Counseling Processes Essay -- essays research papers fc

In counseling, there are many processes used by a counselor in his sessions with a client. These may be done in a specific order or however which way the counselor sees them to be appropriate. Listed below are the different processes that may be undertaken during a counseling session. 1. Before meeting a counselee, the counselor tries to find out as much as he can about the former. This is done so that he may discern what will help the client most. Also, he has to fathom the counselee's past so that he will know beforehand how he can help him. 2. The counselor and the counselee take some time to get to know each other. This is a process that works both ways, as does the entire counseling process upon which they are about to embark. In the process, the counselee's needs are assessed and appropriate therapy may be chosen. 3. Questionnaires or tests may be given to the counselee to prove or disprove the counselor's initial findings. It may be too early to judge the counselee right away but this may help the counselor in the totality of the sessions. 4. The counselor needs to determine, with greater accuracy, the nature of the emotion and experience that is behind the counselee's current difficulties by further detailed examination of the latter's history. Some of the issues and patterns raised in the questionnaires or tests may be raised and any relationships that may be analogous to initial observations may be noted with the behaviors and feelings involved. 5. The counselor ...

Sisyphus: Life?s True Meaning :: essays research papers

Sisyphus, one of the biggest tricksters of all time lived like what seems as a seemingly short life, he was pursued by many Gods wanting to punish him for some trick or prank that he had pulled, but they never got him, finally Hermes captured him though and put him under the control of Hades. He lived life well though apparently taking the title as the King of Corinth, which to some he was the founder, and to others it was handed down to him by Medea. Their are many tales though, where he is clever, as he is described in Homer’s Odyssey. One tells how he came up with a way to find out who was stealing his sheep, he put a mark on them, in modern times known as a brand but, while he was retrieving his sheep he seduced Anticlia, which then became the mother of Odysseus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other tales of him attacking and murdering travelers. Although all these stories are out there, there are also stories of a family man, stories about him, his brother Athamas, his wife Merope, his two sons Odysseus and Glaucus, and his parents Aeolus and Enarete. There are other things he achieved besides trickery. He was said to have founded the Isthmian Games, in honor of Melicertes, whose dying body he found on the shore of Corinth. Sisyphus was also very crafty, as Homer described him to be.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Once when Zeus sent out Thanatos to punish him for revealing one of Zeus’s love affairs, Sisyphus managed to capture Thanatos and bind him in chains. Zeus then had to send Ares to release Thanatos because he is the God of Death and no one was dying while he was bound. Knowing that Thanatos would come back for him he told his wife not to bury his body, then when he died he begged Hades to allow him to go back to earth and punish his wife for not burring him, He then refused to return to Hades.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Here is where Hermes comes in, he captured Sisyphus and put him under the power of Hades, where he has to roll a heavy rock to the top of a hill, and every time he almost gets to the top of the hill , the rock’s weight pushes him back to the bottom and he starts all over again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  That was the mythology, now from a physiological point of view. Although, Sisyphus is forced to roll a heavy rock up a hill for eternity, it is said that he is happy.

Civilization :: essays research papers

What is civilization? It actually involves the application of a world view, a particular vision of reality to a human collectivity. Today this definition has become quite ambiguous in the minds of many people because of the eclipse of religion in the modern world and the spread to the rest of the globe since the 19th century.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The importance of ethics. No civilization has not emphasized ethics. Actions have an effect on the soul. Actions are not indifferent. There is no exception, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity. The idea that the structures of society must be bound by certain ethical norms which ultimately affect us as human beings born for immortality. They are there to preserve certain values, the possibilities of certain attitudes, they are following certain religious life which itself is absolutely essential for human being to exist. In traditional civilization art was always an expression of the truths of religion. That is why we distinguish between religious are and sacred art. Religious art is simply an art whose subject happens to be religious. Sacred art is an art whose very forms reflect realities, principles, whose symbols are meta individuals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Khazali Khorasan he is one of the most important Islamic figures of Islamic history. â€Å"If civilization dialogue does not take into consideration the centrality of religion than everything else is secondary.† Fortunately in the West there still remains something of Judaism and Christianity. It has not totally died out.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So this dialogue between Islam and the West, or the Hindu world and the West, I think must first of all address those people in the West who still believe in both the reality and an ethical system which is in fact very similar to our own. All religions are at the heart of civilizations. There are several elements all based one way or another on religion but not identically with it which must be taken into consideration in serious civilization dialogue. First of all the world view. Presiding ideas which the religion itself in its philosophical, theological understanding. What is our ultimate understanding of reality. It that which determines how we act, how we think, how we look upon ourselves whether it is positive or negative.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tension Is more evident in the oriental, non-western world because colonialism took several centuries. But those tension are also becoming more and more evident for people in the West, between those who want to go back and live traditional life and many of whom have embraced Islam, or Buddhism.

