Welcome to a summary of my work while at Argosy. Enjoy!

1. Undergraduate Studies
ePortfolio
Frances Carpenter
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology,
2011
1

2. Personal Statement
PERSONAL STATEMENT
My name is Frances Lucy Carpenter.
Frances Lucy means “free light,” and I
feel I epitomize this definition. I have
dealt with many adversities in my life,
but am proud to say that I am grateful
for the “bad times” as they have made
me the courageous, strong person that I
am today.

3. Personal Statement
I have worked in many areas, including
sales, clerical, and Behavioral Health.
Most of my experience comes from
working with the adult population who
suffer from serious mental illness. This
has been interesting, challenging, and
fulfilling. It fulfills my desire to help
people.

4. Personal Statement
My interests are many, and varied. I
love to sing and play my baroque
instrument, the recorder. I like to ride
horses, cook, read, and cross-stitch.

5. Personal Statement
My passion is to help people, as I said
previously. In being true to myself, I am
in the process of starting a nonprofit
organization. This organization is
designed to provide low cost Behavioral
Health services to people who
otherwise would not be able to afford
them. I am very active in pursuing this
goal, and intend to open my facility in
late 2012.

6. Personal Statement
The biggest challenge I face with this, is
getting funding from the community! In
preparation for this endeavor, I am
taking courses and working in a
nonprofit agency for the task of learning
how to run a business – something I‟ve
never done before.

7. Personal Statement
I would love to work as a Project
Manager, to prepare me further for this
position I have created for myself. I
give all of me to a project. I do not allow
distractions from home or school to
affect me when I am at work, just as
when I am at home or school, I am
totally focused on what I am doing
there.

8. Personal Statement
I intend to start my Master‟s in
Industrial/Organizational Psychology in
January, after completing my Bachelor‟s
in Psychology in Psychology. I am
excited about the challenges before me;
I relish the idea of growing in both
knowledge and experience. At the
same time, I feel comfortable about the
decisions I have made, as they reflect
my passion to help the mentally ill in my
community.

9. Personal Statement
In the next six months, to prepare me
for opening the nonprofit organization,
which is called Visionary Recovery
Services, I will shadow Chief Executive
Officers in other behavioral health
companies in the area. I have found
most of the professionals in the field to
be very accommodating and excited by
my desired projects.

10. Personal Statement
I am passionate and committed. My
strengths include being hard-working,
honest, and dependable. I spend much
time in self-reflection. This helps me
stay on track with my goals. I have a
tremendous amount of compassion for
people who are not as well of as I am
which leads me sometimes, to care too
much for individuals. I also have a
tendency to be hard on myself.

11. Personal Statement
I am actively working to minimize my
weaknesses and emphasize my
strengths. I love receiving feedback, as
I feel this is how one grows. I do not
have a problem admitting that I am
wrong, or that I have made a mistake. I
am quick to ask for forgiveness and
slow to anger.

12. Resume
EDUCATION:
2009-2011. Argosy University.
Phoenix, AZ.
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
1988-2008 Glendale Community College.
Glendale, AZ.
Associate of General Studies.
SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENTS: AGS
with High Distinction, BA „cum laude‟

13. Resume
OTHER TRAININGS Including; Peer
Employment, Mediation, Consumer
Empowerment, Mind over Mood, Civic
Leadership, Cultural Competency, Find
Your Inner Leader, and
Enterpreneurship.

14. Resume
EMPLOYMENT:
2010 – Present Partners In Recovery.
Peoria, AZ.
Chairperson for Community Advisory
Council.

15. Resume
2006-2011 Recovery Innovations of
Arizona. Phoenix, AZ.
Peer Support Crisis Specialist
Duties Included:
Monitoring up to Eight People, Updating and
Maintaining Progress Notes, Coordinating
with Case Managers, Doctors, Nurses, and
Counselors, Training New Employees,
Creating & Conducting “Lunch & Learn”
Sessions for Staff, Coaching coworkers.

16. Resume
2001-2003 META Services. Phoenix, AZ.
Peer Support Specialist
Duties Included:
Envisioning, Creating, & Leading Wellness and
Empowerment in Life and Living (WELL) and
Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP)
classes, Reviewing & Changing Curriculum,
Organizing Outside Activities.

17. Resume
OTHER EXPERIENCE:
Sales, Inventory, Ordering, Clerical,
Assistant Librarian, Teacher‟s Aide,
Eight years as a Group Facilitator.
Keynote Speaker in San Diego.
Starting nonprofit organization.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Number 1 in
Sales, Dating, & Recruiting,

18. Resume
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:
The American Psychological Assoc.,
Student Affiliate,
National Assoc. for Professional Women.
HOBBIES: Reading, researching, cross-
stitching, horse riding, playing
instruments, and teaching.

19. Resume
REFERENCES:
Michelle Bloss, MEd (602)650-1212
Recovery Services Administrator
michelleb@recoveryinnovations.org
Gene Johnson, MA (602)650-1212
CEO
gene@recoveryinnovations.org
Norm Sartor, (623)583-0232
Site Administrator
norman.sartor@azpir.org

20. Reflection
During my time at Argosy, Phoenix, I
have learned much about expression of
ideas. describing research and
challenging previous ideas. I have
discovered the value of accurately
reporting information. The studies into
psychology have broadened my
experiences. I have learned the
importance of maintaining an open
mind, and being nonjudgmental.

21. Table of Contents
Cognitive Abilities: Critical Thinking and
Information Literacy
Research Skills
Communication Skills: Oral and Written
Ethics and Diversity Awareness
Foundations of Psychology
Applied Psychology
Interpersonal Effectiveness

22. Cognitive Abilities
Cognitive Abilities: Critical Thinking and
Information Literacy
Legalization of Active Euthanasia in Arizona
“The term Euthanasia is taken from the Greek language. “Eu” means
“good” and “thantos” means “death;” euthanasia means “good death” (Rebman,
2002). There are four types of euthanasia; active, passive, involuntary, and
nonvoluntary. Active euthanasia , also called Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS)
should be legalized in Arizona. Following in the footsteps of Oregon, Linda
Lopez, a Democratic Senator in Phoenix, has proposed six bills to legalize PAS
since 2003 (Tucson Citizen, 2011).
Before continuing, definitions of the terms being used here will be given.
Euthanasia is a blanket term that covers four separate distinctions. One uses
the word most often when talking of mercy killing or when putting a pet to sleep.
The definition given for the blanket term is this; “the act or practice of killing or
bringing about the death of a person who suffers from an incurable disease or
condition, especially a painful one, for reasons of mercy. Euthanasia is
sometimes regarded by the law as second-degree murder, manslaughter, or
criminally negligent homicide” (Ferguson, 2007. p. 20). The four forms of
euthanasia, as previously stated are passive, involuntary, nonvoluntary, and
active.

23. Cognitive Abilities
Passive euthanasia is legal. It is “the act of allowing a terminally ill patient
to die, by either withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining support, such as a
respirator or feeding tube” (Ferguson, 2007. p. 20). One usually connects
passive euthanasia with Do Not Resuscitate orders or “pulling the plug.”
Involuntary and nonvoluntary euthanasia are similar in that they both occur with
a non-consenting patient, but in the case of nonvoluntary euthanasia, the patient
is also incompetent (Ferguson, 2007). “Active euthanasia is performed by a
facilitator (usually a physician) who not only provides the means of death but
also carries out the final death-causing act (Ferguson, 2007. p. 20).” In this
paper, active euthanasia, in specific, Physician Assisted Suicide will be
proposed as being viable in our society. Physician Assisted Suicide (PAS)
requires that the physician is not present and does not perform the act
(Ferguson, 2007). It is called “physician assisted” because the physician is
responsible for making the decision to prescribe life-ending medications.
Certain safeguards are necessary to prevent unnecessary “killing” of innocent or
incompetent people.

