...Matthew Hoskins Grand Canyon University PCN-520 Group Design Final Project Abstract Addiction and the issues which accompany it are at epidemic proportions. Peer group therapy has proven to be an effective therapeutic treatment for those who are addicted. The group offers a sliding scale fee structure for those who are not insured. Those clients unable to contract for abstinence for the duration of the group were disqualified. This essay explores a cognitive behavioral therapy group for women who are currently have a substance addiction. The participants range in age from 19-43. The group meets once per week over the course of 8 weeks. The prospective group members were each given a screening questionnaire to determine suitability for the group. The group was designed to identify and unlearn patterns which led to addictive behaviors. The clients learned ways to replace these behaviors with healthier alternatives. The group illuminated and discussed beliefs about their person which led to the addictive behaviors. 6 of the 8 participants successfully completed group therapy. The group has been recreated at several different locations due to the success of the original group. Final Project Group therapy is an important part of addiction treatment. Lee states, “Clinical studies have shown that peer group therapy in drug treatment is about as effective for inducing long term sobriety as individual counseling but most drug treatment programs combine the two...
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...Theories in Psychology Unit One Individual Project SSCI206-1204A-13 August 25, 2012 Abstract This essay will analyze main theories of psychology in today’s world. Each generation develops a technique that makes diagnosis of a patient easier. The following essay will focus on three of the key theories used today. References will follow the body of the essay to back up any information used from a source. Theories in Psychology Emily Dickenson once said, “The brain is wider than the sky." In today’s society with technology thriving and medical advancements around every corner, the sky is the limit where psychology is concern. There are new theories being proved true on a daily basis. The following text will have three of the many theories proved to be true over the centuries before us. Psychodynamic Theory Psychodynamic is defined as an interaction between conscious and unconscious mental states. This will affect the personality, attitude and behavior patterns in a person (Definition of Psychodynamic, 2000). In recent studies, the military psychologists have been using this theory on PTSD patients just coming home from war. This theory and its techniques are implemented over several sessions and the patient is evaluated over time to see how effective the treatment plan has worked (Tull, M., Ph.D., 2012, January 29). The process of psychodynamic therapy can often be stressful on the patient but with the right doctor, those stressful feelings can be redirected to a better...
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...Drug Addiction Angela Figueroa COMM/156 May 20, 2012 Meghan Anderson Drug Addiction In society, drugs have been the downfall for many people. There are many reasons that a person may use drugs such as: peer pressure, relief of stress, increased energy, to relax, to relieve pain, to escape reality, to feel more self esteem, and for recreation ("Drug addiction and drug abuse," 2011). What is it that causes the obsession and compulsion to use drugs? Why can some people stop and others go on to become addicts? Addiction is often now defined by the continuing, compulsive nature of the drug use despite physical and/or psychological harm to the user and society ("Drug addiction and drug abuse," 2011). MRI’s have shown evidence that the brain of an addict has specific abnormalities of tissue malfunction that non-addicts do not have (About.com 2004). Drug addiction is a disease that can be defined as a disordered condition resulting from the effect of deficiency or imbalance on the body. Drug addiction can be considered almost like a cancer or virus because it takes over one’s body and can cause detrimental physical and mental effect (Antiessays.com, 2012) s. Addiction is a disease that affects not only the person taking the drugs, but also their family, friends and the community around them. Drug addiction is considered a disease by some but others view it as a lack of will power. Addiction to drugs was once viewed as a moral issue but as more research is done they are finding...