“Jane Eyre” Compare and Contrast Essay Essay

Characters in the exuberant novel Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Bronte, have such broad yet elaborate personalities and traits so that setting them apart from one another would not be much of a challenge. One of the most important and steadfast character in this novel, Helen Burns, accepted widely by society that she resembles mostly to a missionary, in that of similar traits. Pairing a common idea, person, or object with characters clarify them to the highest degree. It is universally accepted that Helen Burns would be likened to a missionary because of her belief in God, In her ability to save someone, and because of her being rejected, like many missionaries today. Belief in God could not be more important for Helen Burns in her understanding of life as we know it, her harsh punishments, and strict conduct shape her personality and character from a child. Without her strong faith and belief in the Lord she would not have been able to have lived life so calm and steadfast. Even though it is claimed that her faith is not shaped entirely by the Bible, she tends to have a philosophy of her own, and that is to be somewhat be an individual and basically mind your own business, and to be one’s own person. â€Å"Hush, Jane! you think too much of the love of human beings; you are too impulsive, too vehement; the sovereign hand that created your frame, and put life into it, has provided you with other resources than your self, or than creatures feeble as you.†(Bronte 8). Helen says that Jane shouldn’t care for what people think, and says that she should only be focused on the true creator of life and only make sure that she pleases him and no one else, even though she should love everybody at all times, and not arouse any problems with anybody. Helen’s faith would be the sole reason of what keeps her strong, and what eventually keeps Jane strong, as well as helping her pass away knowing that she would once and for all unite with her savior – Jesus Christ. Faith and foundation rests upon the hands of God. A missionary’s occupation is built around those same building blocks of many human being today, and without their strong belief they could not do what they do best. Their faith helps them preach the gospel and help their brothers and sisters, mothers  and fathers, and daughters and sons all over the world. Without the drive and compassion they have for God, they would not be able to complete the basic and complex tasks as a human being and to reach the golden gates of Heaven one day. For example many people just by the ways and actions of most christians today gain respect for them by many different types of people, just like how Jane slowly but surely gains respect and understanding of why Helen became a Christian. Missionaries everyday accomplishments, and actions have the foundation of God built around them, and just like Helen Burns keeps them optimistic, and hopeful for a new day and what’s to come. The sole objective of Helen Burns’ life was to respect and follow the word of God, but little did she know that one of her objectives originally planned by God was to help Jane Eyre mature and find a love for God as well. Helen Burns was not aware but she shaped Jane’s life from a child and as she grew Helen’s teaching and soothing and wise words flowed right out of her. Jane’s character was built from the wise words and character of Helen Burns. Without Helen Burns Now it is universally accepted that Helen Burns saved Jane Eyre from a seeker to a believer in God, and this qualifies as a trait of a missionary, as well as shaping Jane’s discombobulated childhood. A missionaries purpose in life is to go from place to place and try to convert people into the word of God. A missionary realizes that they save people and that is what slightly differentiates Helen Burns from them. Even though most missionaries are older men, Helen Burns is a lady and a young one at that. Missionaries usually spread the word of God in many different ways, by being enthusiastic, factual, or funny. Helen Burns strictly sticks with the material she knows, and teaches Jane Eyre more than a thing a two about life in general and God. Missionaries all in all save people from sin, and guide them out of the darkness and into the light of God, just like Helen did for Jane. Missionaries have more of a knowledge of how they want to evaluate a certain person and what the best way would be to convert them. Missionaries save people everyday using different methods and reasoning, and in the end they end up helping people get steps closer to God. Helen Burns just like any other believer in Christ becomes always becomes  rejected by some way, shape, or form of society. At first Jane does not think anything of the word of God then she starts to associate it with a fairy-tale implying that it’s simply not true, there can be no place as heaven, and the idea of God being obscure. Being a young girl and not knowing better could be a legitimate explanation for this behavior, however when she realizes how calm and steadfast Helen’s actions are with her hard life of always being punished for the smallest things, and being picked on by cruel teachers, she begins to realize the empowerment of Christ. Helen Burns becomes a rejection faith-wise to Jane, but little by little Jane realizes truth from lie, just like many non-believers today. Helen Burns relates perfectly to a missionary for this reason, because of times Missionaries are rejected because of the stubborn atheists. Part of being a missionary and basically what comes in the package of this honor, would be that there will always be rejection. People who are uneducated, not willing to learn, or confused will not take the time to hear a missionary out and listen to why they should believe in the one true God. Rejection, clearly understood as an inevitable action or mental state that happens to be involved in everything. The incorporation of this in a missionaries work is double the amount of regular doses of rejection for the main reason of, â€Å"There is no such as God,† as thought by uneducated atheists. Just like Jane Eyre without giving Helen a chance to really speak her heart from the result of Jane’s actions, many missionaries are turned down by the public in the spite up they just don’t give them a chance to hear there thoughts, views, and morals. When Jane realizes how calm Helen was that she knew she was about to die, because it would give her a chance to be with God, she realizes that there is a God, and heaven would be her last and final destination from that day forward. Without the incorporation of Helen Burns in this novel, there would not be a foundation to Jane’s life, as she would still remain a seeker to find the religion that would suit her needs, and that she would feel was real and essential to her life. Helen Burns was a not only the foundation for Jane Eyre but the foundation for the novel itself. Just as a missionary always has base and roots of the person converted by them. Helen and a missionary  have much in common even though Helen was not aware of how she fulfills this title, and missionaries are. It’s widely accepted by society that Helen Burns would have to be one of the greatest literary characters to have ever been created, and if more of the world were indulged by her powerful presence maybe also they too would â€Å"Rise again.† (Bronte 9).

