Improve Counselling Skills Essay

For this assignment you need to keep a journal for the first few weeks of the module. The aim of the journal is to reflect on various aspects of professional practice, study challenges, or any other feature of counselling work or study. You do not hand in the journal. Using the information gathered during this process you will write the practice task reflecting on your professional practice that includes three professional practice goals. It is recommended that you make a brief entry in your journal everyday in which you record events, situations, information and your insights related to counselling. Ensure that identities are protected and the focus is ultimately on you and not on others. Journal Writing Guidelines: Each daily entry should cover: the events that occurred on that day which relate, whether directly or indirectly, to your professional practice and study of counselling how you felt about these events what skills you observed that you demonstrated what skills do you think require further attention and growth the element of professional practice or study that you most struggled with on that day the element of professional practice or study that you felt most comfortable with on that day Your Reflective Practice Task requires you to examine the following aspects of your professional development: 1. Overview of 3 events from your journal 2. Your current knowledge base (this does not necessarily have to be in the counselling field. Most of you will be tapping into volunteer experience, work experience, lived experience – like relationship / parenting, or prior study experience in which your skills are transferrable to counselling). 3. Your breadth of experience to date and what you have learned from these experiences 4. Your professional practice strengths and weaknesses 5. Your professional aspirations 6. You will need to set three professional practice goals for yourself, with each goal statement demonstrating an adherence to the SMART process. You MUST apply the SMART MODEL when setting your goals. 7. How do your goals align with your values in relation to your practice 8. Lastly describe a goal for self-care protection in relation to counselling Lecture notes, articles and other reference materials will be beneficial to this process, and your ability to build on and reflect on your professional practice. Referencing In academic writing referencing is critical. Referencing is about ensuring that the sources you have used (authors, journal editors) are honoured. The ACAP manual or the Educator cannot be used as references as we are merely conveying information that others have published. It is NOT compulsory to reference and you will not be penalised for not referencing. I am just suggesting that it is an excellent study habit to get into. Although ACAP and other universities use the APA6 referencing style – I do not care what style you use – even if you put the author in brackets that’s great. See the VET 2012 Referencing Guide Link : http://my.acap.edu.au/moodle/pluginfile.php/27484/mod_resource/content/1/Reference%20Guide%20%20for%20VET%20students%20%20v2.pdf Structuring Your Reflective Practice Task This task allows you to use 1st person writing – that is using pronouns like I, We, They, Us, Them etc. I suggest that you use the following headings or use the question numbers to help you focus and stay within the word limit: Current knowledge base This does not necessarily relate to direct counsellor experience. Reflect on the other ACAP subjects you have studied to date, other courses you have completed in the past, work experience, personal experiences (parenting, your own counselling experiences as a client, relationship, volunteer work, previous studies, etc). You are wise and bring a wealth of knowledge and skills to the module and field. Breadth of experience to date and what you have learned from these experiences I expect that many of you will not be currently working in the counselling field so your professional breadth of experience may be fairly limited. It is important to honour all the work and lived experience you bring to the course and field. It is okay to acknowledge that your experience to date may be professionally limited but identify areas in your current work environment or personal life where counselling experiences are present. Remembering that skilled conversations with others involve using counselling skills like active listening, empathy, unconditional positive regard, attending, etc.