24. Cognitive Abilities
The Death with Dignity Act in Oregon outlines the circumstances in which
euthanasia can be legally used. This allows people in their last days of life to
decide to end their suffering, without risking the prosecution of the doctors or
pharmacists involved in providing the medications necessary. Without this act,
people who are suffering are forced to continue living undignified, hopeless
lives, which lead many to violently kill themselves without the prior knowledge of
friends and family. This action can be devastating to those left behind,
memories of the person are not as they lived, but in the horrible ways that they
die. The arguments made by opponents to this practice, will be analyzed and
reasons why it should be legalized in Arizona with similar limits as in Oregon will
be explored. The Death with Dignity Act was passed in Oregon in 1997. It
states;

25. Cognitive Abilities
The patient must be an Oregon resident, at least eighteen years old.
The patient must be diagnosed with a terminal illness that will lead to death within
six months
The patient must make two oral requests, at least fifteen days apart.
The patient must give the physician a signed, written request that has been
witnessed by two people, only one of whom can be a relative.
A second physician must confirm the diagnosis and prognosis.
Both physicians must find the patient competent and acting voluntarily.
The physician must inform the patient of alternatives, including care comfort, pain
control, and hospice care.
If the patient is found to be mentally or emotionally disturbed, the physician must
refer them for a psychological assessment.
The physician must request that next-of-kin be notified.
The physician must notify the patient of the ability to change their mind at any time
during the process. (Rebman, 2002).
This is the model that should be used in legalizing active euthanasia in Arizona.

26. Critics say that euthanasia should not be legalized because it “will
become nonvoluntary” (Euthanasia.com, 2011). This argument contains many
errors in reasoning, namely; an unwarranted assumption, an either/or outlook,
overgeneralization, and an irrational appeal to emotions. An unwarranted
assumption is where one “take[s] too much for granted” (Ruggiero, 2008. p. 99).
In this case, the arguer is saying that once PAS becomes legal, it will be abused
and innocent people will be “killed.” An either/or outlook is present because the
arguer does not consider the compromise of legalizing euthanasia with
restrictions (Ruggiero, 2008). The arguer also overgeneralizes, by suggesting
that all Doctors are corrupt and would abuse their power to inflict death on the
innocent (Ruggiero, 2008). Finally, the arguer “uses feelings as a substitute for
thought” (Ruggiero, 2008. p. 125). Instead of providing proof of abuse, this
arguer “pulls at the heartstrings” of individuals by suggesting that innocent
people will definitely be hurt, instead of acknowledging the guidelines
proponents have agreed to (Compassion and Choices, 2011).

27. Cognitive Abilities
Following along with this concept of abusing power, some are concerned
about “state-sponsored euthanasia involuntarily applied to the disabled or
otherwise devalued members of our society” (Friedman, 2007. p. 57). There is
no support for this fear since the legalization of PAS in Oregon. “According to
Oregon officials, between 1997, when the law permitting physician assisted
suicide took effect, and the end of 2004, 208 patients had used the act to end
their lives” (Friedman, 2007. p. 19). There have also been no legal reports or
claims of coercion to commit suicide or of abuse of this Act to the Board of
Medical Examiners in Oregon (Friedman, 2007). “Rigorous safeguards…can
prevent nonvoluntary euthanasia by ensuring that euthanasia occurs only at the
request of the suffering individual” (Balkin, 2005. p. 148).
Opponents would also argue that a Doctor should not allow disturbed
patients to participate in PAS. They are right. They worry that physicians will
not recognize “disturbed patients.” “It is not difficult to determine when someone
may be depressed, and the Oregon law and others like it, require an
assessment for depression whenever it is suspected. When adequate
safeguards are in place, it is very unlikely that suicidal intentions will be
overlooked.” (Friedman, 2007. p. 55).

28. Cognitive Abilities
In this writer‟s opinion, it might even be said that more depressed people
will be identified, assessed, and treated, than if the law was not in effect.
Moreover, if a person is denied the choice and availability of PAS, they may
become desperate and resort to violent means to kill themselves (Friedman,
2007).
If we are willing to accept that elderly people are competent when they
prepare their Last Will and Testament, we must also accept that people are able
to make their own decisions and choices (Balkin, 2005). “The patient‟s
judgment of whether continued life is a benefit…must carry the greatest weight
provided always that the patient is competent” (Balkin, 2005. p. 20). This writer
agrees with Friedman (2007) when she says that “individuals are…the best
judges and guardians of their own interests” (p. 16).
Another opinion that causes controversy around PAS is that “Dignity is
found in the strength to live, not the wish to die” (Freidman, 2007. p.44). The
term “dignity” is defined by Merriam-Webster as, “the quality or state of being
worthy, honored, or esteemed “ (2011). It also has “quality” as a synonym
(Merriam-Webster, 2011). Therefore, dignity is a value, and each person holds
various values differently. Some argue that “true dignity and autonomy are
achieved when one lives one‟s life to its fullest rather than weakly opting for
suicide” (Friedman, 2007. p. 39). It is argued that if one possesses resilience,
one can overcome the pain and suffering of some terminal illnesses. However,
some people see resilience in a different light.

29. Cognitive Abilities
They do not believe they are weak or lacking in resilience, they believe that the
decision they are making shows that they want to maintain their beliefs and
values about their lives.
One alternative offered by opponents to PAS is hospice care. Hospice
care began as an alternative to hospitals, and resembled nursing homes. Their
goal was to make the end of life as comfortable as possible. Nowadays, many
people utilize hospice programs and stay in their own homes. Pain
management is provided, but no life-lengthening procedures are done.
Problems, however, exist with hospice care. In many cases, Medicare and
Private Insurance do not cover the costs involved, medical staff in hospitals fail
to recognize suitable candidates for hospice, hospices struggle because of “turf
and funding issues” (Kiernan, 2006), and Medicare‟s eligibility requirements
make it difficult for Doctors to consider making hospice an option Kiernan,
2006). The good news is that care for the dying has improved in Oregon, since
passing the Death with Dignity Act (Balkin, 2005). It appears that more people
are becoming cognizant of the problems facing terminally ill people. However,
waiting to die is not the choice for everybody.

30. Cognitive Abilities
Many terminally ill patients end up in nursing homes. Researchers at the
University of California in San Francisco did a study of the quality of care in
nursing homes, with a national overview. Their results were disturbing. They
found that residents were strapped down, hungry, dirty, at risk for illness and
falls, humiliated, and in 30.5 percent of facilities in California, these people
actually got sicker. ( Kiernan, 2006) Is this dignified?
“Options such as terminal sedation or voluntarily stopping eating and
drinking may not appeal to people who wish to have a dignified departure with a
finite end that allows them to achieve closure in their lives” (Friedman, 2007. p.
57). It can take up to fourteen days to die without nutrition, and it is a very
painful way to end life (Humphry, 1991). Sedation and many pain management
policies are either not enough to ease suffering, or the medication used kills
people anyway (Treinen, personal communication, 2011). Friedman (2007)
states that some people wish to preserve their meaning in life and identity, by
choosing their time to die. Freidman (2007) also says that when a pet is
suffering, it is put down, and that even murderers on Death Row get a dignified
death (Friedman, 2007). “Why must humans suffer when there is no hope of
recovery?” (Friedman, 2007).