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...“Behaviorists explain maladaptive behaviour in terms of the learning principles that sustain and maintain it. Discuss this statement and show how a behaviourist’s approach to therapy is in stark contrast to a psychoanalytic one”. I will begin my essay by describing the development of behaviourism. This will show how its roots are completely different from those of psychoanalysis. It will also reveal something of the methodology of behaviourism and the principles behind it. This will provide the ground for developing a fuller description of maladaptive behaviour and those elements that 'maintain and sustain' it. I will conclude by contrasting the positions of the Behaviourist and the Analytical Psychologist underlining the ethical issues involved. The first striking contrast between psychoanalysis and behaviourism lies in the fact that the former was developed in Europe in order to meet the therapeutic needs of patients while the latter grew out of the Progressive Movement (P.M.1880-1920) in the United States. This movement arose from three main sources: 1.The industrial revolution. 2. Scientific Rationalism. 3. Liberal political philosophy. The P.M. wanted scientific thinking that had created a new society so swiftly, to be brought to bear on every aspect of life. 'Progressives transformed, professionalized and made "scientific" the social sciences, especially history, economics, and political science’. (Wikipedia) According to the P.M. The...
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...Introduction This essay will reflect on counselling, and include what I think that is, and how it differs from other forms of helping. I will analyse and compare the different types of counselling, giving specific examples of how they vary from each other. This essay will also evaluate some of my personal experiences of having professional counselling which will enable the reader to gain an authentic perspective from the clients viewpoint. This essay will also state some of my own perspectives on what counselling is and what counselling has done for me personally. I will also demonstrate my understanding of the laws and legal implications of counselling Counselling can be a complex and abstract subject. Everyone has their own opinions on what counselling is. I am currently a student at Ty Elis training to be an integrative counsellor. This means that the therapist uses an approach which uses element from different forms of counselling and psychotherapy. After being a client and receiving personal therapy for a period of 18 months and now having started training to be a therapist myself, my own views on counselling have changed considerably. The BACP defines counselling as “Counselling and psychotherapy are umbrella terms that cover a range of talking therapies. They are delivered by trained practitioners who work with people over a short or long term to help them bring about effective or enhance their wellbeing”. Before I explain the different types of counselling...
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...Drug Addiction Drug abuse is rife in many countries. Billions of dollars are spent internationally preventing drug use, treating addicts, and fighting drug-related crime. Although drugs threaten many societies, their effects can also be combated successfully. This essay looks at some of the effects of drug use on society, and suggests some solutions to the problem. Drug abuse causes multiple problems for countries and communities. The medical and psychological effects are very obvious. Addicts cannot function as normal members of society. They neglect or abuse their families, and eventually require expensive treatment or hospitalization. The second effect is on crime. Huge police resources are needed to fight smuggling and dealing. Criminal gangs and mafia underworlds develop with the money from drugs. However, the menace of drugs can be fought. Education is the first battle. Children need to be told at home and in school about drugs. People need to be aware of the effects so that they can avoid this problem. A second approach is to increase police manpower and create effective laws to stop dealers. However the main target should be the user: Families and counsellors need to talk to children and people at risk. Parents need to look at their children and help them to become responsible. Worthwhile jobs and housing are also needed to give people a role in society. In conclusion, although the problem of drugs may seem impossible to eliminate, there are concrete...
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...In this essay, I will do a journal article comparison. The articles selected have something in common – treatment of drug. The first article is “Do drug treatment variables predict cognitive performance in multidrug-treated opioid-dependent patients? A regression analysis study” by Pekka Rapeli, Carola Fabritius, Hely Kalska and Hannu Alho. This article was taken from an open access article under Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 2012, at http://www.substanceabusepolicy.com/content/7/1/45. The second article entitled “Treating Drug Abuse and Addiction in the Criminal Justice System: Improving Public Health and Safety” by Redonna K. Chandler, Bennett W. Fletcher and Nora D. Volkow. It was taken from a public access journal under National Institute of Health: JAMA. 2009 January 14; 301(2): 183–190. doi:10.1001/jama.2008.976. The purpose of the first article was to examine the predictive power of drug treatment variables on specific cognitive performance measures in multidrug-treated opioid dependent patients. Also, the researchers interested in finding out which of the possible significant associations turn out as hypothesized. On the other hand, the purpose of the second article was to summarize relevant neuroscientific findings and evidence-based principles of addiction treatment that, if implemented in the criminal justice system, could help improve public health and reduce criminal behaviour. For methodologies, the first research involved 104 Opioid-Dependent...
