Counseling Couples And Families Psychology Essay

Counseling Couples And Families Psychology Essay This paper examines the approach towards the counselling of families and the technique behind cognitive behavioural therapy, within the context of psychology. The paper provides a brief introduction to family counselling methods and approaches and particular focus on cognitive behavioural therapy. The paper is structured into two main parts: Part 1 deals with the method, technique and application of cognitive behavioural therapy whereas Part 2 deals with the more holistic approach of integrating this with personal belief and family values. The conclusion provides a summary of the key points. INTRODUCTION There are varied approaches to Family Counselling and these include such items as structural, psychoanalytic, bowenian, experiential etc. This paper focuses upon the aspect of cognitive behavioural family therapy. Early in the family therapy movement, this approach was treated with a degree of scepticism by the more traditionalist family counsellors. They saw the technique as having insufficient depth to deal with the complexities and dynamics of family dysfunction. In the early days, this approach was only considered useful in the counselling of children with family disorders but it has since evolved into much wider applications. It is only in the last 10 years that Cognitive Behavioural therapy as emerged in its own right as a major approach to family counselling. (Leahy, R. 2004) The different approaches to family counselling are extensively discussed in the work of Goldenberg. (Goldenberg, H, 2008). Cognitive behavioural approaches have been particularly successful in treating adolescents and youths with behavioural problems. The theoretical approach has the capability of adapting to different behavioural circumstances and environments. It deals with both emotional and social domains and as such is extremely persuasive in its applied application. The theory deals directly with those cognitive forces that stimulate emotional reactions and behavioural responses. As such it provides a problem solving orientation in order to determine the best or most suitable forms of psychological treatment. In order to deal successfully with cognitive problems it is important to gain a precise understanding of the emotions being displayed and understand the causation factors behind these. Mental health professionals have outlined the importance of family and social relationsh ips as an important contributory part of the therapeutic process in treating problems. As such favourable outcomes in treatment are highly influenced by a positive approach and supportive stance being adopted from the parents. (Kendall, P.C. 2006) COGNITIVE BEHAVIOURAL FAMILY THERAPY In the early days, the behavioural therapist saw only those individuals who were involved in problematic marriages. The others are children within problem families. The concept of strategic behavioural therapy developed the need to build on individual cognitive frameworks. Two of the major contributors were Aaron Beck and Albert Ellis. Both of these were influenced by Freud (instinct), Jung (mysticism) and Adler (common sense). Hence, from the perspective of the behavioural counsellor thoughts resulted in feelings and these in turn led to behavioural responses. (Friedberg, R.D. 2010) The problem areas that most readily identified with cognitive behavioural approach were that of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Anxiety, mood disorder, marriage and family therapy and eating disorders. The goal of CBT is considered threefold: (i) To enable the patient to become more aware that help is available and remedial action can be applied (ii) To assist the client in greater awareness of the problem and thereby invoke both confidence and belief (iii) to inspire the counsellor towards a more positive therapeutic approach. It is important that the counsellor develops a rapport with the patient and helps in the development of new cognition. The important aspect of CBT is that it is a relative short form of treatment and only requires about 4-7 months of therapy in order to treat most form of problems. It is essentially a combination of psychotherapy and behavioural therapy and combines a joint approach between patient and counsellor in order to determine a set of principles that can be applied to their daily lives. CBT uses the assumption that it is not the events that disturb us but the interpretation and meaning we give them. Hence if we provide too much of a negative emphasis we are blocked from doing action that we do not believe in. In this concept we only hang on to old thoughts and are prevented from learning new things. (Martin, B. 2012) Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) may be described a treatment modality that combines a number of techniques i.e. relaxation and soothing skills, cognitive behavioural techniques and improvement of self-awareness skills. In this context, modality may be defined as an application approach using a therapeutic agent. The approach to treatment is by that of problem solving, cognitive modification, exposure skills and contingency management. Patients with borderline personality disorders or those showing suicidal tendencies are difficult to treat. DBT is an innovative therapeutic approach aimed at addressing these needs. (Swales, B.K. 2011) The main aspect of DBT is that of accepting the condition of the patient whilst trying to teach them to change. This is achieved by building and maintaining a positive relationship with the client. The therapy looks towards getting the client to understand the reasons for the suicidal or dysfunctional behaviour. There are essentially four modes of treatment: (i) Individual Therapy the main body of work (ii) Group Skills teaching a number of techniques that include emotion moderation skills, inter-personal effectiveness, distress, tolerance etc. (iii) Telephone contact provision of help line sessions by telephone, outside of the main therapy sessions (iv) Therapist consultation group sessions in the DBT mode; the therapists work collectively to remain dialectical in the interaction with one another. (Capuzzi, D. 2008) There is a large literature base covering this area. Much of the work on