31. Cognitive Abilities
This next illustration describes, not only the undignified way in which this
terminally ill cancer patient died, but also of the horrible memory his daughter
has to live with. “I found him in his room with his head mostly blown off and
blood and brain matter scattered all over his room and the hall to the bathroom”
(Friedman, 2007. p.37). With the Death with Dignity Act, next-of-kin are notified,
the person can say goodbye and settle differences. With suicide the people left
behind often feel guilt about not being able to do anything to help. Because so
many suicides are violent, the person is remembered “damaged” somehow. In
the example given, this daughter does not have the freedom to remember her
father fondly instead she is left with a horrendous scene in her mind.
In an article published by the Tucson Citizen in 2009, Rose Epstein of Sun
City West, Arizona, claimed, “We have compassion on our dogs, but we don‟t
allow people, who are more than dogs, to make such an important decision for
themselves.” Compassion and Choices, formerly known as the Hemlock
Society, has a dream that people can be free to live and die with dignity, in the
manner that goes along with their values (Lee, 2011). They argue that “too
many people suffer needlessly, too many people endure unrelenting pain, and
too many people turn to violent means at the end of life (Compassion and
Choices, 2011).” Kathryn Tucker, the Legislative Director of Compassion and
Choices states that Compassion and Choices is leading the legal campaign to
help families and individuals seek recourse at the end of life (Compassion and
Choices, 2011).

32. Cognitive Abilities
One woman summed it up thus, “What mattered most was knowing [my mother] could die.
She was calling the shots again; her death would be like her life” (Balkin, 2005. p.30).
Who has the right to end life? One family “valued him and did not want him to kill
himself “(Friedman, 2007. p. 29). Did he value his end days of suffering? Whose wishes
were carried out by preventing him from dying? “Anyone who values individual liberty
should agree…that person whose life it is, should be the one to decide if that life is worth
continuing…”(Friedman, 2007. p. 18).
Is it ethical for a Doctor to prescribe life-ending medications? “Do No Harm” is a part
of the Hippocratic Oath that physicians swear by (Friedman, 2007). What does this mean,
specifically, in this case? Does this mean, “under no circumstances, let someone die?” or
does it mean accepting the fact that by not honoring someone‟s choices, autonomy, and
unnecessary suffering, you are committing harm? (Friedman, 2007) “Doctors can show
compassion for patients…by helping make their last months as dignified and comfortable as
possible. In this way, Doctors fulfill their roles as healers by helping patients preserve the
meaning of their lives” (Friedman, 2007. p. 54).
As has been shown in this paper, PAS would end suffering (at the choice of the
patient) and doctors have a moral obligation to respect patients‟ choices. It has been
proven in Oregon that the PAS Act does not lead to abuse or excessive suicides. Therefore
in the name of Liberty, people have the right to decide how and when they die when faced
with a terminal, and sometimes painful, illness. With the proper guidelines and follow-
through of consequences on abusers, it is sensible to legalize Physician Assisted Suicide in
Arizona.

33. Cognitive Abilities
References
Balkin, K.F. (2005). Assisted suicide: Current controversies. Thomson Gale.
Compassion and Choices. (2011). Retrieved from www.compassionandchoices.org.
Euthanasia. (2011). Retrieved from www.euthanasia.com.
Ferguson, J.L. (2007). The right to die. Chelsea House Publishers.
Friedman, L.S. (2007). Writing the critical essay: Assisted suicide. Thomson Gale.
Humphry, D. (1991). The final exit: The practicalities of self-deliverance and
assisted suicide for the dying. The Hemlock Society.
Kiernan, S.P. (2006). Last rights: Rescuing the end of life from the medical system.
St. Martin‟s Press.
Lee, B. (2011). Retrieved from www.compassionandchoices.org.
Merriam-Webster. (2011). Retrieved from www.merriamwebster.com.
Rebman, R.C. (2002) Euthanasia and the “right to die:” A pro/con issue. Enslow.
Ruggiero, V. R. (2008) Beyond feelings: A guide to criticaltThinking. (8th ed.).
McGraw Hill.

34. Research Skills
Research Skills
Abstract
This literary review studies the research into maladaptive attachment styles, also
known as Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). There are ten studies delineated
here show a diverse cross-section of research. The areas of study that were
explored in order to answer the research question of whether there is a correlation
between RAD and Psychopathy were; the effects of parental behavior on their
children, mental states and resulting Reactive Attachment Disorder, the possibility of
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in parents contributing to RAD, the attachment
effects on prisoners of war, and whether RAD is a mediating factor in depression.
Each study is explored and the limitations of the studies are given. Future research
opportunities have also been outlined.
Keyword: Reactive Attachment Disorder, Attachment, Borderline Personality
Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Posttraumatic Disorder.

35. Research Skills
The Relationship between Attachment Disorders and Psychopathy
There has been some research into the possibility of a correlation between
psychopathy and attachment styles since Bowlby (1969, 1793, & 1980)
identified differences in behavior of children left at a hospital away from the care
of their parents. Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall (1978) followed with their
strange situation study and identified three different types of attachment; secure,
avoidant-ambivalent, and anxious. Since then, some researchers have
identified the disorganized type (a combination of avoidant-ambivalent and
anxious) (Shorey, Snyder, 2006). This literature review looks at research over
the past ten years, to investigate the hypothesis that there is a correlation
between childhood maladaptive attachment (or Reactive Attachment Disorder
(RAD)) and psychopathy. RAD is defined by Becker-Weidman (2009) as “a
composite of internalizing and externalizing, and other types of undesirable
behavior that many interfere with the individual‟s adaptive functioning” (p.144).
Further, the research question that will be explored is whether there is a
correlation between RAD and psychopathy.

36. Research Skills
Before examining the research available, it is necessary to understand the
vocabulary used. Psychopathy is defined as, “a personality disorder
characterized by a constellation of traits including interpersonal affective
features and antisocial features” (Gao, Raine Chan, Venables, & Mednick,
2010). RAD is more difficult to define, as there is no clear-cut construct for this
disorder (Sheperis, et al. 2003). In adults two psychometric tests are used; the
Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and the Experiences in Close Relationships
Scale (ECRS), that examine close relationships. This is not possible with
children, which means that most of the data relies on parents‟ reports and
observations of behavior. One of the biggest challenges is that many of the
behaviors displayed by RAD children are mirrored in other disorders.

37. Research Skills
In 2009. The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-II was used by Becker-
Weidman (2009) to determine that foster and adopted children showed a lower
average developmental age (4.4 years) than their average chronological age
(9.9 years). They concluded that “disorganized attachment is associated with a
number of developmental problems, including dissociative symptoms,
depression, anxiety, and acting-out symptoms” (Becker-Weidman, 2009. p. 139-
140) and an increased likelihood of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) into
adulthood (Becker-Weidman, 2009). Dissociative problems with the mother
have also been proven to be associated with disorganized attachment with their
infants (Abrams, Rifkin, & Hesse, 2006). The authors (Abrams et al. 2006)
explored frightened/frightening behavior on the part of the primary caregiver.
They surmised that because an infant is frightened by this caregiver, they show
signs of its disorganized attachment, which is demonstrated by the infant‟s
“approach and flee” responses toward caregivers (Abrams et al. 2009).

