers demanded some retail and physical interactions with the company’s service providers. This necessitated a physical evidence of the company’s relationship with its customer rather than the on-going online customer assistance.

Management of process & people in engineering industary Essay

Management of process & people in engineering industary - Essay Example Pay system for engineering firms are regulated by industrial agreement. Antoni and Baeten have argued that profit related pay can be a much viable option for engineering industry in comparison to fixed rate payment system. PFP in engineering industry is directed by collective bargaining power of engineers working in particular organization (Antoni and Baeten, 2007, p. 123). Identification of Relevant Pay Systems Performance Related Pay Performance related pay is designed in order to measure performance of individual or group in monetary terms. Organizations using performance related pay believe increased pay can motivate employees to perform well. It is difficult to create a standard notion of performance related pay because definition of performance varies from organization to organization. Common performance related pay can be explained in the following manner. Small engineering firms pay price to employees on the basis of each unit of output. Although it is oldest form of performa nce related pay but very few organizations use this model in practical sense. Companies offer individual performance pay schemes in the form of fixed wage or performance related bonus. Engineer’s performance is measured in terms of his/her capability to produce target quantity of output in given timeframe. Cost to the company for engineers is adjusted in terms of fixed salary and variable pay. Variable pay is allocated to employees in the form incentives in order to motivate them to perform well. Individual measure of employee’s performance is subjective to assessment performed by particular supervised. Merit pay defines to pay hike due to good performance (Bryson et al., 2011). Bonus Scheme Research scholars have described bonus scheme as self financing method which provides reward to employees with an intention to motivate them to perform well. Bonus scheme is not a static reward system because many organizations change measurement norm of bonus scheme in accordance to business requirement. Basically bonuses are additional payment to base salary and important thing to remember is that bonuses are not paid in periodic manner. There are no fixed performance criteria to link performance with bonus scheme. Labour law suggests that bonus scheme must not be gender biased while research scholars have divided bonus scheme into two broad categories. Single Factor Bonus Scheme In single factor bonus scheme employee performance is measured in terms of key organizational objectives such as productivity, profit, quarter wise sales target and other short term targets. Multi Factor Bonus Scheme Multi factor bonus scheme is complemented by long term corporate level business objectives. Bonuses are given to particular individual or department on the basis of their overall performance in a particular financial year (Amicus, 2006). Objective of Bonus Scheme Improving performance of employees in terms of profit, sales or productivity Motivating employees to delive r key objectives of business such as service quality, customer relationship

Factors That Influence and Shape Organizational Behavior Research Proposal

Factors That Influence and Shape Organizational Behavior - Research Proposal Example They include the personality of the founder, the ethics of the organization, employment relationships, organizational structure, and national culture. These are the specific features that describe the culture of an organization. They include their values, vision and philosophy, goals, customer relations, quality of service, and interrelationships amongst the stakeholders. Organizational behavior is basically a culture that characterizes the nature of interaction and operations within and organization. If exploited appropriately, this culture can give the organization a competitive edge. However, it is worth noting that the development of a particular culture is influenced by several factors, which also vary from one organization the next. This book outlines how social systems emanate in organizations and further explain the positive and negative effects of such social systems. The book concludes with reviews on how organizations can successfully employ social systems to employee’s performance. Proper knowledge of an organizational behavior is vital for the process of establishing healthy relationships through aspects such as social objectives and organizational objectives.

Organizational Change Models Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organizational Change Models - Research Paper Example In any of the cases, better management is the key to achieving the desired goal. Organization development aims at increasing the effectiveness and productivity of a business through the employment of different strategies (Nelson, 2011). This will include the different techniques that help workers and the organization as a whole to cope with the changing environment for a better performance of the institution. This will thus enable firms to achieve their goals and meet the laid objectives faster. The importance of transformation in the modern environment practically assures that organizations which do not transform will rapidly becomeâ€Å"corporate dinosaurs†, headed for destruction since they no longer fit the current environment (Kates & Galbraith, 2007). To manage the change, leadership, worker involvement and incentives that aid to overcome resistance to change are the key focus. The concept of organizational change is one of the key elements that determine whether businesses survive and strive well in the market. The world is increasingly changing and this calls for firms to employ measures to easily cope with the changing environment. There are those short term and long term measures that need to be employed for effective change to be witnessed by an organization. It is a three phase model that was invented by Kurt Lewin. The Lewin’s Three-step Change Model functions as a short term strategy to cope with the changing market. It focuses on three major steps: unfreezing- moving and refreezing as shown in the figure below. In this stage, the organization is prepared for change. It involves identifying any resisting forces for the change ready to be implemented. This will be helpful according to the Lewin’s model in identifying mechanisms for change which will strive even with the resistance (Miner, 2011). Unless there is motivation for change in an organization, development would not take its

International financial manager of P&G Essay Example for Free

International financial manager of PG Essay The person responsible for international financial management at Procter and Gamble Company (PG) is Jon R. Moeller, an MBA Master’s degree holder from Cornell University (Bloomberg, 2010). Moeller is currently the chief financial officer of PG since the commencement of the year 2009. His career profile shows various important positions he held before finally becoming the company’s finance manager- which demonstrate his skills and extensive experience. He joined PG in 1988 just after graduating. Whereas there are numerous posts he held in the firm during his long-term stay, it would be important to state some of the pertinent positions to his current obligations in the company. From 2007 to 2008, he served as the company’s treasurer. Since the year 2000, he held various positions in Global beauty and Global health, in PG, including being the vice president, vice president of finance and accounting, and manager of finance. Various approaches have been applied in the management of foreign risks in PG. When Bob MacDonald stood to present the company’s growth profile in February 2010, he clearly pointed out the fact that the main element of such growth is innovation. It is rational to assert the fact that at multinational level, the firm is always exposed to risks such as fluctuating interest rates as well as changes in prices of various commodities and currency exchange rates (PG, 2008). On his part when outlining the company’s growth, Jon Moeller pointed out that their main emphasis was creation of increased value for shareholders mainly at the leadership level (CINCINNATI, 2010). This can only be achieved through making the market value share grow in addition to increasing earnings per capital share. In addition, there is need to generate a very strong cash flow consistently. Moller indicated that to ensure increased earnings per share, they were implementing the shareholder value at leadership level. On the other hand, they would enhance innovation and execution to increase profitability of market shares. Consequently, this would create an appropriate environment for prices of goods and exchange rates in foreign currencies.