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...infections diagnosed in the UK was 10,381 of which there were 7384, 106, 2129, and 312 in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales respectively . There appears to be higher rate of transmission among IDU now than a decade ago; 23% compared to 12% in 2000 Although UK is classified as a low prevalence country for HCV; The HCV poses numerous challenges for public health in terms of potentially preventable mortality and morbidity. According to NICE guidance, it would cost the NHS about £1.6 billion to treat all Hepatitis C patients. The cost therefore of failing to diagnose and treat existing patients could be approximately £4-£8 billion over the next decade As the most infected in the UK are IDUs, the strategy is to target this risk group by making them more aware, offering proactive testing to ensure that those who are undiagnosed are and get necessary treatment early. It is essential to have in place robust surveillance systems and in the UK the harm...
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...there likes and dislikes and how they process. A hypnotherapist will usually in the first session try to get to know the client by having a general chat so that they can use an induction in the PMR which will be suitable for the client and make the experience more enjoyable. Clients should know that hypnothercapy is not a therapy but a process where a therapy can be effectively delivered. Humans are unique and have very different value systems. Value systems represent what people believe in, their own moral code, a sense of right and wrong, good and bad, their priorities and also what they experience to be positive and negative. Prevailing social and cultural ideas influence people. In addition, a persons upbringing and individual life experiences will influence their value system. There are several techniques which hypnotherapists can employ which alter the language we use to suit the personality and individuality of the client. These are language (the words that we utter,) body language, tone and volume. However, body language is not one that hypnotherapists can use because the client will usually have their eyes shut. I personally agree with the essay statement, a personalised induction will always be more effective because every client is unique and there needs are different. What one client might find relaxing in their induction, another might not be able to relate and relax to it. Each person has a different modality, these are: kinaesthetic, visual, auditory, olfactory...
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...Are Children Raised by Biological Parents Better than Children Raised by Custodial Grandparents? Nowadays more women have jobs and parents are busier with work than ever before. More grandparents become weekend helpers and help to co-parent their grandchildren; however, grandparents as custodial parents are special cases. The young child’s parents may be unable or unfit to perform their roles as parent due to drug abuse, AIDS or mental disorders. Although parents and grandparents all have love for the children in their life, are children raised by biological parents better than those who are raised by custodial grandparents? This is my research question for the essay. Some sociologists argue that because of the lack of existence of parents, children grow up with grandparents cannot have a real understanding what a family is, and these children usually perform not as good as children who grow up in a normal nuclear family. I concluded some main perspectives support that there are disadvantages of children raised by custodial grandparents; these include emotional disturbance, physical weakness, incapability, social barriers and higher chance of getting substance abuse. Emotional Disturbance Fist of all, children who live with their custodial grandparents might often question where did their parents go. When they start to understand and make sense of the world, their first impression is that their parents abandoned them. From Brown-Standridge, “Custodial grandchildren...
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...depression such as Bio polar, and major depression (Unipolar). But no matter what the diagnosis is or how serious the depression is, depression is not trivial and is a real health condition contrary to what some people believe. It is not something that you can just snap out of and more importantly it is not a sign of weakness. For many people depression can affect them in different ways to other people with the same condition but normally the symptoms are similar. These can range from lack of sleep or too much sleep, weight loss or gain, unpredictable mood swings, thoughts of self-harm or suicidal tendencies, low self-worth, and no interest or motivation. These are just a few of the psychological symptoms but the major question in which this essay will try to answer is what is the major cause of depression is. Is it psychological or sociological? This...