38. Research Skills
Mothers with low reflective functioning (RF) also showed a correlation
between insecure attachment and Axis I and II diagnoses (Bouchard et al.
2008). RF is defined as the capacity to see and think about mental states in
oneself and others (Bouchard et al. 2008). Borderline Personality Disorder
(BPD), as classified by the DSM-IV-TR (APA, 2010) has been seen in
“maltreated individuals” (Bouchard et al. 2008). Obsessive Compulsive
symptoms have been correlated with avoidant and anxious attachment styles
(Doron, Moulding, Kyrios, Nedeljkovik, & Mikulincer, 2009). This study
suggested that unrealistic beliefs may be caused by maladaptive styles (Doron,
et al. 2009). It showed that “psychological functioning” (Doron et al. 2009)
carries on through into adulthood (Doron et al., 2009). Psychopathy scores in
adults are higher among those who experienced a lack of attachment (Gao, et
al., 2010). The bonding experience is more important between the mother and
infant that between father and infant (Johnson, Lui, & Cohen, 2011), however
this study showed that paternal behavior was also important in healthy child-
rearing and that “positive parents led to less maladaptive offspring” (Gao, et al.
2010). The disorders that Johnson et al. (2011) showed were that behavior
modification in parents led to greater resiliency when the children reached
adulthood (Johnson et al. 2011).

39. Research Skills
An adult attachment and affect regulation study explored and proved that anxious
and avoidant attachments are mediating factors in psychological difficulties (Wei, Vogel,
Tsun-Yao, & Zakalik, 2005). The reason for the study about childhood maltreatment was to
find out specific maternal behaviors that lead to positive outcomes with their children (Wei,
et al. 2005). It was discovered that at-risk mothers have lower self-confidence in their ability
to raise healthy children, leading to depression in the mother and consequently poor
bonding with the infant or child (Wei, et al. 2005). The authors (Wei et al. 2005) also found
that different forms of maltreatment had differing results. For example, sexual abuse of
mothers led to higher avoidant attachment than other abuse (Wei, et al. 2005). Wei &
Heppner (2006) also explored the possibility of maladaptive attachment was a mediating
factor for future psychopathy. They (Wei et al. 2006) studied students to explore whether
“maladaptive perfectionism” was the cause of problematic attachment styles. Their study
was inconclusive as to whether the perfectionistic tendencies led to maladaptive attachment
or the other way round (Wei, et al. 2006).
Lopez & Hsu (2002) studied the adult-parent attachment styles. They discovered
that most of their sample population had secure styles with their mothers and fathers, but
that, largely, the strength of that attachment was different for each parent. Those identified
as having insecure attachments also significantly showed problems in attachment with their
peers. However, they also discovered that there was little difference between the
participants who had attachment problems with one parent and not the other, and those who
had attachment problems with both parents (Lopea et al. 2002).

40. Research Skills
Interestingly, a seventeen year longitudinal study (Mikulincer, Ein-Dor,
Solomon, & Shaver, 2011) was done on prior prisoners of war. The control
group was composed of those soldiers who had not been captured. The results
showed that while PTSD increased linearly for the control group, attachment
disorders and complex PTSD increased at a greater trajection in the
experimental group (Mikulincer, et al. 2011).
This paper has reviewed current research in an attempt to answer the
research question; whether there is a correlation between RAD and
psychopathy. Many problems exist with the research that has been done thus
far. Some of the studies had few participants (Becker-Weidman, 2009,
Bouchard et al. 2008, Lopez et al. 2002 & Wei et al. (2006), or the participants
were chosen from those people already identified as being “at risk,” (Becker-
Weidman, 2009, & Bouchard et al. 2009) which means it is difficult to generalize
to the entire population. Many of the studies were performed on students in
psychology classes and were mostly of Caucasian, middle-upper classes
(Abrams et al. 2009, Bouchard et al. 2009, Doron et al. 2009, Lopez et al. 2002,
Wei et al. 2005, & Wei et al. 2006). Another widespread challenge for all the
researchers was the fact that all the studies were from self-reported inventories.
There needs to be an observational piece to future research. Gao et al. (2010)
found that they could not distinguish genetics from attachment behavior by the
caregiver.

41. Research Skills
The wording of Lopez et al.‟s study was such that certain people may
have been dissuaded from participating. In both of Wei et al.‟s studies (2005, &
2006) disorganized attachment was not addressed.
Comprehensive research is needed in these areas. There have been no
definitive studies into the causes and results of maladaptive attachment styles or
RAD. Further research should concentrate on generalizing the results outlined
in this paper. It is also necessary to research into the disorders that are likely to
be caused by RAD, and which ones are not, as there is a risk that children will
be “pigeonholed,” by diagnosing all children who experience behavioral
problems with RAD (Sheperis et al. 2003).

42. Research Skills
References
Abrams, K.Y., Rifkin, A.,& Hesse, E. (2009). Examining the rule of parental
predicting disorganized attachment within a brief observational procedure.
Development and Psychopathology,18, 355-361.
Ainsworth, M., Blehar, M., Waters, E., & Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of attachment: A
psychological study of the strange situation. Hillsdale, NJ. Erlbaum.
Becker- Weidman, A. (2009). Effects of early maltreatment on development: A
descriptive study using the Vineyard Adaptive Scales – II. Child Welfare League
of America, 88(2) 637-161.
Bouchard, M-A, Target, M., Lecours, S., Fonagy, P.,, Tremblay, L-M., Schachter, A.,
& Stein, H. (2008). Mentalization in adult attachment narratives: Reflective
functioning, mental states, and affect elaboration compared. Psychoanalytic
Psychology,25(1), 47-66.
Bowlby, J., (1969). Attachment and Loss (1): Attachment. New York: Basic Books.
Bowlby, J., (1973). Attachment and Loss (2): Separation. New York: Basic Books.
Bowlby, J., (1980). Attachment and Loss (3): Loss, Sadness, and Depression. New
York: Basic Books.

43. Research Skills
Doron, G., Moulding, R., Kyrios, M., Nedeljkovik, M., & Mikulincer, M. (2009). Adult
Attachment insecurities are related to obsessive compulsive phenomena.
Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 28(8), 1022.
Gao, Y., Raine, A., Chan, F., Venables, R.H., & Mednick, S.A. (2010). Early
maternal and paternal bonding, childhood physical abuse and adult
psychopathic personality. Psychological Medicine 40, 1007-1016.
Johnson, J., Lui, L., & Cohen, P., (2011). Parenting behaviours associated with the
development of adaptive and maladaptive offspring personality traits. The
Canadian Journal of Psychiatry,56(8). 447-455.
Lopez, F., Hsu, P-C. (2002). Further validation of a measure of parent-adult
attachment style. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and
Development, 34(4), 223-237
Mikulincer, M, Ein-Dor, T., Solomon, Z., Shaver, P., (2011). Trajectories of
attachment insecurities over a 17-year period: A latent growth curve analysis of
the impact of war captivity and posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Social
and Clinical Psychology, 30(9), 960-984
Sheperis, C.J., Doggett, R.A., Hoda, N.E., Blanchard, T., Renfro-Michel, E.L.,
Holdeness, S.H., & Schlagheck, R. (2003). The development of an assessment
protocol for reactive attachment disorder. Journal of Mental Health Counseling,
25(4), 291-310.