A Study On Common Assessment Framework Social Policy Essay

A Study On Common Assessment Framework Social Policy Essay This essay will discuss why Common Assessment Framework was introduced to Childrens Services, what it attempts to achieve and whether or not it has been successful, the concept behind it and briefly, the difficulties in working with other health professionals to get the Common Assessment Framework to do what it was set out to do. The Every Child Matters Green Paper proposed the introduction of a Common Assessment Framework (CAF) as a central element of the strategy for helping children, young people and their families. (DfES 2004) Common Assessment Framework is a standard assessment tool to be used by all professionals working with children for assessments and referral (British Journal of Social Work (2009). The reform agenda in Childrens Service was catalysed by the public inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbià © (Laming 2003), an eight year old West African girl who was abused and murdered in the UK in 2000 as a result of extreme cruelty and neglect by her great-aunt and the her partner, who were her guardians. Background and Why CAF was Introduced An inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbià © (Laming 2003) exposed a failure to put in place the necessary basic procedures to protect her. Factors identified included lack of early intervention, poor co-ordination, failure to share information and the absence of anyone with a strong sense of accountability. As a result, the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) was one of the measures introduced under the changes in child protection policies and the green paper, Every Child Matters (2003) therefore was introduced to set out proposals for major changes in childrens programmes to allow every child, whatever their background or their circumstances, to have the needed support towards the achievement of a better outcome in the following key areas: being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving making a positive contribution and achieving economic well-being (DoH 2003) The design, in conjunction with the lead professional and better information sharing policies and procedures; to change the method by which services are delivered, moving the focus from dealing with the consequence of difficulties in childrens lives, towards a more proactive preventative and precautionary measure. CAF is intended to be used for children who have additional needs which may not be complex or severe enough to require statutory intervention. It is for use in situations where there are concerns with how a child is progressing in any way (raised by the child, a parent or a professional), the childs needs are unclear, the childs needs are broader than a professionals own service can address or where it is thought that CAF would help to identify the childs needs. The draft Common Assessment Framework was developed in late 2004 with its revised version published in 2005. CAF is a new, more standardised approach for assessing the needs of children for service and deciding howthose needs should be addressed and met. It is meant for children with additional needs; that is, children at risk of poor outcomes (DfES, 2005b,p1). CAF is designed to be evidence-based , focusing on needs and strengths, rather than concerns as seen in the British Journal of social work (2009) 39, 1197-1217. The three stated aims of CAF are to support earlier intervention, improve multi-agency working by, for example embedding a common language of assessment; reduce bureaucracy for families (DfES, 2005b, p1.) CAF is not meant to replace many other assessment schedules used in the various agencies, such as the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families documentation, but the government would like the CAF to represent the main assessment tool to support inter-agency referral and multi-agency working (DfES, 2005b, p 2). Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is one of the contributing elements to the following both of which are outlined in the Childrens Act 2004, the delivery of integrated services the support inter-agency co-operation; and the safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. [emailprotected] How are children services organised? What is the key legislation that governs children and childrens services, The aim of Every Child Matters is to have a few agencies working together bearing in mind their professional boundaries to liaise and support children from 0 to 19, using a simple language to meet the needs of these children. It came up with the Integrated Childrens System (ICS), the Contact Point and the Common Assessment Framework (CAF), they all have different systems and style of working but have one common goal which is to improve the well being and to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. When a child is seen as suffered neglect, abuse or has any server difficulty or being looked after under the Childrens Act 1989, their needs are assessed using the Framework for Assessment of Children in Need and their families. The Integrated Child System (ICS) is used at this stage, this is done by putting information together step by step and recording information about both the child and family, where a thorough assessment is required an in depth information is needed at this stage and must be gathered in a way that can set as the basis for decision making and can be used for different purposes. ICS is supported by information technology and its the basis of the electronic social care record for children. The IT system is also known as ISC. Contact Point is a fast method to find out who else is working with a particular service user, making it a lighter way to liaise and support, it is a major tool Every Child Matters uses to deliver a better service to Children and young people, having said that Contact Point only holds a little information about a child, parent, practitioners providing services to the child and carers until their 18th birthday, except for exceptional cases for example children with mental health and sexual health problems where their details are still held under sever security. Common Assessment Framework on the other hand comes in as soon as assessment is needed at the very early stage and deciding what action to take. It gives practitioners the chance to put together and record information about a child or young person with additional needs in an orderly, straight forward and simple. Work start from then and practitioners begin to look out for the needs and what should be done and its dealt with. CAF makes practitioners across all agencies, after the required training to go according to the procedures to achieve a dependable assessment that can be used by everyone dealing with the case. The national IT system to support CAF will be deve loped. (eCAF). This will help authorised practitioners to electronically create, share and store CAF within the agencies. Unlike Contact Point CAF only holds the information about some young people and children, with consent, and for a limited period of time. Both Contact Point and CAF were created to for use within childrens services, their goal is to help children with additional needs get the help and support they need, its a tool to make easy early intervention and help deal with additional needs before they get out of control and become more difficult to resolve. CAF and ICS has a common method to assessment, they both have a common way of collecting data about a child or young person around the domains of developmental needs of a child; parent capacity; and family and environmental factors. CAF and ICS are supported by technology where as Contact Point is a basically technology solution www.evertchildmatters.gov.uk Why was CAF introduced and whats its aim The green paper, Every Child Matters, proposed the introduction of a national Common Assessment Framework (CAF) as an important part of a strategy for helping children and young people to achieve the five priority outcomes of: being healthy: enjoying good physical and mental health and living a healthy lifestyle; staying safe: being protected from harm and neglect; enjoying and achieving : getting the most out of life and developing the skills for adulthood; making a positive contribution: being involved with the community and society and not engaging in anti-social or offending behaviour; economic well-being: not being prevented by economic disadvantage from achieving their full potential in life. The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) was decided upon based on the five basic keys. By the help of a lead professional and better information shearing procedure CAF was designed from the concerns that the existing procedures for identifying and responding