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...Title of assignment: Describe compare and contrast the traditional abstinence model of addiction treatment with the modern harm reduction model in the context of counselling a heroin using client who is HIV or Hep-C positive I declare that this assignment is entirely my own work and that all sources are credited. Introduction: In this essay I am going to first define abstinence, harm reduction, heroin and HIV. Then i’m going to compare and contrast the abstinence model versus the harm reduction model in relation to a person who uses heroin and has also HIV under the counselling context. Definitions: The Abstinence Model: The term 12 step applies to a number of self-help groups which have grown from the original alcoholics anonymous movement. 12-step groups are fellowships of men and women who meet regularly to support each other in their efforts to achieve and maintain abstinence. Groups are run by the members themselves who are not professional counsellors. They have a spiritual foundation are not affiliated with any organised religion. (McMurran, 1994) For the purposes of this essay groups like NA(Narcotics Anonymous) would represent a traditional abstinence group and the Minnesota Model would represent a counselling approach in relation to addiction counselling. The Harm Reduction Model: The idea of harm reduction first emerged explicitly in Dutch drug policy during the 1970s and 1980s from concern about the social integration of people who use drugs into...
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...Rehabilitation Versus Punishment Tyler Ross Macomb Community College In this essay, I will go over the issues of punishment versus rehabilitation for convicted offenders. The issues I will point out will be how punishment and rehabilitation affects deterrence of crime, how it impacts the victims and their families, and the financial impact upon society. This debate will show both pros and cons to punishment and rehabilitation. The criminal justice system and the public have opinions on how each should work and not work. I will go over each side of the issue when it should be time to punish or rehabilitate. The Deterrence theory is if one commits a crime the punishment should outweigh the crime. To prevent crime from occurring the law will show through punishment. The punishment should outweigh the crime. If you put the fear of punishment into the criminal, then he will think twice about committing the crime. Crime has been part of society for a long time, and the usual punishment is to incarcerate. Even though incarceration is a temporary fix for the felon, research shows “recidivism amongst convicted felons following release from prison is as high as 63%” and most of the inmates had arrest records and convictions prior to the incarceration of their current offense “ (Carson & Mulako-Wangota, 1989). Others argue rehabilitation is a deterrence to crime. Rehabilitation has long-term effect on offenders since it would prevent future crime from happening. Also rehabilitation...
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...Ethics Paper Abstract In today’s society there are many health care professionals who have to conduct group sessions. It is imperative that for the safety of every client and therapist that a thorough training in ethical standards are established. In laying the foundation for ethical standards it is essential to establish boundaries for what exactly constitutes group work. Many people within group therapies will have different ideas and opinions based upon their own interpretation, morals, beliefs, cultural influences, and personal experiences. Within a group session there is a high standard of ethical behavior to protect the members of the group, the facilitators and anyone else involved in the group dynamics. This essay will provide information about how group sessions are conducted, common ethical issues within group therapy and how these issues compare to those from individual counseling. Ethics in Groups Introduction According to Kemp (2010) therapeutic communities consist of having qualities of belonging, governance, communication, interdependence and participation and are known as groups or group counseling. Within group sessions there is a common issue that each individual are coping with. The group is encouraged by the leader to express themselves and give feedback. Each person in the group, including the leader, are to provide new ways of behaving and to tackle issues that an individual presents in a session and provide one another with an opportunity...
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...Associationistic Theory of Learning Bevon Barker PSY 331 Instructor : Megan Mclaughlin 8-1-11 In life we are prone to experiencing different experiences; some through emotions, love and other inferences. We associate different experiences and try to form a plethora of comforts; a sense in which we can revisit to help us to assess new experiences throughout our lives. In other words, we learn from our mistakes, trials and tribulations. From a personal standpoint, I can honestly say that the association is probably the easiest way to make a decision when a new situation approaches. Realistically, association is not always the best answer however as humans, it is natural. In our readings, I find that the Associationistic Theory is the most interesting and appealing to me. The Associationistic Theory in Philosophy refers to the idea that mental processes operate by the association of one state with its successor states. (Warren 1921) The theory was developed by Plato and Aristotle, and further developed by pioneers like John Locke, David Hume, and James Mill. In the evolution of development, Locke, Hume, Mill developed elaborate principles and its relation to neurophysiology. Their contributions have led to Psychologists tactics in describing and assessing behavior when conducting sessions. The easiest way for one to relate to a theory is applying it and associating it through one’s own experience identifying with the elements that consist of that theory. Through...
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