Examination Day

The short story Examination Day written by Henry Sleasar, is a story about young children being tested by the government to get knowledge of how smart the kids are. The government keep control of the kids and all the families. The government summon every kid that turns twelve, to come into their head quarters for an exam to prove how clever the kids are. The government summons a twelve year old boy in for his exam. The boy Dickie and his parents were having breakfast when his mum brings up the subject to Dickies father. His father just tells her not to worry that every thing will be alright. Dickie and his father go into the government head quarters for Dickies appointment. When it was Dickies turn to set the exam he was given a glass of liquid drink. This drink makes you tell the truth and be honest with what you say. They connected Dickie up to some machines ready for the examination. Dickies father went home to his wife to wait for a phone call to see if their son was alright or not. After the exam Dickies parents got a disappointing and sad phone call about their son. Dickie had pasted the exam so he was put down by the government because he had been one of very few to past the exam. Every child that passes the exam has to be put down. If they fail the exam they are sent home to your family and they get to live on with their lives. This exam determines if you live or if you die.

Salinity

Problems arise in the world due to salinity, as when the salt gets on to the top of the soil†¦.. it causes disaster to the plants and trees. Salt comes in many forms in the natural environment—calcium, magnesium, carbonate, sodium chloride, bicarbonate, and sulphate. Many landscapes are naturally saline, but secondary salinity isn’t so natural, occurring when salts from deep within the earth are dissolved and deposited into soil and water as a result of human activity. This can happen in one of two ways: Dryland salinity – from removal of deep-rooted plantsIn dry regions, deeply-rooted perennial plants, such as shrubs, trees, and grasses, play an important role in regulating groundwater levels. As water is applied to the soil, the plants drink it up and breath it out through a process called evapotranspiration. This ensures that the water table levels stay relatively stable. But this balance is thrown into chaos when farmers clear the land to gain more space for grazing animals and cultivating food crops. In doing so, they remove the deep-rooted plants and replace them with shallow-rooted annual crops.These plants do not take up as much water as once-plentiful native plants, and as a result, more water remains in the soil. Over time—up to 30 years—water accumulates in the land, causing the water table to rise. As it does so, it passes through layers of salt and dissolving the deposits that have existed in the land for centuries. The shallow-rooted plants can’t keep up with the rising water levels, which results in rising salt deposits in ever-increasing concentrations in topsoil. Irrigation salinity – from overirrigationMuch like dryland salinity, irrigation salinity results in a rising water table that brings deep deposits of salt upwards through soil layers. But instead of being caused by land clearing, it results from increased irrigation. As water soaks into the soil, it adds to existing water, raising t he water table, bringing salt along for the ride. During periods of irrigation, the water table will lower again, but salt will remain in surface soil, increasing the salt concentration with each irrigation cycle. What impact does it have? Contamination of ecosystems with excess saltBoth dryland and irrigation salinity result in similar environmental challenges: * Groundwater used for human consumption as well as agricultural and industrial applications becomes saline, making