Develop market research plan Essay

In this assessment you are required to establish guidelines for researching and gathering information and work with your staff to gather and evaluate the data. Assessment description You need to review existing policy and procedure documents (in the appendices of your Student Workbook) and develop guidelines for managing the process of gathering research information. You also need to identify and plan to acquire all resources necessary for supporting the project. Procedure From the case study provided you are required to complete the following steps: 1. Develop guidelines reflecting organisational policy and procedures to be used for conducting research. These guidelines for research must provide information and guidance under the following headings: OHS Data privacy Staff involvement KPIs Quality of data. 2. Meet with and commission a staff member (your assessor) to develop detailed work plans for how research will be undertaken, using the guidelines you have established. Make sure you agree on the format of the materials (print/electronic/oral, etc.) and a date for the provision of these materials. When the staff member returns the plans to you, you will need to review the plans to identify the following and providing a written Work Plan Summary (document) – the steps below should be the main sections of your summary: 1. Resources: Identify all required resources to support the implementation of the plans by: a. creating a list of all required resources b. completing the Resource requisition/acquisition form provided for each resource. 2. Consultants: Identify preferred consultants by: a. describing requirements for external consultants within the project plan b. detailing selection criteria for selection of external consultants c. identifying which consultant/s from the preapproved list is/are suitable. 3.  Providers and suppliers: Identify preferred providers and suppliers by: describing requirements for goods and services within the project plan detailing selection criteria for selection of providers and suppliers identifying which providers and suppliers from the preapproved list is/are suitable. Adjustment for distance-based learners: No variation of the task is required. Specifications You must provide: A written Organisational Guidelines for Conducting Research (Step 1) A brief written summary of your meeting with the staff member you commissioned for research (Step 2) A written Work Plan Summary (Steps 3-5) with completed acquisition forms. Your assessor will be looking for: Evidence that you have examined the case study and reviewed organisational requirements to develop market research plans. Distance-based learners: Complete assessment as per instructions, except the meeting with your staff member (the assessor) will be via phone or Skype or other live telephone or video medium. Case study Your are the marketing manager for a 15 store chain of homeware stores in Brisbane called Houzit. The stores specialise in bathroom fittings, bedroom fittings, mirrors and decorative items. As part of the strategic plans of the business, the board want to broaden the store offer by including lighting fixtures in the assortment mix. The board identified the need to carry out market research to determine the market feasibility of adding the lighting fixtures category to Houzit’s assortment. The board have requested that this work be undertaken by a specialist market research firm with extensive knowledge of the target market and who can undertake a wide variety of research methods and complete the process in a timely manner. The CEO has asked you to manage the entire market research process for the board. You are asked to liaise with the general manager of store operations and the group buying manager. Initially you are required to develop the guidelines for conducting the market research which must adhere with Houzit’s policy and procedures. The scope of research to be undertaken encompasses the greater Brisbane area. The CEO explained that the market  research report together with your summary must be ready to be presented to the board in 8 weeks time. You have been allocated a budget for the project of $15,000 to cover external consultants and associated external material costs. You are required to stay within this budget. Houzit’s policy and procedures requires that you submit a Resource Usage application for all resources required in the project both internal and external. Your marketing team consists of Tony (search engine optimisation and website maintenance), Marie (advertising and public relations) and Joanne an administration officer. You have asked Tony to take responsibility for the operational aspects of the project and estimate that it will take up 50% of his time over the next 11 weeks. Joanne will also be involved for about 20% of her time in attending to administration matters. You estimate that you will need to allocate 30% of your time to manage the overall project. According to Houzit’s policy and procedures the following detailed Work Plan Summary needs to be undertaken: Definition/scope phase Define research objectives Define research requirements Determine in-house resource Compile a list of preferred consultants/suppliers. Consultant/supplier selection phase Define consultant/supplier selection criteria Develop consultant/supplier selection questionnaire Develop Statement of Work Evaluate proposals Select consultant/supplier. Research phase Monitor milestone achievements Consultant/supplier performance management. Reporting phase Review Market Research report with stakeholders Prepare summary report. The CEO meets with you and you and Tony to discuss the plans. The CEO explained that it is Houzit’s policy to always engage external consultants when deciding on major category changes because it provided some objectivity  to the decision making process. The three preferred consultants are: 1. Acworth Accounting: 27 Pitt Street, Hawthorne QLD, who prepared the business plan for Houzit but who don’t have specialist market research staff 2. Lombard Consulting: 78 Queen Street, Brisbane QLD, who are a local specialist market research firm based in Brisbane specializing in home accessory products and markets. 