44. Research Skills
Shorey, H..S., & Snyder, C.R. (2006). The role of adult attachment styles in
psychopathology outcomes. Review of General Psychology, 10(1), 1-20.
Wei, M., Vogel, D., Tsun-Yao, K.,& Zakalik, R., (2005). Adult attachment, affect
regulation, negative mood, and interpersonal problems: The mediating roles of
emotional reactivity and emotional cutoff. Journal of Counseling Psychology,
52(1), 14-24.
Wei, M., Heppner, P.P., Russell, D.W., & Young, S.K. (2006). Maladaptive
perfectionism and ineffective coping as mediators between attachment and
future depression: A prospective analysis. Journal of Counseling, 53(1), 67-79.

45. Communication Skills
Communication Skills: Oral and Written
Self-Actualization
Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow had similar views about personality
development, but they also had important differences. This paper will introduce
both Rogers‟ and Maslow‟s theories of self-actualization, noticing their
similarities and their differences. Two examples of their various approaches will
also be given.
Firstly, this writer is going to explore Rogers‟ and Maslow‟s similarities.
They were both humanists, believing, “the will toward actualization is an innate
and natural process” (Seligman, & Reichenberg, 2010. p. 177) and that a
therapist, “facilitate[s] movement toward higher levels of experience and control
and abandoning our driven and goal-directed ways” (Seligman, & Reichenberg,
2010. p 382). They both “focused on the positive” (Argosy, 2011) and believed
in “peak experiences” (Argosy, 2011).
According to Jean Hardy (1987) those who reach self-actualization;
may be more prone to a kind of cosmic sadness….over the stupidity of people,
their self-defeat, their blindness, their cruelty to each other, their short-
sightedness. Perhaps this comes from the contrast between what actualization
is and the ideal world, transcenders [self-actualizers] can so see so easily and
so vividly, and which is in principle so easily attainable (p. 31).

46. Communication Skills
Both Rogers and Maslow believed this. They also said, about life, “they
master it, lead it, use it for good purposes, as (healthy) politicians or practical
people do. That is, these people tend to be „doers‟ rather than mediators or
contemplators” (Hardy, 1987. p. 60). They are “in touch with the centre, “I” and
allowing oneself to be in touch with the Higher Self” (Hardy, 1987. p. 60).
Rogers‟ and Maslow‟s theories stated that individuals have a “built in motivation
to fulfill potential” (Argosy, 2011) “as a means of survival” (Argosy, 2011). They
believed that “some events are experienced below the threshold of awareness
and are either ignored or denied” (Feist, & Feist, 2009. p. 316), ” and that these
are the “processes necessary to become a person” (Feist, & Feist, 2009. p.
316).”
According to Rogers and Maslow, an “individual must make contact with
another person” (Feist, & Feist, 2009. p. 317). In self-actualized people, “the
essence of a person can be seen to be his or her whole being” (Hardy, 1987. p.
175). Both Rogers and Maslow ”held that fundamentally people are good,
though clearly that goodness can become highly distorted and lead to sobering
events we see in our lives daily” (Hardy, 1987. p. 175). They also believed in a
phenomenological approach.

47. Communication Skills
Rogers differed from Maslow, in that he believed in “intrinsic strife”
(Argosy, 2011). He felt that “self-actualization [could be] blocked by feelings of
low self-worth” (Argosy, 2011). He believed that “clients react to the
phenomenal field as they experience and prevent it. For instance, if they see
the world as distrustful, they will choose superficial interactions with people and
this will strengthen their beliefs” (Argosy, Counseling Theories, 2011). “Rogers
viewed incongruence, or not being your true self, as the cause of anxiety,
adjustment problems, and the need to seek to therapy” (Seligman, &
Reichenberg, 2010. p. 148). He believed that, “significant positive change does
not occur except in a relationship” (Seligman, & Reichenberg, 2010. p. 152).
Maslow disagreed with Rogers‟ view of the path to self-actualization.
While Rogers believed growth occurred only through personal relationships, as
shown earlier, Maslow believed in a “hierarchy of needs” (Argosy, 2011) and is
well known for this hierarchy. He claimed that a person must develop in a
certain order, or according to the fulfilling of certain needs. These needs, in the
order that they need to be fulfilled are, physiological, safety, love and belonging,
and esteem needs. Only then can a person move into the final level of the
hierarchy; self-actualization.

48. Communication Skills
Physiological needs are those that we all need to survive, such as food,
water and air. Safety needs cover not only the obvious need to be away from
danger, but also the feelings of security about one‟s job, one‟s home, and one‟s
family. Love and belonging needs are those that Rogers referred to; the need to
have meaningful, loving relationships. Esteem needs are those of not only
valuing yourself, but also of being valued by others. Self-actualization is the
final step. However, “if people immerse themselves in the transpersonal domain
before having a well-developed ego, psychopathology results” (Seligman, &
Reichenberg, 2010. p. 380).
When discussing the difference between people who work through all the
stages of the hierarchy and do not achieve self-actualization, and those that do,
Maslow said, “Self-actualized people are motivated by the „eternal verities‟”
(Feist, Feist, 2009. p. 289). ”These are also known as „B-values‟” (Feist, & Feist,
2009. p. 289) or ”metamotivation” (Feist, & Feist, 2009), and include such things
as “truth, goodness, beauty, wholeness, uniqueness, perfection, completion,
justice and order, simplicity, richness or totality, effortlessness, playfulness or
humor, and self-sufficiency or autonomy” (Feist, &Feist, 2009. p. 290). The
other reason Maslow theorized that people do not reach self-actualization is due
to what he called, “The Jonah Complex” (Feist, & Feist, 2009. p.299). He called
it this after Jonah, who in the Bible story “tried to escape from his fate” (Feist, &
Feist, 2009. p. 299). This complex describes people who are afraid of achieving
their destiny because of a “fear of being one‟s best” (Feist, & Feist, 2009).

49. Communication Skills
Coming up with examples of these theories was difficult, but after much
thought, this writer decided to use her own experiences. Without wanting to
seem boastful in any way, this writer truly believes she is self-actualized,
because she has fulfilled her destiny, as she sees it. She always believed that
her “calling” was to help other people. She has done so. She meets the
criterion set forth by both Rogers and Maslow. She has experienced much
“intrinsic strife, ” as required by Rogers and also worked through the hierarchy of
needs proposed by Maslow. The problem exists because she cannot separate
the two theories; they both hold validity in her eyes. In a Discussion Question in
Module 3 of Counseling Theories about identifying self-actualized people, it was
this writer‟s impression that none of the perceived self-actualized people had
achieved it without the intrinsic strife. It seemed to be a pre-requisite for the
experience of self-actualization.

