To Be Effective As A Counsellor Sociology Essay

To Be Effective As A Counsellor Sociology Essay This essay will look into what it means to be effective as a counsellor. The characteristics that could be expected to be found in an effective counsellor will be discussed. Specific reference will be made also to the ways in which a client should feel when they are in the presence of an effective counsellor. Before a counsellor can be classified as either effective or ineffective, it should be noted that a comprehensive definition of a counsellor, and since a counsellor can best be defined in terms of counselling , then a clear-cut definition of counselling is necessary. According to the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, a counsellor is a person who has been trained to advise people with problems, especially personal problems(p.332). This definition already gives one an idea of how to define counselling- this can be defined as professional advice about a problem. (p. 332). Another way in which counselling can be defined is accordance with the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary , which says counselling is professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various technique of the personal interview, and testing interests and attitudes (accessed 04/04/2012). These definitions are quite informative, especially in terms of giving one an idea of what to expect a counsellor to be and what to expect from a counsellor or a counselling session. They offer insight into the type of setting a counsellor would work in, the field of study that a counsellor may have undertaken and such like. But one thing the aforementioned definitions lack is the capacity to broaden ones prospects about counselling and the role of a counsellor in society. Counselling is merely limited to individual therapy and is taken no further. But a person who is directly involved in counselling- be it a counsellor, a scholar of counselling or even a client who consults with a counsellor can agree that counselling is more than just a professional advice or guidance; its a professional relationship(counselling.org) because the counsellors engages in some form of interaction with his clients , which he relates to each client differently from the next. This relationship is multidi mensional, it is not only between the counsellor and client (well at least not in all cases), but is one that can lead a client to meet and relate with other professionals; whether it be health professionals or otherwise. The counsellor as well, in some instances, would get to know more people than initially plannedthese people would be those that the counsellor would need to work with (referring clients to such people). These would be occupational therapists, psychiatrists, financial advisers, etc. This makes counselling a professional dynamic relationship which aims to help the client who comes needing help of one kind or the other. Counselling involves a process, the aim of which is to help others to help themselves by making better choices and becoming better choosers of options (iona-k-lister.suite101.com). So this relationship is not one that should be confined to personal matters only, because it is such a broad relationship that it has the capacity to empower diverse individ uals, families, and groups to accomplish mental health, wellness, education and career goals(counselling.org). What can a counsellor do to make a client feel safe? As it has already been established, a counsellor must understand that what he has with the client is more than just fee-for-serviceit is a special relationship (sci.csuhayward.edu). With this in mind, it becomes easier for the helper to make his client feel safe. Even if the client does not understand the nature of the relationship, the helper does and so should guide the client to a knowledge of such information. Like in every relationship, both parties involved have a part to play; a part which is particularly meant to be played by the specific counterpart; so it is with the professional relationship between the counsellor and the client. So if the client is not aware of the relationship that is there between them, it is the counsellors duty to enlighten the client. And this will in fact be what can initiate the process of making the client feel safe. If a client does not know that he is in a relationship with the counsellor, the counsellors every effort to make the client feel safe will be virtually futile. One thing that a counsellor can do to make his client feel safe especially in individual therapy is try by all means necessary to eliminate feelings of inferiority on the part of the client. As was mentioned earlier, individuals are all different and unique. So a counsellor might find that employing Alfred Adlers Individual Psychology in his counselling style might be helpful in eliminating the aforementioned feelings. Inferiority takes normal feelings of incompetence and exaggerates them, making the individual feel as if it is impossible to achieve goals and therefore hopeless to try(Friedman Schustack, 2012, p.115). A counsellor can also change his terminology, never calling his clients patients as some other health professionals do but keep calling them clients, since this sounds more egalitarian and less pejorative(sci.csuhayward.edu). Making a client feel safe in the counselling setting is not easy, so if a counsellor can do that, this says a lot about his effectiveness as a counsellor. They should be able to show a client that they recognize the limits of their own power(sci.csuhayward.edu) to help clients prevent feeling inferior; show a willingness to learn about their culture, background, etc. Confidentiality is another factor in making a client feel safe; not only in that, but as well in establishing and maintaining a strong therapeutic relationship(sci.csuhayward.edu). Whenever necessary, the counsellor should inform the client of the limits to confidentiality in the least threatening way possible. There is also the issue of multiple relationships; an effective counsellor knows better than to form a relationship with a clients family member or anyone else that is close to the client. He also does not form a non-professional relationship with people who already have a professional relationship formed with him , because this is destructive it can make it difficult for the client to feel safe in the counselling sessions. What Characteristics Should Effective Counsellors Possess? The main aim of this essay is to show what it means to be an effective as a counsellor, so it should be no surprise that throughout the essay, this question seems to be answered through the various answers to the previous questions that the assignment raises. Qualities such as confidentiality, the ability to guide clients toward productive goals, and the ability to establish and maintain relationships are seen already in previous sections of the essay. Other qualities, like empathy, unconditional positive regard and congruence are essential to being effective as a counsellor; these will be discussed at a later stage. An important