to the needs of children who are not achieving the five outcomes identified in Every Child Matters do not work as effectively as they were meant to, to bring a better way of how services could be delivered, due to the fact that services have in the past been delivered based on dealing with the consequences of difficulties in childrens lives to preventing things from taking the wrong route from the start. Its main focus is to attain to the fact that every child gets the five keys. It is also created to help assessing children with additional needs which are not too complex or sever as to demand external intervention such as statutory intervention. CAFs aim is to give a method of assessment to give support to early intervention, to h elp decide what needs to be done at an early stage rather than later, its to provide good and a lot more evidence based referral to targeted and specialist services. CAF is created to enhance on joint working and communication between practitioners in a common language of assessment and views and as to how it could be resolved, it was also designed to improve the coordination and consistency around assessments leading to fewer and shorter specialist assessments. CAF was designed to help to decide whether other specialist assessments are needed and if so provide information to help get it done. It was to give a clear picture of a child or young persons needs to be built up over time and with the right consent shared among professionals. Has CAF achieved its aim?(positives and negatives) Through CAF some practitioner began to accept sheared responsibility for children and young people with additional needs. Apart from having to get parents consent to be part of the assessment procedure some practitioners and managers are in view that in conjunction with other services CAF has a lot more prospects in support to early intervention mostly universal services. Some also had doubt as to whether there was enough funds to meet the problems raised and the requirement of CAF. It is apparent that CAF has had mixed responses. One estimation of path-finding authorities revealed that practitioners and managers believed it has enabled a more rigorous follow-through of service delivery, promotion of better multi-agency working and were optimistic that it would eventually pull down thresholds for service receipt (Brandon et al., 2006). The introduction of CAF like everything has its strengths which in general gives a positive view seen by all, however, others have expressed their concerns about its been too formal to some organizations as descriptive tyranny, restricting the narrative making sense of the situation; the difficulties of various professionals and practitioners with other skills and expectations completing CAF differently or partially in the assessment process (Garrett, 2008; Gilligan and Manby, 2008; White et al, 2008). CAF in the East Riding for example is exclusively aimed as a minimal level involvement which will help use universal services to m anage early problems and deject wrong referrals to Social Care. The major intentional level for engagement agencies with the CAF has broader responsibility than CAF alone, covering all included services provision. The different agencies involved is broad, but some agencies are less active in attending meetings and buy in, in terms of resource input is limited. However, there some problems which lessen the positive involvement, and makes CAF less effective, these include less involvement of some agencies in terms of resources input. Practitioners were of view that CAF was not reducing the need foe reassessment, giving examples of some parents forced to repeat their stories during reassessments, I can understand sometimes practitioners would just want to be sure that things have not changed since the last assessment, but the public is of the view that CAF always has the updated information at any time needed, but for luck of training and human error we find out that CAF still is not d oing what it was set out. As well as distracting story-telling way of writing reports, the CAF writers often found that the boxes did not help them adequately to characterize the child and parents. The format of the CAF was opposed by some professionals and practitioners working with it.. Only some professionals used the language of need, whereas over 80 per cent talked about challenges. In addition to the descriptive demands, CAF forms also make CAF doesnt tell a story it feels like school exams, multiple choice, you can tick the boxes with the right answer, but it really doesnt give you er the er .The story. It is about narrative isnt it. Its about peoples lives. It isnt about um dividing a life up into a lot of small boxes. And when you put all those boxes together it will be EQUAL to the narrative As seen in (BJofSW 2009 39, 1197-1217) Sure start worker said I prefer a blank sheet of paper to express by thoughts ibid.. Upon a period of over a decades work in human services organizations, Gubrium et al describe what they call the descriptive tyrannies of people forms, forms used in one way or the other to describe and categorize people coming to the attention of human service professionals, hence, for Gubrium et al, the relations of form completion to human activity is two-fold. They are concerned with what sorts of descriptions the forms invite or the reportorial expectations assumed to underlie acceptance organizational description (Gubirum et al, 1989, p 197). What may be the rational, moral and artful capacities of form-completers? That is, what wiggle room (Erickson, 2004, p, 20) do they have with these descriptive demands? (Oxford University press 2008). Gubrium et al argue that, completed forms like any mode of description, have transformative effects. They do not simply describe events as they occurred in real time. For example they may contain mutually exclusive categorizations, which deman ds that the form-computer suspend disbelief that only one category can apply at any one time, bearing in mind that CAF is designed to have evidence-based , focused on needs and strengths, rather than concerns. Professionals are encouraged to evaluate strengths, needs, actions and solutions for children across three domains derived from the framework for Assessment of Children in Need and their Families (DoH 2000). Please ignore the recommendation below still have that to do I have it written down will type it out tomorrow, Im working in the dark because my landlady forgot to get some electricity and my eyes are hurting now. My lecture ends at 11 so will finish it all with the Ref.. Recommendation and conclusion It is clear to me that the purpose of the CAF and its work load is to ensure that professionals attend to, and record information deemed most relevant to their primary activities as distinct at this historical moment. The CAF is also an over view presented as a complete professional judgement. However, I have shown above that the demands of the form cause information to be ordered in preferred ways, which can be unintelligible. I have talked about the fact that CAF constrains professional practice in particular ways, it is indeed designed to exert its own rigid demands, which can feel harsh to the one person completing the form. CAF in particular relies on the assumption that it can foster uniform professional application and an ordinary (White, Hall and Peckover, 2009). Laming (2009) still recommended that we need to involve more agencies to make the workload easier and effective and said the use of Common Assessment Framework CAF needs to be further promoted with Agencies. To achieve the reason it was introduced practitioners and everyone involved in using CAF must be fully aware of what its all about and must be fully trained to know the pros and cons of what CAF wants to achieve, other Agencies working in line with CAF must also keep their systems and information updated to suit the needs of the children and young people who might need this service to also live the lives they deserve. Parents and the general public must be fully aware of what CAF is hoping to achieve in that way they dont feel pressured if they are called upon to give their approval before an assessment is carried out for their children. Bibliography www.everychildmatters.gov.uk (assessed 13/01/2010) www.ecm.gov.uk/contactpoint. (assessed 12/02/2010) www.ecm.gov.uk/caf (assessed 12/01/201) www.ecm.gov.uk/ics (assessed 12/01/2010) Brandon, M., Howe, A., Daglry, V., Salter, C., Warren, C. and Black, J. (2006) Evaluating the Common Assessment Framework and Lead Professional Guidance and Implementation, Research Report No 740, Nottingham: DfES Department for education opportunity, releasing potential, achieving excellence(Ref DfES 2004) The political Quarterly Publishing Co, Ltd. 2005