3. Holt & Burrows: 58 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne Vic, a national marketing firm based in Melbourne who consult on all issues relating to branding and marketing for all industries. They specialise in fashion, cosmetics and consumables. The CEO explained that there was extensive information available in the company archives concerning customer feedback and surveys that has been collected by the stores over the past few years. This could prove useful in the research. The CEO also explained that you would need to have a member from head office do the information extraction work and could take up to 20 hours to complete. The CEO would like to see a report that covered five main areas: 1. industry overview 2. target category and market 3. business environment 4. competitors 5. conclusion. Tony prepared a list of preferred suppliers together with the products and services that they supplied to help determine the materials needed in accordance with the CEO’s directive that it be a credible source, within the budget and easily accessible. These materials could be included in the project if required and it is within budget: Homeware Trade association has an Australian wide industry report for $1,000 Australian Bureau of Statistics has Census data for the target area the is mostly free but will costs about $250 in search fees IBIS market report covers each major market in Australia including the greater Brisbane area – $1,200 Australian Chamber of Commerce has Australia wide surveys on industries $1,450 Homeware Magazines and Publications is an international magazine covering innovations in home wares $250 per quarter Newspaper subscriptions covering local issues $100 per quarter. Resource usage application Resource description Resource quantity Internal or external External resource costs You and Tony meet with each of the consultants identified by the CEO and explain to the need to meet the time frame set by the board. You know that the Definition/Scope Phase together with the Consultant/Supplier Selection Phase will take 2 weeks. You also realise that you will need a week at the end to prepare your reports. Tony explains that there is an expectation that they will be able to complete the following tasks in the time frame allowed: Develop market research information needs questionnaire Document information needs Identify information to be gathered in research Identify source of information Identify research participant Identify research technique Identify timing requirements and budget Conduct research Primary Market Research including customer surveys, focus groups and interviews with Houzit staff/managers and customers. Secondary Market Research including the materials provided by Houzit. Document research findings Develop research report. A week and a half into the project you receive the following responses from the preferred consultants. Acworth Accounting quote: $11,500. Will need to engage external research staff. Will need ten weeks to complete the report. Cannot do focus groups. Lombards quote: $12,000. Have specialist staff available in the home-wares field. Can complete the work within eight weeks. Can apply all methods of research. Holt & Burrows quote: $14,500. Will send research staff from Melbourne. Can complete the work within eight weeks. Can apply all methods of research. TASK 2 Market research Performance objective In this assessment you are required to contract and manage an external consultant to complete research for your organisation, and monitor work activities in regard to the research project. Assessment description You need to meet with a consultant and complete a contract to secure their services for the required research activities. You also need to monitor, manage and report on work activities, to ensure that the research project remains in alignment with the research plan. Procedure From the case study provided you are required to complete the following steps: 3. With the supplied generic external consultants contract, you need to meet with the identified consultant (your assessor) from the case study and revise the contract to suit your requirements as the manager of the market research. 4. Using the supplied work activity information, develop weekly monitoring reports that: Progress of project: describes the progress of the market research project Adherence to plan: describes the adherence of work activities to the research plan Contractor performance: describes whether performance of external contractors is in line with expectations and contractual requirements. Specifications You must provide: A revised signed contract for the identified consultant (Step 1) A series of written Weekly Monitoring Reports (Step 2) Your assessor will be looking for: Evidence that you have examined the case study and have understood the requirements of contract research consultants for the organisation. Distance-based learners: Complete assessment as per instructions, except the meeting with the consultant (the assessor) will be via phone or Skype or other live telephone or video medium. Case study The CEO has decided to use Lombards Consulting to carry out the market  research work in relation to Houzit’s plan to add the lighting fittings category to the assortment offer. Working from head office as 12 Clarence street Hendra Queensland, you organise to have a contract drawn up that covers all the areas of agreement in relation to the work including milestones. The following activities occurred during the market research project. The phases Definition/Scope and Consultant/Supplier Selection were completed by the 2nd week of the project. 