aspect of an effective counsellor is the ability to facilitate fullexpression of the clients feelings, without diverting any attention to their own feelings(iona-k-lister.suite101.com). An effective counsellor must be able to listen to a client and have no prejudice. Although counsellors have their own values, these should not be imposed on the client(iona-k-lister.suite101.com). According to iona-k-lister.suite101.com a good counsellor is someone who can learn not to make judgements on behalf of the person being helped. Other traits that one might expect to find in an effective counsellor are patience and acceptance, which help the counsellor to refrain from showing contempt toward those clients that are not likeable. Education is another factor to consider; people tend to think that since they have a Degree and are registered with the counsel, they know everything there is to know. Effective counsellors are willing to learn more about themselves, other counsellor, and even their clients. Social skills should also be looked into by a counsellor that wants to be effective; as a counsellor, one meets many different people from different backgrounds and cultures; so one has to know how to perceive all aspects of verbal and non-verbal communication. Another very important quality to possess is discretion, never revealing what others say or do within the counsell ing context. Because even if a counsellor does not say the other clients name; the fact that he reveals a certain clients situation to another without the consent of that client, he is perceived as unprofessional by the current client. (iona-k-lister.suite101.com; www.sci.csuhayward.edu) How Important are Carl Rogers Core Conditions in Counselling? In order to appreciate fully the importance of something, one should first know what exactly the thing is. If that knowledge is not given, the acknowledgement will be but a task carried out to pass the time. Therefore, before the importance of the core conditions can be discussed, a clear definition of these will be given. According to Cormier Hackney(2012) empathy is the ability to identify with or understand the feelings and emotions of a client as if you were feeling that way, just without losing the as if quality(p.23). Unconditional positive regard is expressing to a client the qualities that make him feel that he is special and appreciated as a human being. Congruence is seen as the helpers ability to remain true to himself in the presence of the client. The act of being genuine and not allowing conformity to influence him in any way, especially when conforming to please a client. As defined by simplypsychololgy.org unconditional positive regard is where parents, significant others(and the humanist therapist) accept and love the person for what he or she is. Therefore, to be effective as a counsellor, one needs to be fortified with such a quality. Now it should be noted that unconditional positive regard works best when accompanied by empathy and congruence. Imagine a homosexual client comes for therapy; he got married to some man not long ago, and tells of how he met the man in university. He recently found out that the man is cheating with another man, whom he met on their honeymoon while they were away. The client says he does not know whether to divorce this husband or to separate with him for a while, since hes finding it so difficult to forgive him. The best response for an effective counsellor in a such a situation is expressing genuineness: acknowledging to himself, perhaps, that he is uncomfortable with the whole gay thing, and that his opinion is just one way of looking at things so that he can more readily accept the clients lifestyle choice. This can help him develop unconditional positive regard, coupled with empathy towards the client. This is because if he is able to acknowledge that his discomfort with the clients attributes, it becomes easier to get into the clients reality and try to see things through the clients eyes(empathy). It is through this same empathy that unconditional positive regard will come about; as he begins to picture what the client might be going through. How Important is Self-Care for the Counsellor? While an enhanced regimen of self-care may sound like a good idea, most people are fuzzy on what self-care is and how to practice it(www.psychologytoday.com). And for this reason, it is always best to define something before attempting to describe it. It is as in warfare, a soldier has to have a well-rounded definition of his enemy, so that he should not wage war against soldiers that actually came to the assistance of his own country, thinking that they are the opposition. One way to look at self-care is to see it as something one does to improve (their) sense of subjective well-being(www.thefreelibrary.com). From to this definition, one can already see how important it is to exercise self-care as a counsellor. Imagine(bearing in mind the above definition) the counsellor who does not consider self-care to be of much value would this counsellor not be judgemental towards his clients? How will he be able to exercise empathy, positive regard and congruence with all his clients? Thus, self-care is important for the counsellor that seeks to be effective in his occupation. Contrary to popular belief, self-care is not an easy thing to practice. This belief springs from advertisers deception and their inability to define self-care clearly(psychologytoday.com). Many of us think that getting pedicures, choosing hand-dipped dark chocolates and buying thread count bed linens equal self-care. This, in actual fact, is self-pampering(www.psychologytoday.com). Self-pampering cannot improve ones sense of subjective well-being, neither can it equip one to practice congruence/genuineness, empathy or unconditional positive regard. According to psychologytoday.com the way to practice self-care is to choose behaviours that balance the effects of emotional and physical stressors: exercising, eating healthy foods, getting enough sleep, practicing yoga or meditation or relaxation techniques and the like. Another important factor that contributes to the effectiveness of self-care is learning to depend less on other people for healing, be it healing from emotional or even physical pain. Once a counsellor learns to be independent in these areas of his own life, then it will become very difficult for him to keep using his clients problems as a means of helping him deal with his own. So in essence, self-care is necessary and helpful to the development of an effective counsellor. Conclusion This essay has discussed and examined the meaning of an effective counsellor. It has looked into the basic meaning or definition of a counsellor in order to properly differentiate between just a counsellor and an effective one. The qualities that are important for helping a counsellor become effective in his expertise have been outlined. It has also been seen throughout this essay that being a counsellor especially an effective one is not as easy a task as it might appear; a lifetime of commitment is necessary for this to be achieved.