Personal Writing: My New Life In India :: essays research papers

Personal Writing: My New Life in India Tap ... tap ... tap ... I looked up to see a blurry figure of my mother tapping a few fingers on my shoulder. "Sorry to wake you up, Rishi, but me and Daddy have something important to tell you." She was not smiling. I got up, now fully awake, wondering what was going on. With my father standing next to her, my mother crossed her arms and, in a tone that I knew could not be argued with, stated, "We have decided to move to India permanently." I was awestruck. My family is Indian, but I had never so much as considered living anywhere but Peach Tree Court, a street that had the brightest green maple trees and fields of radiant yellow and orange marigolds. India was nothing more than an old family story to me, not a place to live. Over the next couple of weeks, I ruminated on what life would be like in India. My brother, who already attended an Indian boarding school, told me in scratchy long-distance telephone conversations how great life was in India at his boarding school. "We have the best futbol (soccer) field in all of India," he said. "It has an electronic scoring board, and the surface is fluorescent blue astroturf." This was an enormous motivation factor, due to the fact that soccer is my favorite sport. "And the food is delectable," he went on, "They serve chicken curry with juicy vegetables four out of the seven days of the week." I ate chicken curry every chance I got, so this, added to the soccer field, made the school sound fantastic. "The weather is remarkable. The temperature year-round is seventy-five to eighty degrees," he continued with emphasis, "just like California, Rishi." My brother knew that I loved California. He also told me that I would get to visit our parents two times a week, which is very generous compared to other Indian boarding schools. My brother's long-distance stories convinced me. From what I had heard, India sounded like utopia. Six weeks after my mother woke me with the big "news," my father, mother and I arrived in India. We left Peach Tree Court, with all its beautiful maple trees, and flew to India. I stepped off the airplane into the dirtiest, oldest airport I had ever seen. A film of dirt covered everything in the airport; the windows, the walls, even the floor. And the people working there seemed more likely to shrug their shoulders and ignore the passengers than care at all if anything worked right.

Folklore, Womens Issues, and Morals in Toni Morrisons Sula Essay

The Themes of Folklore, Women's Issues, and Morals in Sula    Toni Morrison has asserted that she likes to write the kind of books that she would like to read (Harris 52). By this we can assume she favors black folklore, women's issues, and discussions of accepted moral standards. These are some major themes in Sula. Folktales are a type of oral prose that is passed from one person to another. Listeners may chose to add or subtract from the main story lines, embellishing with experiences and wisdom from their own lives. It then takes on the collective morals, or conscienceness, of that culture. From those individuals who we normally would not consider cultured, great gems of knowledge and wisdom are passed down through folktales. This is done without the traditional use of written language or use of proper organizational style. Yet these oral traditions are not without power; they reach into the very heart of what it is to be human. Typically, folktales are set in believable surroundings with extraordinary people. We see the same in Sula. The setting is in a common Negro village called the "Bottom" where it is said that it is "the bottom of heaven" (Morrison 6). The wider historical settings are kept intact in the novel as the events of World War I swirl around and capture some of the residents of Bottom. It is people, however, that makes up the surreal in Sula. Eva is a tireless grandmother who controls her domain of a large boarding house; Shadrach is a war-shocked veteran who invents an amnesty day for people to kill each other; Hanna and her daughter Sula are shameless adulteresses. In this tale, Toni Morrison takes liberty to change the style of folklore (Harris 53). Instead of happy endings, violent ... ...net.10 September 2001. <<http://www.viconet.com/~ejb/bio.htm>> Harris, Trudier Fiction and Folklore: The Novels of Toni Morrison. Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press, 1991. Hedge, Holly.   "Toni Morrison."   Empire Zine <http://www.empirezine.com/spotlight/toni-morrison/toni-morrison.htm>   (accessed on September 6, 2001) Morrison, Toni Sula. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 1973. "Morrison, Toni." Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2000.   <http://encarta.msn.com> 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. (accessed on September 26, 2001) O'Neill, Cynthia.   Goddesses, Heroes and Shamans.   New York: Larousse Kingfisher Chambers Inc., 1994. "Toni Morrison."   Contemporary Authors, Gale Research, 1993; abstracted at <http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~mmaynard/morrison/biograph.htm>   (accessed on September 26, 2001)   