5% complete Develop market research information needs questionnaire – on time Document information needs – one week late – 10% complete Identify information to be gathered in research – one week late Identify source of information – one week late – 15% complete Consultant requests Houzit purchase all research materials – You approve everything except for the Australian Chambers of Commerce, Australia wide surveys costing $1,450 Identify research participant – on time Identify research technique – one week late Identify timing requirements and budget – two week late – 30% complete Consultant requests more time – You do not grant it. Primary Market Research including customer surveys, focus groups and interviews with Houzit staff/managers and customers. – Completed on time except for interviews with all Houzit managers and group buyer – 50% complete Consultant report difficulty working with store managers Secondary Market Research including the materials provided by Houzit.- Consultant requested internal customer data be taken off-site – You do not grant it – Completed on time – 70% complete Document research findings – on time Develop research report – two days late – 100% complete. TASK 3 Research project evaluation Performance objective This assessment task requires you to review the market research project and evaluate the findings that have been presented, as well as evaluating and  recommending improvements to the research approaches and processes used. Assessment description You need to develop a report describing and evaluating the research undertaken and the findings presented. As part of this report you need to review the project performance against the initial research project plan, and review the process for future improvements. Procedure From the case study provided you are required to prepare a final report on the market research process including information under the following headings: 1. Findings: A review of the research report provided to you by the consultant including: a brief summary of the report findings  a description of how you confirmed the validity of information and data included in the report a statement assessing the relevance and usefulness of findings against research objectives. 2. Performance: assess the project performance against the research plan. 3. Review: A review of the feedback provided to you from various stakeholders, and any changes to the process required by this feedback. Also review all of the monitoring reports and monitoring activities completed throughout the project (in AT2) and make recommendations for changes or improvements to the research process. With your completed report you also need to submit a revised set of research guidelines (from Assessment Task 1) incorporating the changes noted in your report for use in the next market research project. Adjustment for distance-based learners: No variation of the task is required. Specifications You must provide: A written Final Report (Steps 1-3) Written revised Research Guidelines for the organisation. Your assessor will be looking for: Evidence that you have examined the case study and have reviewed the market research process for the organisation. Distance-based learners: Complete assessment as per instructions. Case study You receive a market research report from Lombards Consulting (see following pages). You sent out the market research report as well as your variance summary of the marketing activities taken to key stakeholders and asked them to reply by email. Later, in discussion with the principals of Lombards Consulting, you are made aware of the location and availability of source data on which the report was based. These include the original responses to the customer surveys, taped interviews and focus groups (with signed participant consent forms) and notes taken during conversations with staff, with Houzit staff/managers and customers. Copies of secondary data was also available, crossed referenced and physically identified in the report and source document. Where possible Lombards Consulting used the scientific method of careful observation, formulation of hypotheses, prediction, and testing in their research. They also spoke of using multiple methods to ensure greater confidence in the findings. When asked about the lack of time spent with the Houzit managers, Lombards consulting spoke about the healthy scepticism they have built toward assumptions made by managers about how the markets work. They also said that the intellectual divergences between the mental styles of line managers and marketing researchers often got in the way of productive relationships. The marketing researcher’s report may seem abstract, complicated, and tentative, while the line manager wants concreteness, simplicity, and certainty. Lombards suggested they be involved in the earliest part of the planning process, in fact why not make them permanent feature in the marketing strategy team. Emails from stakeholders The general manager said in an email â€Å"I was disappointed that Lombards did not speak to the store managers more. They have real ‘day to day’ contact with customers and have much knowledge about what customers want. Perhaps next time they could be involved formally in the process† The group buying manager said in an email â€Å"The report confirms what we thought about the new category. I would have liked to see more opinion from the consultants describing what they believed that the business environment data meant in terms of the business opportunity.† The CEO said that the â€Å"feedback from the board was to pass on their congratulations to you on a job well done given  the short time frame.† You replied that a research of that magnitude would normally require a 12-14 week turn around. The CEO agreed.