it unusable * Wetlands and bushland ecosystems are damaged, resulting in declines in wildlife biodiversity * Salt damages houses, pipelines, railways, buildings, roads, and water supply systems What has been done about it? Many conservation and regeneration options available There are many possible steps a community can take to prevent and/or reverse salinity: Identify areas where potential for biodiversity loss is significant due to salinity, setting targets to protect and bring back sensitive species * Protec ting key native vegetation species from being cleared and promoting reintroduction of these species in areas affected by salinity * Limit over-irrigation and the construction of dams in sensitive areas, such as wetlands and watercourses * Promote environmentally-sound property management planning * Educate farmers and the public about the risks of increasing salinity * Construct both surface and sub-surface drainage systems to prevent salinity that results from rising water levelsIs this action working? Reversing soil salinity a slow process – prevention is easier Progress in preventing and reversing the effects of salinization is slow and painstaking. Research is beginning to identify ways farmers can continue to cultivate their crops without increasing soil salinity. Planting salt tolerant, deep-rooted plants throughout agricultural lands in one way to see improvements, but like most solutions, it can be costly and requires by-in from farmers and communities alike. Further education of key stakeholders in communities at risk of salinization is required. Why is this? Effects of soil salinity take many years to appearIt can take up to 30 years for communities to begin to feel the effects of increasing salinity, making reversal of the problem equally time-consuming. It also requires significant funding. The Australian government, for instance, pledged to spend nearly $8 million on salinization remediation plans to 2008. Should it continue? On one side, there are those who are against Without remediation of soil salinity, great problems lie ahead Without long-sighted solutions, the problem of salinity, including loss of agricultural land, devastation of ecosystems, and the costs associated with damaged property, will continue to increase. In the US, it is estimated that 10 million hectares of land is lost to salinity every year. The challenge is equally serious in Australia.Environmentalists have been drawing attention to this growing crisis for years, an d only after seeing the effects of salinity are individuals and governments coming to terms with the magnitude of the problem. Failure to address salinity could result in widespread crop failures and even more devastating loss of biodiversity. Should it continue? On the other side, there are those who are all for it Hydro advocates oppose There are many who prefer to turn a blind eye to the problem of salinity, especially those with a vested interest in the industries responsible for the consequences. Salinity can increase in the presence of dams and other water reservoirs, making salinity an acceptable cost to advocates of large-scale hydro projects.The damming of the Colorado River, which flows into Mexico, has caused significant increases in the brackish (i. e. saline) quality of the water. Reversing these problems so that those down river can be supplied with high-quality water has been expensive for the US, resulting in costs upwards of several hundred million dollars every yea r. Farmers’ struggles Equally challenging is working with farmers who see the very long-range problem of salinity as minor compared to the desire to see short-term financial gains through over-irrigation of crops. Small and large-scale farmers alike struggle with the reality of spending money to prevent a problem that may not occur for decades.