Correctional Design Essay -- Research Desing

This paper will exam aspects of correlational design. According to Fabiano-Smith (2011), correlational designs are non-experimental research designs that focus on observing variables as they naturally exist. Since this design type is non-experimental, one of its major disadvantages is the focus on the relationship of the variables and not is cause and effect between the variables. Despite this weakness, correlational design does have several strengths. It observes the variables as they occur in a natural setting without manipulation. Researchers often use the initial establishment of correlational relationships between variables to identify what variables should be further studied for cause and effect utilizing experimental designs. Why was correlational design chosen? Two of the three studies chosen indicated that there was very little empirical data available for their specific area of study. Establishing correlational relationships is a logical way to identify independent variables for experimental cause and effect research. McDuffie, Yoder, and Stone (2005) indicated that there was no empirical data available on their study of autism and pre-linguistic predictors of vocabulary. Researchers on the effectiveness of patient communications and interactions reported that previous studies did not specifically ask patients how they felt about their care (Shelton & Shryock 2007). Both of these statements make the choice of a correlational study the obvious jumping off point for research. The third study identified a need to clarify symbolic play as a possible independent variable since past studies had lumped symbolic and functional play into a category together (O’Toole & Chiat, 2006). Was it possible to use a... ...sly used APA, and the educational year first exposed to APA. The dependant variable would be the APA portion of the grade on papers. If a correlation is shown between low comfort level or exposure and low grades it might be possible to have the students pre-identified via a survey for either self enrollment in APA style tutorial classes or self study on the APA citation method. A correlational between year of first exposure and low grades might indicate that APA needs to be stressed more in earlier writing classes. If no correlation is found, students who self identify as not very familiar with or comfortable with this writing style could then be pointed towards APA study resources earlier in the semester to catch up. This study could help students get ahead with their knowledge base so they are not learning and correcting while writing actual graded papers.