50. Communication Skills
Oprah Winfrey was chosen by a few people in the Discussion Question
just mentioned, as being self-actualized. She herself went through a very
difficult upbringing, before settling each step in the hierarchy of needs. Whether
each person had to “build” on the previous need, or whether they “bounced
around” until they achieved self-actualization is impossible for us to know. For
this writer, it seemed to be a process of ”climbing” each level in order, then
falling back to the beginning again, and again! One day she realized that she
felt different. She was calm, confident, peaceful, and she started receiving what
other people said about her, both past and present. She acknowledged that she
had been a great help to others, and would be missed. She felt she had fulfilled
her destiny, and that if she were to die that day (and any day since), she would
have accomplished her life‟s dream. That is not to say that she will stop there,
she will continue to always do her best, no matter what, until she does leave this
earth. She is also very aware that pride comes before a fall! What this writer is
trying to express does not come from a feeling of pride, but of self-satisfaction.
Both Rogers and Maslow attempted to explain why people grow and
proposed that therapy was “to help people change, grow, develop, live more
satisfying and better lives” (Seligman, & Reichenberg, 2010. p. 143). In this
paper, this writer has shown how similar these two men were in their theories,
but also how each approached the idea of self-actualization from different
avenues. In the examples given in this paper, this writer explores the theories
more closely and comes to the conclusion that each has its merits

51. Communication Skills
References
Argosy Online. (2011). Counseling theories: Module 3. Page 3. Retrieved from
www.myeclassonline.com.
Argosy Online. (2011). Personality theories. Retrieved from
www.myeclassonline.com.
Feist, J., & Feist, G.J. (2009). Theories of personality (7th ed.). McGraw Hill
Hardy, J. (1987). A Psychology with a soul: Psychosynthesis in evolutionary
context. Arkana.
Seligman, L., & Reichenberg, L. (2010). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy:
Systems, strategies, and skills. (3rd ed.). Pearson.

52. Ethics
Ethics and Diversity Awareness
Ethics: LASA
This scenario involves James, a counselor-in-training, with a narrow world
viewpoint, and Lisa, a 21 year old abuse survivor, who has admitted to adding a
prescription drug to her abuser‟s alcoholic drink that resulted in his death. There
are a few ethical concerns within this situation, namely; competence, regarding
James‟ lack of experience in the world and his treating a Latino woman;
confidentiality, and whether it should be broken or not; and whether James is
legally bound to report the crime that Lisa has confessed to.
There are two types of ethics at play here, principle ethics, where the question,
“Is this situation unethical?” is posed; and value ethics, where the counselor is
required to act in the best interests of his client. It should also be noted that
there are several reasons why we have ethical codes; the regulation of
professionals in power roles, ensuring the welfare of the client, and the provision
of guidelines for professionals when faced with ethical dilemmas, are three of
the most prominent reasons.

53. Ethics
As a counselor-in-training, James will have to seek supervision in this
matter. This step should be revisited with Lisa, reminding her of her agreement
to confidentiality being breached when she participated in the informed consent
part of her treatment. With his limited experience, James may not have any
idea how to proceed and would need the help of a supervisor. There are
several steps that James and his supervisor would follow in coming to a decision
about what should be done, if anything, in this situation. The first of these would
be to define the problem. Here the major problem is whether Lisa should be
reported to authorities for having committed such a serious crime. Such action
would destroy her dream of becoming a lawyer. Having identified the problem,
all possible issues need to be considered. Therefore James would have to have
a discussion with his supervisor, as to whether he is able to handle a case that
goes beyond his cultural experience and upbringing. The ethical codes,
standard 4 of the APA Ethical Codes of Conduct, confidentiality and standard 2,
competence should be referred to (APA, 2010).

54. Ethics
As the problem here contains a legal issue, the ramifications of not
sharing the information with authorities should also be considered. At the very
least, Lisa needs to be informed that if called upon, James would be required to
reveal Lisa‟s secret, in a court of law. Next James needs to consider all courses
of action including, breaking confidentiality and referring Lisa to someone more
qualified. Having considered these courses of action, he would then have to
evaluate all possible decisions relating to this case, and then decide what he is
going to do. This final step has to include Lisa, finding a solution that would suit
her. The process of what is going to happen next needs to be explored with
Lisa, with further problem solving techniques discussed as the need arises.
Two things James must keep in mind are nonmalfecience and
beneficence. His decisions in this case will have profound effects on Lisa, so
any decisions made must have Lisa‟s best interests at heart. “Therapeutic
ineffectiveness” on James‟ part would occur when he is not legally able to treat
Lisa because of his own issues. These issues are not insurmountable, though.
It is possible that with the right supervision, James can be effective in treating
Lisa. If the supervisor is unsure as to whether to break confidentiality in the
form of reporting the crime to the authorities, legal advice would also have to be
sought.

55. Ethics
This case is complicated. It is this writer‟s opinion that breaking
confidentiality with anyone except the supervisor would be unethical, as the
legal requirements for doing so have not been met. There is no danger of harm
to anyone else in the future, so there is no duty to warn. The crime also
happened at a time in Lisa‟s life where she did not have the cognitive
capabilities to foresee what the consequences of her actions might be.
Reporting the crime at this stage would do nothing but cause needless trouble
for Lisa. She needs to be counseled to overcome her guilt and shame over the
event, and given the opportunity to forgive herself. Closure is necessary to this
case, as if she were to become a lawyer, she might not be able to act ethically
when faced with someone else who killed their abuser.
As far as competence is concerned, this writer feels that James will need
further training in how to deal with Lisa‟s cultural background, perhaps the
reason that her claims of abuse went unheard, and the seriousness of her crime
that James may not be able to understand, due to his sheltered background. It
is felt that with the proper training and supervision, there is no reason why
James cannot continue treating Lisa.

56. Ethics
As stated above, confidentiality does not need to be breached. It could
have a very damaging effect on Lisa, and without a living witness to her abuse,
she could be prosecuted for murder. Had the deed been reported at the time, it
is unlikely that Lisa would have been sent to prison. She probably would have
been removed from the home and given counseling. (Harris, personal
communication, 2011). James is the only person who can decide, with guidance
from his supervisor, whether he feels competent to continue treating Lisa. If he
feels uncomfortable enough that he is not competent, he should refer Lisa to
someone with more experience.

57. Ethics
References
The American Psychological Association (2010). Ethical Principles of Psychologists
and Code of Conduct. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org.

58. Foundations of Psychology
Foundations of Psychology
Counseling In Action
Abstract
In this paper, this writer will demonstrate the parts of this course that have been
particularly helpful. She will explain why she believes that an integrated
approach is preferable for all therapists to follow, and gives two examples.
Characteristics of a successful counselor will be examined, and then a
discussion on how these characteristics can be developed or strengthened will
follow. A detailed list of this writer‟s strengths and weaknesses as a counselor is
given. Then, the advantages and disadvantages of having both a singular
theory as one‟s focus and having an integrated approach will be explored.
Lastly, this writer will choose three theories she would integrate and techniques
she would use in therapy, then two techniques will be chosen and
demonstrated.

59. Foundations of Psychology
A deeper discussion about the deficits and benefits of an integrated
theory will be covered later in this paper. She chose an integrated theory for all
therapists to use, and will show why in the next two examples. This writer came
to this understanding more clearly after this course, when she realized she had
received several kinds of therapy, but had to change therapists often, in order to
change the focus of treatment. To start with, she underwent Psychoanalysis
(Seligman, & Reichenberg, 2010. p. 37-54), which worked for a while until she
noticed that she was still in denial about her present behaviors. Eventually, she
“went through” a few therapists, before finding one who practiced Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy (Seligman, & Reichenberg, 2010. p. 310-332). She
attended a course called, “Mind Over Matter,” a course that would have made
no sense had she not experienced abreaction (Seligman, & Reichenberg, 2010.
p. 50) and self-exploration. This still did not last. Her problems seemed
insurmountable. No matter how many times she was told it, she just did not
believe that she was loveable, capable or worthwhile. It was not until she did
some Reality Therapy (Seligman, & Reichenberg, 2010. p. 338-353) that she
was able to “put the pieces together, let go of her baggage” and move on. Now
she is confident that she can handle her challenges, and has resources to find
answers to any questions she may have.