dialectical behavioural therapy comes from Marsha Lineham who is a clinical psychologist based in Seattle. (Palmer, 2002). The concept of dialectical thinking has been defined as the manner in which the broader thought concept expresses the considered limitations of linear ideas on causation. (Palmer, R.L. 2002). Counselling and Marriage Problems Modern society poses numerous challenges upon a successful marriage. One of the most demanding is that of financial hardship. That might be brought on by a job loss or physical illness, leaving ones spouse to cope with the problem. This is often the situation where marital communications breakdown, when in fact it is the most important time for working as a team and communicating with one another. Another important issue is the loss of self-image, where either weight gain or loss occurs. [The concept of obesity or anorexic] this can lead to bouts of depression and subsequent illness. Another factor is dealing with family relationships, and this is particularly trying in new marriages. The concept of dealing with intervention and demands by in-laws, and having to deal with expectations that posed a strain on the marriage. The concept of long-term illness, disability or major illness can impose a tremendous strain on the spouse who is working and equally having to look after their part ner. (Long, H. 2010) In the last 20 years we have seen a dramatic rise in divorce rates, particularly in the US and Western Europe. Studies have indicated that this decline in marriage is largely due to the general breakdown and weakening of the traditional family structure. It is the maintenance of the family structure that really necessitates the importance of marriage. The children produced from the marriage are the future in terms of perpetuating human society. Strong family values teach the children the ethics and the social responsibilities of adulthood. The love of the parents to the children translates to the personality of the adult. The displacement of this leads to a more random outcome and potentially more uncaring society. Research carried out in the UK indicated that a large majority of those surveyed feel marriage is no longer necessary today. (Papadopoulos, L. 2010) FAMILY COUNSELLING AND CHRISTIANITY Family counselling can be provided from a Christian perspective and there are many voluntary services that offer this service. I believe that you dont necessarily have to be a Christian in order to help others in distress or need but the overarching philosophy of Christianity supports this. The objective of the Christian approach is to bring the sincerity of love and care into the power of healing and a theoretical orientation into listening, understanding and relating to peoples problems. As such faith based counselling is not applied based on winning converts to Christianity but is part of an overall philosophy of the religion that is devoted to the care, well-being and help of mankind. There are for example biblical teachings that help in provision of guidance for dealing with people that have mental issues and family troubles. This is not achieved by the imposition of views on others but understanding client needs and providing a service of focused intervention in order to help t hem navigate towards a successful outcome. One of the fundamental approaches to that of Christian counselling is the provision of holistic strategies that equip the families with a basis to understand their relationships, the ability to re-connect and rediscover the love for one another and getting to grips with the root cause analysis of problems in order that they are better equipped to deal with them. Using the strengths-based approach it is helped that such counselling services helps to make a difference and by a joint participatory approach it is possible to heal people from past hurts and retributions in order to expose the family to a renewed and better relationship through the preservation of family relationships. A break down in family communications are often attributed to many of the marital problems that require intervention and counselling. There are numerous challenges in the integration of Christian principles into family therapy and counselling services. It was Berger and Luckman (1967) that managed to distinguish between two core competencies in family counselling i.e. primary socialisation where the process involves the identification as a member of a social group i.e. where a child still has abstract views of the social world and that of secondary socialisation where a child has already internalized a specific view of the world. In a marital break-down, the children are often the most vulnerable in terms of conceptualising what is taking place in terms of a communications breakdown. The more modern approach is that of permissive parenting. These types of parents often adopt an indulgent style as such they have very few demands to make of their children because they have low expectations from them in terms of discipline and maturity. The parents become more responsive than demanding. Such approaches are very lenient, flexible and do not require mature behaviour. The style is very much geared towards nurturing the children and becoming more of a trusted friend than that of a parent. In the US this has been termed the buddy approach. It is seen as being far more effective from a communications viewpoint as the child is more likely to confide in you and seek advice as a friend as opposed to a figure of authority that scares or intimidates. It provides for a healthier more deeply affectionate relationship as the parent is viewed more of a coach / mentor figure that someone who is rule bound and inflexible. This style can make for much happier parenting relationships and provides much better management of the puberty and teenage years. The downside is that you may not always be taken seriously and in the teenage years the children may become manipulative. This is the question of balance and ensuring that whilst you are a friend you are also the parent and as such have the final decision in terms of the more important decisions that need to be made. This particularly where teenage relationships and wise counselling are concerned e.g. substance abuse, external influences, behavioural considerations etc.