Ethical considerations Essay

Deception; the participants were not aware that they were taking part in a psychological study about memory until after the study had taken place in order to reduce the risk of bias in the experiment. Afterwards they were informed and were given the opportunity to withdraw their responses without prejudice. They were told that no names would be recorded and that confidentiality was assured of their result. Another risk would be if people then realised the experiment tested memory they could think it was to do with intelligence and worry that they would be judged as stupid’ if they did not remember many words. This could cause psychological distress to that person and might confirm personal fears of insecurity causing further damage. This could be controlled by warning the participant what the study was going to be about before they did it so if they felt embarrassed or worried about their result they could make a more informed decision not to take part. Results This table shows how many words were recalled by each participant. It shows that the mean average number of words recalled in Condition A was 15.08; 1.59 less than condition B at 16.67. It also allows us to see that 2/3 of the participants recalled more words with classical music playing than they did in silence.  Summary table to show the number of words recalled by each participant in condition A and. Condition B This bar chart shows condition A results in red and condition B in green. From this we can see that both the highest and lowest numbers of words recalled were in condition B. This bar chart clearly demonstrates the difference between condition A and B to vary greatly throughout the experiment.  This pie chart shows the difference between the average scores to be quite insignificant as there is only a 5 % difference which means that although most of the numbers of words recalled did increase from condition a to condition b there was not a big difference when taking into account what their scores actually were and working out the average. I also deduced the range to be 12 for condition A, the lowest/ highest values being 8 and 20, and 17 for condition B, the lowest/ highest values being 7 and 24. The median, however, for both was the same at 16.5. This means there was a wider spread list of values for condition B therefore more variation in how many words people remembered than in condition A.  However the descriptive statistics used above only describe what has been found. In order to suggest the probability of achieving the scores that we did, an inferential sign test was used. A sign test was used as the experimental design was a repeated measures design and the data collected was nominal. When we applied our raw data to the sign test analysis a sign value of 4 was achieved. As this exceeds the critical value of 2, for 12 participants, we can suggest that the raw data achieved is more than 5% due to chance factors and less than 95% due to the manipulation of the independent variable which means our original hypothesis is only partially supported. Discussion From the results obtained in this experiment, we can suggest that our one tailed experimental hypothesis of ‘playing classical music during a memory test will increase the number of words remembered’, is only partially supported, in that only 2/3 (66.67%) of participants recall improved when tested with classical music. This was not found to achieve a significant level of probability < 0.05, which means that recall was not 95% or more due to the manipulation of the independent variable i.e. whether or not classical music was playing in the background. Therefore on this occasion we must accept our null hypothesis of ‘there will be no significant relationship between whether or not music is played in the background and how many words the participants remember’ as there was not a high enough probability to suggest that the variation in number of words recalled was a direct effect of the manipulation of the independent variable. In our experiment we found that classical music did improve performance of memory as 2/3 of the participants recall improved. This disagrees with the findings of Cohen whose study suggested that participants who were exposed to background noise were cognitively impaired. Our experiment was similar to Cohen’s in that it tested the effect of environmental stimulants on recall ability. Cohen, however, tested the participants under exposure to aircraft noise which is much louder and more distracting than a relaxing piece of music such as Mozart. Our findings, therefore, may be more appropriately compared to the findings of Dr. George Lozanov. Lozanov designed a way to teach foreign languages to children in a fraction of the learning time. He did this by teaching whilst using certain 60 beats per minute Baroque music and found that his students had a retention rate of 92% and an accuracy of 85- 100% after only thirty days. The findings of which reflect our own in that he used classical music, with the typical 60 beat per minute pattern, to improve performance of memory in the recollection of vocabulary in foreign languages. However, the percentage of improvement in his experiment was 92%, whereas ours was only 66.67% and therefore shows that his experiment was more accurate than our own However, as our participants were young adults and not children, as in the above, direct and reliable comparisons may not be fully appropriate. This could be due to wider social influences upon adults in relation to children for example a young adult would understand the instructions better and therefore might feel under more pressure to perform than a child. This could have adverse effects and make their performance worse or make them try harder than a child would. Due to this ignorance on the child’s behalf, an experiment involving children is often more natural. Also, differences in procedure and experimental design may have led to the difference in findings. For example Lozanov choose to teach foreign languages to children and it has been proven that children have a higher capacity than adults for learning language, as they are not as set in speaking their own language as an adult is. The differences found may have related to this factor and so had an effect upon the data that we achieved. If my experiment had been carried out on children instead I think I would have gotten more positive results due to the above reasons. Other limitations include our choice of method; an experiment is not a natural setting as participants would feel pressurised by the fact that their results were being analysed and might have not been able to concentrate on recalling the words. An improvement could have been a test administered by a normal teacher in a classroom environment, where students would be more used to getting a test and might be more relaxed. This would be unethical, however as it is deceptive. The repeated measures design used meant that the list of words in the second experiment had to be changed because the same participants had seen it in the first experiment and therefore might recall more words after looking at it for a second time. This would have meant the results were inaccurate therefore another list of words was devised. This could however have caused even more problems because, although care was taken not to use more confusing or longer words from one list to another, the experiment was not standardised and therefore direct comparisons could not be made. A matched pairs design would have allowed comparisons to be made between the lists, but not as accurately between the participants, as every participant will be different. The opportunity based sample that I used meant that there weren’t an equal number of males and females, therefore it wasn’t representative. A better sampling technique would be to use stratified sampling, in which equal numbers of the same sex can be selected. If the target population was larger, the sample would have been more representative but we needed to use similarly aged participants, as there would have been difference in recall ability between, for example, a four and an eighteen year old. Using people from our own class could have interfered with the result because the participants knew who they were doing the experiment for and could be biased to the experimenter. Also, I think that using younger participants would have given a more natural element to the experiment, as they would not ask too many questions, worry about the results or interfere as much with the experiment by not trying their best. The participants did not seem to be confused by the standardised instructions but they might not have been clear on why they were doing the experiment, which could have had an effect on their performance. The participants were also talked through the experiment as we carried it out and everything was plainly stated to them. A better way of presentation of the words however, might have been to present them on an over head projector, so that timing could be controlled better; in our experiment, participants were in control of turning over the sheet of paper with the list on and therefore could have turned it over before the test started. The paper was only one sheet thick as well so participants might have been able to see the words even when the sheet was face down. To expand the experiment further, there are many different variables and different aspects of memory which I could test. The serial position effect, mentioned in my introduction, would be an interesting aspect of memory to test as I noticed in the lists of words there were a significant number of words from the start and the end of the actual list, included in the words the participants remembered. We could test this by setting a quota at, say, the first five and last five words and seeing what percentage of the recalled words were within one of these quotas. We could have used a recording of background noise to repeat Cohen’s experiment or used music with words to test the participants. A really interesting experiment would be to use children against adults in a memory test with the classical music, as I believe children would give a more positive result in relation to my hypothesis. I don’t believe that there would be a significant difference between males and females, if any, but it would be worth considering. We could have tested different amounts of words see if there is a difference in capacity of recall between a list of one hundred words and thirty words; would the participants be put off by the amount of words and not remember as many for the long list as the short? There are clearly many different experiments relating to memory that could be tested.