Critical theory and professionalism Essay

In what ways can critical theory shed light on professionalism? This presentation explores how critical theory can provide a perspective for critiquing professionalism in education. In so doing the nature of the relationship between the professionalisation and social movement trends in education is addressed. An attempt at a definition of professionalism is going to be the focus of the first part of the presentation. Several concepts articulated within critical theory are discussed for their relevance to the issue of professionalism. The work of the Frankfurt School is underlined, drawing parallels to the work of Gramsci and Freire. In the final analysis, specific issues and questions raised by the perspective of Critical Theory are reflected upon as they apply to the professionalisation of education. The concept of professionalism Literature on professionalism is in its abundance. There have been many attempts at providing a clear definition, including the government-led agendas calling for higher degrees on professionalism in education. It can be noted at the outset that attempts at coming up with a definition of professionalism in education have struggled to agree on a particular one. Freidson (1994) has concluded that the use of the term professionalism is inconsistent. He argues that professionalism is ‘The Third Logic’, claiming that professions are occupational groupings that exercise relatively high degrees of control over the conditions as well as how they carry out their work. This kind of arrangement provides a mechanism for organising some aspects of social life in a way that properly deploys specialist knowledge. Professionalism is therefore viewed as a mode of social coordination and competes with, and provides some insulation from, both market and bureaucratic forms of organisation. It has also been viewed as â€Å"a state of mind† or ideology that reflects a way of thinking about the cognitive aspects of a profession and the characteristics that typify a professional (Van Ruler, 2005). In other words, in the case of teaching, professionalism is the cultural means by which we give meaning, purpose, definition, and direction to work as professionals and the place of practitioners in society. It can therefore be claimed that there is no universal agreement of the concept. It has been implored by some authorities for teaching to become evidence-based profession like medicine and law. Hargreaves, for example describes teaching as the â€Å"paradoxical profession†. He asserts that of all the jobs that are, or aspires to be professions, only teaching is expected to create the human skills and capacities that will enable individuals and organizations to survive and succeed. (Hargreaves, 2003). Carr (1992) has suggested that in this ‘extended’ view of educational professionalism, education and teaching are to be understood by reference to the elaborative network of public duties, obligations and responsibilities in which teaching as a social role is implicated. It can be asserted that if teaching is a profession, there has been an assumption that teachers should be equipped with capacities for autonomous judgement and the freedom to exercise this judgement. It could be considered inappropriate for politicians or employers to dictate to teachers what is or is not worthy of inclusion in the school curriculum, or what kinds of knowledge and skill are crucial for the professional conduct of teaching. It is with this view in mind that Flinders (1980) has argued that teaching is an open-ended activity. Helsby (1995) claims that professionalism is subject to geographical and cultural differences and it can be understood as relating to exceptional standards of behaviour, dedication as well as a strong service ethic. This view is supported by Bryan (2003) who argues that professional work can be seen to be increasingly influenced by politics. This can be justified by the claim that the policies of governments are ideologically driven, hence professionalism may be understood as constructs which develop in response to ideological influences. Thomas (2012) uses professionalism as a descriptor of a combination of teachers’ specific capabilities and knowledge, the purpose and ethical underpinnings of their work, the extent to which they are able to exercise independent and critical judgement, their role in shaping and leading changes in their field, and their relationship to other stakeholders. Despite the vicissitude of the notion of professionalism in education, standard analyses of how this concept can be applied in public services such as teaching and nursing have stressed the importance of specialist knowledge  and expertise, ethical codes as well as procedures concerned with training, induction and continuing professional development (Flexner, 1915; Larson, 1977; Langford, 1978; Eraut, 1994). Attached to this view of professionalism is the assumption that in exchange for a greater say in matters related to school and teaching, teachers are expected to submit to greater levels of