Philly Fans: City of Brotherly Love Essay

â€Å"A true Philadelphia fan learns to boo before he learns to speak.† A quote that is not as exaggerated as it seems. In Philadelphia people are outspoken and live by the way they cheer, brutal. Philadelphia â€Å"fanatics† are the most rowdy fans in all of sports. This is proven by events such as throwing snowballs at Santa Claus, booing Michael Irving after a career ending injury, and the installment of a court inside the Eagles late Veterans Stadium. One example as to why people across the nation believe Philly fans to be the worst fans in sports is the legendary pelting of jolly old St. Nick. In 1968, Eagles fans booed and then pelted a man dressed as Santa Claus who was part of a halftime ceremony. Stories vary on the legendary incident as to why it happened. In 2003, the same man was asked to appear in the same Santa suit at a Sixers game, and as before, he was booed again. Another famous event that shows the rowdiness of dedicated Philadelphians is on October 11, 1999, when Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin suffered a career-ending neck injury at â€Å"the Vet†. Fans cheered as Irvin was crumpled on the ground. This goes to show if you’re a future hall of famer, but you happen to play for Dallas, you will still get booed. Although booing someone is all a part of sports, Philly fans seem to do it at the most unnecessary of times which give them the persona of rowdy. Another huge example as to why Philly fans have the reputation they do is because of the extremes of what happens at the sporting events. From time to time a game could go from having fun drinking a couple beers chanting â€Å"asshole† to the next Redskins fan you see walking by, to a huge brawl in the infamous 700 level at Veterans Stadium. The common occurrence of violence during Eagles’ games became so bad that Philadelphia installed a court, judge and jail inside Veterans Stadium. If being so passionate about your team leads to booing a crippled hall of famer, pelting Santa with snowballs, and the installment of a court system in your football team’s stadium means you’re rowdy. Every person wearing a green jacket on Sunday, waving a rally towel at Citizens Bank Park, or booing opposing teams at the Wells Fargo Center will gladly accept the â€Å"rowdy† nickname. What others take as rowdiness Philadelphians take as passion for their city and teams.

Review Idealism and Realism in International Relations.