Meeting the patient’s spiritual needs

Rebecca Brown is a 35 year old mother with a gynecological cancer and currently undergoing treatment for a year now. However, her medical condition is not improving and causing alarm to her physicians and family. She is now at the end-of-life care by nurses and doctors in a hospital. In addressing her special needs, the hospital placed Rebecca under Hospice Care. Hospice care treats the person rather than the disease; it highlights quality rather than length of life. It provides family-centered care involving the patient and family in making decisions. (ACS, 2007,  ¶2). It is a philosophy that enables patients to spend their remaining days with dignity surrounded by their loved ones. Hospice treatment creates an environment where the patient is listened to and that the people around him are ready to share his concerns. One of the elements of this innovative medication is spiritual care. Evidence shows that patient facing serious illness would shift attention from biomedical to spiritual sources for answer and comfort. At this stage, they would ask spiritual questions and reflect the meaning of life. Dying patients generally voiced out their fear of uncontrolled pain, concern of being a financial burden to the family, anxiety of what happens after death, and worry of not being able to fix some unfinished business. Realizing all these necessities, hospitals are now integrating spiritual care services for early intervention. Spiritual Care Spiritual Care tries to answer a patient’s quest for the meaning and purpose of life, his feelings of isolation, and his interconnectedness with himself, to others and to God. It fulfills specific needs of the patient to give him strength when facing death and uncertainties. In meeting the spiritual needs of Mrs. Brown, we have shown her compassion by being attentive to her fears, hopes, pain, and dreams. We treated her as a whole person including her physical, emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions. Providing spiritual care can help Mrs. Brown cope up with her inabilities and feel close to God giving her optimism. With this support, Mrs. Brown can make sense out of her illness, acknowledge that death is near, and maintain a positive outlook. More often we grant her wish for a priest who is readily available to help in counseling and answering spiritual questions. We maintain our trustworthiness and kindness with Mrs. Brown at the same time give her inspirations by helping her understand what it means to live. We have enriched our knowledge with the Catholic faith to comprehend her spiritual needs. As a result, we have permitted Mrs. Brown to visit the chapel inside the hospital whenever she wants to, let her friends and loved ones pray with her inside her room, and attend Sunday masses where she can receive communion. In addition, she reads the Bible before sleeping at night; write her spiritual journal, and at times request for religious movies. We continue to care for her even though there is no more curative therapy available. Spiritual Assessment Spiritual assessment is essential so that medical staff may understand the religious practices of patients and be able to respect their beliefs and not impose their own religion. In this way, physicians can formulate proper strategies to enhance positive response from the patients during diagnosis and treatment. In assessing Mrs. Brown, we simply asked her a series of open-ended questions relating to her Catholic faith and the practices or rituals that are important to her. Our informal interview would revolve around the topics like death and the afterlife, her prayer life (what does she pray for), does her faith give her hope, does she feel abandoned by God, does she find comfort in her belief amidst her illness, the need to be forgiven, was she a member of religious organization within the community, what gives meaning and purpose to her life, and her personal beliefs. The information we gathered helped us determine the kind of spiritual care service we would give her. Results and Benefits. In its 1996 meeting, 90% of the American Academy of Family Physicians declared that the spiritual beliefs of patients are helpful in their medical treatment. Several studies and surveys have already shown the many benefits of spirituality in healing. The National Institute for Healthcare Research reported that those who regularly attend religious activities live longer. According to the 1998 Research in Spirituality and Health Coping, prayer is the number one non-drug method in managing pain. These findings can now be seen in Mrs. Brown’s case. After giving her spiritual care, Mrs. Brown showed signs of reduced anxiety, depression, and distress. She does not feel lonely anymore as she is constantly surrounded by her family and caring nurses. She adjusted well to follow-up treatment of her cancer and has now the confidence of enjoying life. In addition, she somehow improved her physical condition exhibiting high levels of self-respect and less worries about her health. She also demonstrated stronger coping mechanisms and personal values giving her quality of life that she now enjoys. After going through all sorts of counseling, Mrs. Brown is now capable of forgiving and be forgiven. This feeling, she said, resolved all her guilt and restored her good relationships with those she had disagreements in the past. Because of her faith, Mrs. Brown is now ready to face her final day and is very much prepared to the uncertainties she may encounter. She has already accepted her fate wherever it may lead her to. Her seven children and loving husband are likewise prepared for the event that they may not see her again. Her love grew stronger each passing day and felt the presence of God in her bedside. Despite in the worst situation, she feels good about herself. Reference (ACS) American Cancer Society, Inc. (2007). What Is Hospice Care? Making Treatment Decisions. Retrieved January 28, 2007, from http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_2_5X_What_Is_Hospice_Care.asp?sitearea=ETO Gilbert, R. B. (2001). Health Care & Spirituality: Listening, Assessing, Caring (Death, Value and Meaning). Baywood Publishing Company, New York. ISBN-10: 0895032503 University of Virginia. (2006). The Benefits of Spiritual Care Provided by Professional Chaplains. Health System. Chaplaincy Services and Pastoral Education. Retrieved January 28, 2007, from http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/chaplaincy/whitepapersection4.pdf            