scrutiny and work roles that go beyond classroom teaching (Stone-Johnson, 2013). In this exchange there is a shift of power whereby as the work of the teachers becomes increasingly professionalised, teachers appear to have surrendered degrees of professionalism. The critical project in education supervenes from the postulation that pedagogical practices are linked to social practices, and that it is the task of the critical intellectual to identify and address injustices in these practices. The Frankfurt School’s perception of Critical Theory was driven by an underlying commitment to the notion that theory as well as practice must inform the work of those who seek to transform the oppressive conditions that exist in the world. Their ideas influenced other great critical theorists such as Freire and Gramsci. If the notion of critical theory is to be linked to the debate on professionalism, it can be argued that the development of critical pedagogy out of critical theory has changed the way through which the role of the teacher is seen, particularly the professional position of the teacher in the society. It has been argued that there has been a widespread erosion of professional autonomy in recent years (Barton et al, 1994, Whitty et al 1998). This has been a result of the centralisation of control over all aspects of teacher’s work such as curriculum (National Curriculum, literacy and numeracy hours), assessment, (SATs, QAA/ Ofsted Inspections) and conditions of service (imposed by the employers in a controlled quasi-market regulated by centralist funding formulae, league tables and inspection regimes.) (Freidson, 2001). This can be corroborated by a survey of teachers carried by Helsby and McCulloch (1997) as it showed that the government onslaught of edicts and initiatives demolished professionalism. It has been argued the formulation of policy documents have positioned the teacher as fundamentally impotent in terms of curriculum design. The teacher  has been reduced to a mere curriculum deliverer. This is mainly to system of communication that is viewed as one-sided by educational critiques. Murphy and Fleming (2010) have attempted to deal with this issue by using the Habermas’ notion of communicative action. They argue that, for Habermas, the essential feature of communicative action is that it aims at reaching agreement. Furthermore in order for that agreement to be not only mutually acceptable but satisfactory, its participants must be willing to make and defend validity claims such as claims of truth, rightness and truthfulness. Habermas’ notion accedes to the fact that while validity claims are raised automatically in everyday communication, it is only when communication aims primarily at reaching consensus, and when participants provide reasons for their argument, that rationality actually manifests itself. It can be argued that in the case of professionalism, Critical Theory is meant to herald a liberatory education that empowers stakeholders, fosters curiosity and critical thinking, and provides a means for crucial successful bottom-up, top-down engagement in the political arena. The introduction of a prescriptive and centralised National Curriculum has greatly weakened the professional confidence of teachers, (Helsby and McCulloch, 1997). It has also left them uncertain of their ability to cope and of their right to take major curriculum decisions. This has resulted in the government having more control over the teaching profession, (Meyer- Emerick, 2004). Critical theory prefers to call this process ‘one-dimensionality’ of life. Thus this extended the existing understanding of power and its impact on the construction of knowledge. Gramsci was deeply concerned with the manner in which domination was undergoing major shifts and changes within the industrial western societies. He developed a theory of hegemony, whereby he sought to explain the manner by which these changes were exercised more and more through the moral leaders of the society (including teachers) who participated in and reinforced universal ‘common sense’ notions of what is considered to be truth in society. This is consonant with Foucault’s questioning of what he termed ‘regimes of truth’ that were upheld and perpetuated through the manner in which particular knowledge was legitimated within the context of a variety of power relationships within the society. Foucault’s perceptions of power is not  solely at play in the context of domination, but also in the context of creative acts of resistance and these are produced as human beings are interact across the dynamic of relationship and shaped by moments of dominance and autonomy. Such a viewpoint challenges the dichotomised standpoint of either domination or powerlessness of power as enticed by radi cal education theorists. Thus it can be argued that Foucault’s writing on knowledge and power shed light on a critical understanding of the teaching profession in relation to authority. More so it does open the door to a better understanding of power relations within the context of teaching practice.