Question: – Review idealism and realism in international relations. Introduction When studying international relations as an academic discipline studying about Idealism and realism is a major concern. These two approaches are used widely when it comes to decision making procedures. In idealism the decisions are made using ideas. Institutions such as League of Nations, United Nations as well as Local organizations like Organization of African Unity are developed according to the idealist tradition. This was introduced as a educational thought in 400 BC by Plato.He thought that the humans could be improved from within by correcting their thoughts and discovering knowledge already lies within since birth. The more perfect our ideas are the better we can serve the world. In realism world politics are driven my competitive self- interest. This further details that all states operate under as the greatest factor in causing nations to diverge from morally guided behaviour. Until Worl d War II the actual theory of realism did not came about. Realism theory has been introduced from historical writers such as Machiavelli, Hobbes, Thucydides and Sun Tzu.But Hans J. Morgenthau and E. H. Carr are considered most instrumental in establishing the tenets of classical realism theory in modern age. This theory differs from all considerations of legality and moral guidance from state policy that holds that all states are capable of violating laws if there is any necessity to advance their interests and power. These two different theories created a significant change in International Relations all over the world. Most political, economical decisions are taken by using Idealism and realism as reference to analyze and understand the facts.Idealism Idealism is a term applied to any idea, goal or practice considered to be impractical. As examples entrusting international security to the UN, creating an African union on the model of European Union, global eradication of poverty a nd injustice, etc. can be pointed out. Idealists usually rest on a pessimistic perspective towards human nature along with an historical judgment to achieve a change in world affairs. Idealists emphasize the power of reason. They strongly believe in the effectiveness of ideas. Through this they see the possibility of establishing a political system rimarily on morality. This will lead the humans to remove their selfish ideas and helps to build a nation that forms peace, prosperity, cooperation and justice. When a person looks at war in an idealist view, it can no longer be considered by anyone as a suitable way to achieve goals. It is because it affects both parties severely. Former President of the United States of America Woodrow Wilson is considered to be one of the key founders of Idealism. He presented the â€Å"Fourteen points† proposal that was contained on his speech to a joint session of congress on 1918.The address was intended to assure the world that the Great War (World War I) was being fought for a moral cause and for postwar peace in Europe. One of the most well known outcomes of Idealism is the democratic Peace Theory. This states that similar modes of democratic governments do not clash each other. As an impact of Idealism on International Relations Organizations like League of Nations. This was resulted in the covenant of the League of Nations with 42 original members. But this was ineffective because it had no power to enforce its decisions and issues in security.Due to these reasons the league was dismantled in the year 1940 but it had served as a model for the United Nations. Following the failure of League of Nations and the outbreak of the Second World War, descendent theories like Liberalism and Neo-conservatism were created. Through Liberalism organizations like United Nations, NATO, International regimes like Bretton Woods System were built. Neo-conservatism was drawn from Liberalism and focused more on universal values such as Human rights, democracy, free trade, minority protections etc. nlike other theories Neo-conservatism is willing to use force if necessary to push for its goals. Realism This is a theory that world politics is driven by competitive self- interest. It implies that realists see that humankind is self-centered and competitive. Also they believe that the principal actors in the international system are sovereign states. The basic assumption of Realism is that man is wicked, aggressive and bad and also state struggles for power. This implies that realism possesses a pessimistic, negative and a suspicious behavior.This was originated after the Second World War. But its primary assumptions were noted in its earlier writings. People like Thucydides, Sun Tzu, and Otto Van Bismarck can be pointed out as examples. It began as a wide field of research after the war. People like Hans J. Morgenthau, Carl von Clausewitz are considered as the modern thinkers of the classical realism. This theory ha s been associated with thinkers like Niccolo Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes. Hans J Morgenthau described about six principles of Political Realism. 1.Political realism believes that politics, like society in general, is governed by objective laws that have their roots in human nature. 2. The main signpost of political realism is the concept of interest defined in terms of power, which infuses rational order into the subject matter of politics, and thus makes the theoretical understanding of politics possible. Political realism avoids concerns with the motives and ideology of statesmen. Political realism avoids reinterpreting reality to fit the policy. A good foreign policy minimizes risks and maximizes benefits. 3.Realism recognizes that the determining kind of interest varies depending on the political and cultural context in which foreign policy is made. It does not give â€Å"interest defined as power† a meaning that is fixed once and for all. 4. Political realism is aware of the moral significance of political action. It is also aware of the tension between the moral command and the requirements of successful political action. Realism maintains that universal moral principles must be filtered through the concrete circumstances of time and place, because they cannot be applied to the actions of states in their abstract universal formulation. . Political realism refuses to identify the moral aspirations of a particular nation with the moral laws that govern the universe. 6. The political realist maintains the autonomy of the political sphere; he asks â€Å"How does this policy affect the power and interests of the nation? † Political realism is based on a pluralistic conception of human nature. The political realist must show where the nation's interests differ from the moralistic and legalistic viewpoints.

Body Image, Peer Pressure, and Identity in Mean Girls Essay

It has not been too long ago that I still remember my adolescent years. I always remember the unintelligent things I did that I wish could change, but this Psychology class made me realize that all adolescents go through the same things I experienced. Adolescents are known to try to find their identity, go through peer pressure, make mistakes, and try new things. The move I picked that closely represented what adolescents go through was â€Å"Mean Girls†. Some of the scenes in the movie seem a little exaggerated, but it has happened in certain high schools even though I had not experienced it personally. In the movie â€Å"Mean Girls†, there is a new girl named Caty that moves back to the United States from Africa. She was home schooled all†¦show more content†¦Berger states that â€Å"appearance is connected to sexual drives since appearance attracts sexual interest. Young adults care about how they look because, quite naturally, they want attention from each other† (2008, p. 453). Teenagers spend lots of money on the latest trends of clothing in order to make themselves look better. Some adolescents start to become self conscious about their looks when they are insecure. In certain cases, some adolescents develop an eating disorder. They forget that being healthy is the most important thing during this time of their life. A lot of adolescents go through puberty and if they do not eat properly, it can cause harm to their growth. In the movie, Regina wanted to lose 3 pounds. She did not eat and decided to only eat the protein bars that Caty gave to her. Regina thought the protein bars would help her lose weight. However, adolescents do not know that a healthy diet and exercise can actually help them lost weight. Instead, adolescents choose to become anorexic or bulimic. Anorexia is when an individual â€Å"voluntarily undereat and overexericis, depriving their vital organs of nourishment† (Berger, 2008, p. 459). 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