Helping The Homeless Essay

Do you know how many people there are in the world with no home or money? There are millions and millions of homeless people in the world, and I want to help put a stop to it. I feel strongly about this because i grew up in Thailand when i was younger and seeing all these homeless people really impacted my life and how i thought about people. The three best ways that people can help the homeless are to help build shelters so that they are safe at night, to donate food so they don’t go hungry and die, and to donate money so that they can afford food and clothes. There are several ways to help the homeless, one is to help the organizations, that help to homeless, is to donate money to them so they can keep helping the homeless. Or actually go with the organization and build the shelter with them. Maybe, in your opinion, this isn’t the best way to help. But I think donating food for the homeless is the most important thing you can do. Donating food to the homeless is impor tant because it makes so that they don’t go hungry and die. It is one of the most important things you can do, because without food they don’t get nutrition and won’t be able to grow, mentally or physically. And if people don’t have enough food, the will starve, and eventually die. When i lived in Thailand, every time my family and I went to McDonalds, Burger King, or any other fast food restaurant we would buy an extra meal for a 12 year old kid that sat at the same light post every day for 2 years. And every time we gave him food, he would be so happy. It just made me feel amazing being able to make someone, living the life that they did, feel so happy. And i know my parents and siblings felt the same way. And i know that anyone else who helps the homeless will also get the same feeling. But you don’t have to only donate in person, there are hundreds of organizations who help the homeless, poor, neglected members of our society. And in my opinion every one has to do what they can to help. Something that Kyle Tyrrel said â€Å"Seeing a homeless person begging out in the cold, steam escaping their mouths as they ask for money, touches something primal within me. They are alive in the same way I am.† What he is saying in thais is that they breath, just like you breath. They need to eat, just like you need to eat. And they are people, just like you. Donating money to homeless people is important because it makes so that they can afford food and cloths. This is important  because some people wear the same cloths and never have money for new ones. When i was younger and I lived in Thailand I put money in donation boxes or gave to homeless people themselves whenever my family and I went to the Mall or to get dinner. I would do this all the time because i felt bad for people, especially children, who did not have the privileges that i had growing up. And i felt bad for people who were born into that life. Yes some of the homeless have to give all their earnings to someone who has pretty much ‘enslaved’ them, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help in other ways. When i did this i learned how good it felt to help people survive. Because even at a young age i learned that every dollar helps. And this is a really important lesson for our generation, some people just don’t understand what it’s like to be â€Å"The other half† of the world. Donating money is not only good for the people you are donating it to, but it helps you become a better person, and teaches you kindness, and makes other respect your more as an individual. Building homes and/or shelters for homeless people is important because it helps to increase their safety. This is really important, not many people realize that over a billion people have no real home at night. One way that i helped increase the safety of a homeless family was When I was 8 years old in Sweden and my momâ €™s friend in Thailand was helping out this family whose dad had run away when their daughter was born with a sickness and we flew over to help that family and build a house for them. It increased their safety and the mother could leave her 14 year old daughter, who couldn’t walk, at home alone while she got medicine and food. Even though there might be other ways to help homeless people survive and be happy, I think that this is one of the best. And while helping the family and building their new home i learned how good it felt to help others and i learned how â€Å"The other half lived† at a young age which influenced how i think today. This is important for people to learn at a young age because it teaches them not to be greedy and to be happy for what they have. There are lots of different ways to help the homeless, here is another way to help with the building of shelters. Join one of the many, many organizations that build homes for the homeless. Habitat for humanity for example. At my school there is a ‘Habitat for Humanity’ Club. Everyone in it is doing their part, Other people should do their part too. There are millions and millions of less privileged people out there with no food, money or home. And the three  best ways to help them are to donate food, Give the money, And to build them shelters. Homelessness is a huge problem in the world. And i think everyone should do their part and help decrease homelessness. You can donate a few dollars, or build your own homeless shelter, anything and everything helps.

Dear Doug 1

Dear Doug I am glad to hear that you are settled in and that everything is well. It is also a relief to hear that you and your roommate seem to be getting along and I hope that your friendship with Nathan will grow. I have thought about your questions and decided on some ways to help you explain, and help Nathan interpret and understand Christianity. In my life I have experienced the same situation you mentioned about Christian terminology and what it means to be a Christian.I grew up in a Christian home under Christian principles and it had not occurred to me â€Å"why do I believe in Christianity†? Of course this did not occur to me until I was older and had thought about it for some time. I thought about this world and how it could have been created not by mere chance but by something or someone far more intelligent than mere humans, not by chance. This universe and everything in it was created with superior intelligence and for a purpose.I looked into Christianity and saw how God created the earth; a being far above humans because we were made by him; a perfect powerful all knowing being who created us in his likeness to serve a distinct purpose in this world, rather than leaving it up to mere chance. I knew there had to be a reason for this world and a good one! I looked farther into Christianity and the story of how God created the earth called the Gospel. I am sure you have heard of the Gospel and read the story, but you must take into account many things before you explain it to a non-Christian.Many non-Christians are not familiar with Christian terminology because they have not looked into Christianity and read the Bible to understand our belief, and we as Christ’s followers must explain the Gospel in a simplified way for people who are not familiar with certain Christian terminology so they can understand the concept and become more familiar with the terminology. One way you can simplify the meaning of these words is to define them and s implify them in a way that you clearly present the meaning of that word.An example would be instead of saying we are sinful people, you could say we are disobedient or you could define sin as bad behavior or actions that you commit. Use words that people use on regular bases to define a certain word, which will give them a better understanding since they already understand the correct meaning of that word to better understand any Christian terminology. You may not have known, but you have already or at least started to formulate and create your own worldview. A worldview is exactly what it sounds like, it’s the way we interpret, understand, and our opinion about the world and how we view it.A worldview is how you see the world and your opinion or idea of reality. Norman Geisler and William Watkins give a very well thought out worldview explanation and an example that may help you understand, â€Å"It is an interpretive framework through which or by which one makes sense of t he data of life and the world. † A worldview is like a pair of glasses and the only way to view the world and everything in it, is through the pair of glasses, and like the prescription of glasses, everyone’s worldview is different. Now that I have given you an understanding of a worldview I will do my best to explain to you what a Christian worldview is.A Christian worldview would basically be a Christian influence on how you shape your worldview. A Christian worldview would be based on Christian principles that you’ve read and learned about in your life. How you view the world and reality would be based on Christian morals and ethics rather than a different world view based on society’s standards. A Christian worldview is typically a brighter more positive outlook on life rather than a worldview not based on Christianity; it gives you more of a purpose and reason for the questions what? , why? , and how? Your last question I also struggled with and still do from time to time.We all know that we have accepted Christ into our hearts but the greater reason is why. I have asked this question to myself many times and sometimes feel over whelmed, but there is a reason. Take a look around this world; it is full of proof and purpose. The intelligence that was required to form this world was more than mere chance but above normal human intelligence. God a supernatural being who is perfect created this earth for a purpose and with intelligent design. You yourself were made for a purpose and you yourself are far more complex to be created out of mere chance.Also the sacrifice that God made for us to have another chance even though we wronged him, beyond human means of forgiveness, it amazes me how someone could love us so much; still wanting to obtain a relationship with us. Even when we show disobedience and repetitively wrong God he will still forgive us if we truly and honestly ask for forgiveness from him. He gave us free will to make our own decisions to disobey him or to love him. I hope that this letter has assisted you in understanding your questions and I would be glad to attempt and answer more, so keep thinking and writing! I hope everything with your roommate goes well, Daniel

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