60. Foundations of Psychology
Another example is a client named Jane. She presented with severe
trauma history, anger issues and had been diagnosed with Borderline
Personality Disorder. She was, therefore, referred to Dialectical Behavioral
Therapy (Seligman, & Reichenberg, 2010. p. 387). This caused her much
turmoil, because she had intellectualized her past, and spent the entire program
arguing about semantics. She then went through Eye Movement
Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), (Seligman, & Reichenberg, 2010. p.
311), but she still was not able to shake her depression, anxiety, anger and
nightmares. At this time she is experiencing Psychoanalysis (Seligman, &
Reichenberg, 2010. p. 41-48), in order to release her past memories, and finally
understand why she behaves the way she does.
Throughout this course we have been bombarded with characteristics
different theorists claim are irreplaceable in therapy. From our lessons (Argosy,
2011), discussions (Argosy, 2011), and our readings (Seligman, & Reichenberg,
2010), this writer has established the following characteristics, which she will
merely list here. They are; excellent communication and writing skills, good self-
knowledge and boundaries, empathy, competence, mutuality, sensitivity,
comforting, honesty, patience, calmness, hopefulness, trustworthiness, and not
be judgmental. They also need to possess the following abilities; to de-escalate
volatile situations and/or clients, to confront gently and tactfully, to identify with
clients, and lastly, to acknowledge and recognize mistakes and limitations.

61. Foundations of Psychology
A question often asked is whether these skills must be inherent in a
counselor, or can they be learned. This writer believes that someone who is
really committed to helping others through psychology can do so, but they must
first address their own difficulties, perhaps through therapy. Too often, people
enter the profession in order to fulfill an unresolved need, which means that the
client is not the primary focus of therapy, as it should be. There are also
trainings a person can explore to maximize skills, such as assertiveness
training, and learning and using relaxation techniques. Volunteer work can give
an individual an impression of what working with mentally ill people is like, and
journal keeping is an excellent way to practice record keeping. These are
especially useful if the person uses this opportunity to delve into his or her own
psyche. The best thing one can do to improve their skills, is to practice them.
For example, building a strong therapeutic rapport is a vital skill that can be
practiced by establishing strong, healthy interpersonal relationships, using
unconditional positive regard and empathetic listening with people one chooses.

62. Foundations of Psychology
As far as this writer is concerned she was able to identify several
characteristics she already has that will aid her greatly in her goal of becoming a
psychologist. These are: empathy, unconditional positive regard (for most
people!), excellent communication and writing skills, reflective listening, self-
motivation, her own experiences, professionalism, critical thinking, problem
solving, thinking “outside the box,” good time management skills, non-
judgmental (on the outside, anyway!). She also has some useful abilities: to
discern people‟s problem areas, moods, to handle large groups and allow others
to participate, to give clear directions and explanations, and lastly, the ability to
admit where she is wrong,
Obviously, there are areas this writer needs to work on. Her boundaries
are not as strong as they need to be – she cares too much sometimes and has
difficulty confronting others. She also has a tendency to take on too much and
does not handle stress well. Without much experience, it is difficult to tell
whether she could motivate others as easily as she motivates herself and she
tends to share too much about herself. One very important hindrance she
recognizes is that she is very gullible, but through constant trial and error, is
getting better at this failing.

63. Foundations of Psychology
There are advantages and disadvantages to operating within the
framework of one theory. One advantage is that the therapist will know the
theory well, and be comfortable using it., Therapy is simpler, as there are fewer
choices as to which techniques to use, and issues can be covered more deeply
looked at from only one angle. Patient screening is easier, as it will be clearer
which clients are suited to that therapist‟s approach. The disadvantages are that
it is inflexible, and if a therapist is only looking at a client from one viewpoint,
they might “miss” symptoms.
The advantages of integrated theories are flexibility, the ability to choose
techniques that “fit” the client better, and there are more options of techniques to
choose from. The disadvantages include; confusing the client with too many
different approaches, risking confusing the therapist as to which approach to
use, and lastly, the possibility of moving too quickly through challenges, and
therefore losing the client‟s attention, confidence, and trust.
Assuming this writer is the therapist, she would integrate Psychoanalysis
(Seligman, & Reichenberg, 2010. p. 37-54), to explore repressed memories and
feelings and defense mechanisms, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Seligman, &
Reichenberg, 2010. p. 310-332), to target distorted cognitions, modify behavior,
and strive toward self-actualization, and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
(Seligman, & Reichenberg, 2010. p. 359-372), to address and solve current
challenges, and train someone to handle their own recovery process.

64. Foundations of Psychology
The techniques this writer would use, in no particular order, include;
abreaction, identifying focal concerns, homework assignments, emphasizing
strengths and minimizing weaknesses, goal setting, promoting awareness and
insight, conflict resolution, problem solving, and skill development.
The two techniques chosen to be demonstrated are promoting awareness
and insight, and goal setting. In promoting awareness, this writer would use a
lot of open-ended, thought provoking questions using the Socratic Method,
including the Miracle Question (Seligman, & Reichenberg, 2010) suggested by
Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, that asks, “If you were to experience a miracle
and your issue did not exist when you woke up tomorrow morning, what would
that look like for you? What would your Significant Other notice? Describe that
to me.” This gets the client to think about an issue being resolved, and the
awareness of the intricacies of the problem. Another insight this writer would
strive to clarify with the client, is the fact that the problem is not who they are; it
is outside of them. She would also spend time describing the therapeutic
process, its strengths and weaknesses, and what can be gained. Confronting
and teaching clients how to confront cognitive distortions, and thought stopping
are other ideas on how to promote awareness and insight. In order to achieve
these, the client has to pay attention to his or her own thoughts and will gain
insight into why they do things the way they do. An important part of teaching
awareness and insight is psychoeducation.

65. Foundations of Psychology
Things like side effects of medications and the types of medications
available, stages of change, different sorts of behavior and options to change
them, patterns of thought and behavior, and positive self-talk with affirmations
can be imparted to the client.
Goal setting, at first, is a little more complicated and needs practice to
understand that they need to be simple, clear, meaningful, measurable,
achievable and realistic. Rather than saying, ”I want to be self-actualized,” a
rather lofty, vague, immeasurable goal, a client might say, “I want to spend
three nights a week with my husband and children without shouting at them or
fighting with them.” This is a clear, simple goal, written in specifics that can be
measured. It is meaningful to the client, and the aim is not to achieve it all at
once, but to break it down into smaller, workable steps. The first one might be
to spend one hour with the family, and resist the temptation to shout or fight.
Coping mechanisms to be able to “resist” would also be taught. Goals ”facilitate
people‟s trust and their ability to be in the present moment (Seligman, &
Reichenberg, 2010. p. 150).” Seligman & Reichenberg (2010) suggest using
eight steps in goal setting; (1) Describe the problem, (2) Set baselines, (3)
Determine goals, (4) Develop strategies to facilitate change, (5) Implement plan,
(6) Assess progress and change tactics if need be, (7) Reinforce changes and
new behaviors, and (8) Continue the process.