flatland :: essays research papers

"Flatland" is a story of depth, and the lack there of. The tale of A. Square's ventures through Pointland, Lineland and Spaceland ultimately reveal to him the possibilities of the seemingly impossible. In this case, the "impossibilities" are the very existence of other dimensions, or worlds. His guide throughout the journey, a god - like figure who refers to itself as "Sphere", bestows upon A. Square the greatest gift he could hope for, knowledge. It is only after the Sphere forcibly takes A. Square out of his dimension, however, that he is able to shrug off his ignorance and accept the fact that what cannot be, can, and much of what he believed before is wrong. When he sees first hand that a square can have depth simply by lining up a parallel square above it and connecting the vertices with lines he is awestruck by its beauty. A cube now exists, seemingly made out of squares. Where there was but one square before now there are six connected. To A. Square's mindset, this thing of beauty is something he could become if only he could lift up. It gives him hope, for in his world you are ranked without say according to your shape. From the lowest convict shapes to the - not - quite - perfectly - round - but - practically - there priests. When A. Square asks the sphere deity what comes next, what about the fourth dimension, Sphere becomes ve xed and sends A. Square plummeting back to his original world without the necessary knowledge to be effective in spreading the gospel of the third dimension. This is, of course, what leads to the end for A. Square; being locked up in an insane asylum for speaking of what simply cannot be. Adding to the irony is that no matter how hard A. Square tries, it is quite impossible for him to demonstrate it within the two dimensional realm. The knowledge that he thirsted for was his demise. "Flatland" is a book which main purpose is to make the reader think; it raises many questions. Is there a fourth, fifth, sixth, infinite dimensions? Logically, there should be. Just as there is a dimension zero, a dimension one, a second and third dimension, should not there also be a fourth? The Sphere speaks to A. Square of Geometrical Progression 1, 2, 4 and hints that it goes beyond even that (to 8).

Blades, Inc. Case Study Analysis Paper Essay

Blades, Inc. Case Study Analysis PaperFactors of Foreign Exchange RatesExchange rates are the amount of one country’s currency needed to purchase one unit of another currency and the foreign exchange market is the monetary nexus between countries that makes it possible for global trade to be accomplished more efficiently than barter. The foreign exchange market is where one countries’ currency is exchanged for another because each nation uses its own monetary unit. Therefore, if people in one nation want to acquire goods in another nation, currency must be replaced from one country for the other country to accommodate the business deal. Foreign exchange rates, at the most basic level, are derived from long-term economic fundamentals. These variables weigh and measure the value of one currency to another. Over time, these economic fundamentals and macro-factors will lead to very long-term trends. From the fundamentalist’s perspective, the main factors that affect foreign exchange rates are Interest rates, Trade balance, Inflation, GDP (Gross Domestic Product), and Employment Statistics. See more: how to write an analysis paper Case SummaryBlades, Inc. needed to order supplies two months ahead of the delivery date. The company considered an order from a Japanese supplier that required a payment of 12.5 million yen payable as of the delivery date. Blades had two choices to either purchase two call options contracts (since each option contract represented 6,250,000 yen) or purchase one futures contract (which represented 12.5 million yen). The futures price on yen had historically exhibited a slight discount from the existing spot rate. However, the firm would have liked to use currency options to hedge payables in Japanese yen for transactions two months in advance. Blades would have preferred hedging their yen payable positions because the company was uncomfortable leaving the position open given the historical volatility of the yen. Nevertheless, the firm was willing to remain unhedged if the yen became more stable someday. Ben Holt, Blades’ chief financial officer (CFO), preferred the flexibility that options offer over forward contracts or futures contracts because he  could let the options expire if the yen depreciates. He would have liked to use an exercise price that was about 5% above the existing spot rate to ensure that Blades would have to pay no more than 5% above the existing spot rate for a transaction two months beyond its order date, as long as the option premium was no more than 1.6% of the price it would have to pay per unit when exercising the option. In general, options on the yen have required a premium of about 1.5% of the total transaction amount that would be paid if the option is exercised. For example, recently the yen spot rate was $0.0072, and the firm purchased a call option with an exercise price of $0.00756, which is 5% above the existing spot rate. The premium for this option was $0.0001134, which is 1.5% of the price to be paid per yen if the option is exercised. A recent event caused more uncertainty about the yen’s future value, although it did not affect the spot rate or the forward or futures rate of the yen. Specifically, the yen’s spot rate was still $0.0072, but the option premium for a call option with an exercise price of $0.00756 was now $0.0001512. An alternative call option was available with an expiration date of two months from now and had a premium of $0.0001134 (which is the size of the premium that would have existed for the option desired before the event), but it is for a call option with an exercise price of $.00792. The table below summarized the option and futures information available to Blades:Before EventAfter EventSpot Rate$.0072$.0072$.0072Option Information:Exercise price ($)$.00756$.00756$.00792Exercise price (% above spot)5%5%10%Option premium (% of exercise price)$.0001134$.0001512$.0001134Total premium ($)1.5%2.0%1.5%Amount paid for yen if option is exercised(not including premium)$1,417.50$1,890.00$1,417.50Futures Contract Information:$94,500$94,500$99,000Futures price$.006912$.006912Formulated Answers1. If Blades uses call options to hedge its yen payables, I believe the firm should use the call option with the exercise price of $0.00792 rather than the call option with the exercise price of $0.00756 because the amount paid for yen if option is exercised is $472.50 less than the exercise  price of $0.00756. 2. Blades should allow its yen position to be unhedged because the tradeoff to be hedged is not much different from if it were unhedged. However, if the company is uncomfortable leaving the position open given the historical volatility of the yen, then hedging is the best option. 3. Assuming there were speculators who attempted to capitalize on their expectation of the yen’s movement over the two months between the order and delivery dates by either buying or selling yen futures now and buying or selling yen at the future spot rate, the expectation on the order date of the yen spot rate by the delivery date would be $0.0072, if speculations were correct. 4. If the firm shares the market consensus of the future yen spot rate, its optimal choice, purely on a cost basis should be $0.0072 given this expectation and given that the firm made a decision. 5. The choice I made as to the optimal hedging strategy may not turn out to be the lowest-cost alternative in terms of actual costs incurred because the firm is speculating the risk. The firm is hedging due to being unsure of what the market will do. The perfect hedge would reduce the risk to nothing. This would be the optimal hedging strategy. 6. Assuming that I have determined the historical standard deviation of the yen is about $0.0005. Based on my assessment, I believe the future spot rate is highly unlikely to be more than two standard deviations above the expected spot rate by the delivery date. If the futures price remains at its current level of $0.006912, the optimal hedge for the firm is $0.007326. References Cambridge Mercantile Group (2007). Economic Factors in Forex. Retrieved November 20, 2007,from www.cambridgefx.comMadura, J (2006). International Financial Management (8th ed.). Mason, OH: Thomson. Retrieved November 6, 2007, from University of Phoenix, Resource, FIN403-  Global Finance Website.