66. Foundations of Psychology
“Success in reaching goals is reinforcing and encourages people to tackle
more challenging goals (Seligman, & Reichenberg, 2010. p.301),” which is why
it is so important to make the first few steps toward a larger goal very simple and
achievable to guarantee success. A goal of a therapist could be “helping people
find value, meaning and purpose in their [clients‟] lives (Seligman, &
Reichenberg, 2010. p. 178). As this is an unspecific, vague goal, each therapist
needs to identify their own qualities, characteristics, and techniques that will help
this process and what that statement “really” means to them. Once they have
identified these, they can come up with a specific, measurable goal that will help
guide them as they treat clients.
This paper has covered much material. First, integrated therapy was
chosen as the preferred therapy for psychologists. Then characteristics of an
effective counselor and how these can be developed and strengthened were
covered. This writer‟s strengths and weaknesses with regards to becoming a
therapist were examined. A discussion about the advantages and
disadvantages of first following a single theory, and then an integrated one,
followed. Lastly, we looked at what this writer would choose as an integrated
viewpoint, techniques she was comfortable with using, and then we looked at
how she would demonstrate two of these techniques; promoting awareness and
insight, and goal setting.

67. Foundations of Psychology
References
Argosy Online (2011). Class Discussions. Retrieved from
www.myeclassonline.com.
Argosy Online (2011). Lectures Modules 1-8. Retrieved from
www.myeclassonline.com.
Seligman, L., & Reichenberg, L. (2010). Theories of counseling and psychotherapy:
Systems, strategies, and skills. (3rd ed.). Pearson.

68. Applied Psychology
Applied Psychology
Morale in the Workplace
INFORMATION
The problem is one of low morale and high turnover rate within the company.
The company‟s name is Recovery Innovations of Arizona, also known as RIAZ.
I work in the Mental Hospital, a crisis center. The average stay is 2-3 days. As
Peer Support Crisis Specialist, I am expected to share my personal story and
how I have overcome a myriad of struggles, so that clients can see that they do
not always have to have all the answers. We encourage people to talk about
their problems, and sometimes that can be triggering to workers, who all have
psychiatric diagnoses as well. There is a 70% turnover rate between the two
units. One, the secure unit, has Behavioral Health Technicians (BHTs) who deal
with the more severely ill clients. The other is known as the Living Room, run
99% of the time by Peers. Occasionally due to lack of staff a BHT steps in to
help. Right now I am concentrating on just the Living Room as this is where we
are losing the most personnel. There are two peers per shift of 8 hours. The
facility runs 24 hours a day. This is an open unit, whereas the secure unit is
locked. To avoid labeling the clients, we call them guests.

69. Applied Psychology
We do “buddy to buddy” sessions, where we communicate with one person at a
time. We also run groups five times a day. We have patio breaks, where we
provide one cigarette per person per break, every two hours. Burnout is a
constant problem for the unit. My research will show how morale connects with
quitting the job, and how by increasing a low morale (shown by complaints
amongst peers) we should be able to improve the work environment for the
better. This will include a survey passed out to all peers, and overseen by
myself.
ISOLATION
I have isolated the problem to only include matters directly dealing with morale
and the rate at which people quit. I will be trying some new techniques to
overcome this problem. I will not be targeting the actual daily problems, rather
the trend in which we find ourselves. Once I have completed the project the
responses will be shared with the Management Team, to see if we can make a
significant difference in the peers‟ lives.

70. Applied Psychology
SOLUTION
The solution that I have come up with to improve morale on the job is to offer an
employee of the month opportunity along with a slight incentive of $50. It is a lot
for the company to take from an already suffering budget crunch, but in the light
of not losing as many employees, I feel that it is a cost they cannot afford to
pass up. There will also be a parking space left just for the employee of the
month, which will be useful in an area where parking is difficult.
PREDICTION
I predict that once workers are given the chance to have their voices heard, there
will be an increase in bonding and mentoring, measured by the rate at which
people reach burnout. I hope to show that the more attention is given to this
challenge, the less burnout will be seen. I am also considering the Hawthorne
effect, in that improvements will be made, just because attention is being given.
I do realize that the situation is one of several challenges that the company
faces, but cannot afford to fail. As I do more continuous research, I am hoping
that I can alleviate the conversation between peers and managers.

71. Interpersonal Effectiveness
Interpersonal Effectiveness
Interview in the Living Room
The interview takes place in the Living Room, an unlocked unit in an
inpatient crisis center. As the interviewer, this writer will ascertain how the client
is doing, what they hope to achieve during their stay, and make the client
comfortable in the strange setting.
The purpose of the interview is to orient the client to the Living Room.
The goal of the interview is to ascertain the challenges the client is facing, what
brought them to the Living Room, and what the staff can do to help. The setting
is a private office with the client sitting on a couch, surrounded by stuffed toys
and pillows. The interviewer is sitting in a chair at a right angle to the client.
The office is softly lighted with light blue walls and dark blue carpet.
The sequencing will be largely topical (Argosy, 2011). The interviewer is
interested in helping the client with present problems, but she may need to use a
time sequence to ascertain the basis of challenges (Argosy, 2011). The
importance of the opening is to make the client feel as comfortable as possible
under difficult circumstances (Stewart, Cash, 2008). As the interviewer, this
writer would communicate optimism and comfort. She would then introduce the
client to the topics that will be covered in the interview.

72. Interpersonal Effectiveness
In the body of the interview, the following topics will be covered:
Status of the client (i.e. what are they feeling/thinking?)
Status of the client‟s family
Concerns the client has
Availability of staff
Schedule
What is expected of the client.
The questions this writer would ask are:
How are you doing right now?
Do you have any children/pets? Who is looking after them for you?
Do you have support at home?
Is this your first time in this kind of setting?
What can we do to make your stay more comfortable?
What do you hope to achieve while you are here?
Do you have any questions or concerns?

73. Interpersonal Effectiveness
The opening techniques that will build rapport with the client are; shaking
hands, introducing herself, and asking how the client wants to be addressed.
This interviewer would also communicate interest through verbals and
nonverbals. This interviewer would follow her introduction with a statement of
her intent to be of help.
Before closing, the interviewer will ensure that the client is comfortable
with the situation in the center and that all their questions and concerns have
been addressed. The interviewer will then signal the end of the interview by
saying, “I‟ll show you your room now. If you think of anything else, please don‟t
hesitate to come to one of us.”
The interview discussed here takes place in a crisis setting between a
peer counselor and client. The counselor leads the interview and tries to make
the client as comfortable as possible in an uncertain environment.

74. Interpersonal Effectiveness
References
Argosy Online (2011). Retrieved from Module 4 at www.myeclassonline.com
(10/2/2011).
Stewart, C.J., Cash, W.B.Jr., (2008). Interviewing: Principles and Practices. (12th
ed.). Boston. McGraw Hill

75. My Future in Learning
I believe that learning should continue
for as long as you live! There is no end
to the fascinating information and
experiences you can partake of! I look
forward to a bright, exciting future,
because of my passion to learn and
more importantly, understand new
perspectives!

76. Contact Me
Thank you for viewing my
ePortfolio.
For further information, please
contact me at the e-mail address
below.
frances.visionary@yahoo.com