Greek Goddesses Essay - 1145 Words

The Greek Goddesses In Greek mythology the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus played a major role in everyday life. The Greeks respected them and thought of the gods as all mighty. In Ancient Greece the people honored and believe in the deities. Myths, poems, and epics tell the stories and beliefs referring to the gods and goddesses. Many literary works display the power and jobs of the goddesses. The Greek people lived to please the deities in hope of gaining a better lifestyle. The goddesses of Greece acted as an important part of Greek mythology ( Hamilton 28-35 ). nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Historians placed the goddesses into categories. The first category included the major goddesses†¦show more content†¦Athena held the city of Athens sacred and this city took on her name. The owl symbolizes wisdom and Athena referred to this as her sacred bird ( Hamilton 29 ). Athena created the olive tree and therefore holds it sacred and important. The Greeks built a temple called the Parthenon to honor Athena. With this temple built, the Greeks had somewhere to go to place their offerings in front of the goddess. Many Greeks thought of Athena as most important of the goddesses ( Pinset 100 ). nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Some Greeks placed high importance on Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Aphrodite loved men and most men returned her love while women honored her for her beauty. The Romans called her Venus but still thought of her the same way the Greeks did. Even though the daughter of Zeus and Dione, the story of Aphrodite’s birth has many variations. The most commonly told story says that the goddess rose from the sea foam. Aphrodite held the myrtle tree sacred along with the dove and sometimes swan. Most commonly written of in poems and myths, Aphrodite has many stories to go along with her reputation. The Greeks placed the goddess of love in a very important position in regards to everyday life ( Hamilton 32 ). nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Hestia, or Vesta, was also a very important, but less well known deity. Hestia’s brother Zeus gave her the role of goddess of the hearth. Hestia protected the home and family. The household had aShow MoreRelatedGreek Gods and Goddesses2478 Words   |  10 Pagesthese gods started out orally, the gods and goddesses classified as Olympians are not totally clear. Because the Twelve Olympians are not totally clear, there are a possible fourteen gods and goddesses that could be classified as Olympians. The gods and goddesses all had their place in Ancient Greece and were either worshipped or hated because of their responsibilities and talents. 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