Innvations under Globalization in Latin America Research Paper

Innvations under Globalization in Latin America - Research Paper Example Business endeavor in the connection of neoliberal change is vividly outlined on account of Latin America inside the setting of the "Washington Consensus." The Washington Consensus was created throughout the last some piece of the 1980s. The thought behind it was to arrange strategy creators in the creating scene, and especially to help powerless Latin American economies recuperate from the obligation emergency. So dependent upon this, the defenders of globalization think of it as a positive sensation in all regards and the adversaries think of it as the dangerous component of local and national societies because of beating the free enterprise and the increment in financial and political sizes. Due to this, the outcomes of globalization on distinctive parts of human life and diverse matters lead to the disintegration of understandings. The point of this part is to inspect the connection between globalization and improvement. So first the idea of globalization and its source are audite d and after that for better examination of this connection, the impact of globalization on diverse parts of development might be dissected. The creators accept that globalization lessens development emulating the diminishment of assortment in diverse parts of the social order including monetary, social, political and social sizes and slant to coordination and union which has a negative impact on enhancement. The term "globalization" has not an agreeable importance and distinctive definitions are given to it affected by ideological foundations of analysts. Some think about globalization the same as correspondence unrest, different has thought of it as a manifestation of post innovation and some different has viewed it as another type of states without outskirt. The hopeful perspective to this sensation has thought of it as an element for development, peace and companionship and the vicinity of countries, likewise richness of endowments and the negative perspective equivalents it to e mergency neediness and the vanishing of powerless groups and unequal rivalry.

Personal Professional Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Personal Professional Development - Essay Example Correspondingly, my linguistic skills have enhanced my abilities to handle the linguistic labours. With enhanced experiences and skills, I am able to handle difficult issues that are likely to arise during my course of operation. My previous experiences gained from different courses in my career and educational life has enhanced my qualities to learn from operations and work with team. Psychometric test enhances the ability to measures my skills and even provides me with a guided framework to identify my major weaknesses. The scores attained from the psychometric tests have assisted in identifying my skill sets and develop the same. Furthermore, the psychometric tests that I have undergone have enhanced my skills to work out my weaknesses and develop my ability to meet with the changing needs of the present professional environment (Jenkins, 2001). The psychometric analysis of the tests I have undergone reflects that I have a high score on the index. This even reflects that I have a greater accuracy towards understanding a problem. The verbal score I have achieved is 97 percentile, which depicts that I have a good communication skill. In addition, the verbal score signifies that I have the ability to communicate effectively as compared to others. With the overall assessments of the different tests, I have identified to possess satisfactory level of innovativeness. I can think critically and develop my abilities to meet with a given problem in an efficient manner. I can even effectively develop an accurate understanding of the different problems by justifying the factors related to the problems witnessed. Furthermore, with an increased ability to efficiently handle and develop well-presented communication ability, I am able to develop a better interpersonal relationship and even prevent situations of conflicts. The added advantage that I have obtained from the test is my literacy rate that is even likely to enhance my ability to cater

Harlem Renaissance Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Harlem Renaissance - Article Example It has also opened for future blacks and has a big impact on succeeding consciousness and black literature worldwide. As it is not limited to the district of Harlem in New York, it attracted a huge attention of talent and intellect and acted as the pillar of this awakening of culture. This renaissance has lots of black culture sources, basically of the Caribbean and America and manifests itself even outside Harlem. Being a symbolic capital, it fuels high popular nightlife and experimentation destination. It enables blacks to get publication opportunities and visibilities as ever before due to its location. Being in a city with an extraordinary decentred and diverse social atmosphere with no one cultural authority, it has still proved to be a rich place for experiment in culture. Primitivism affected the movement since it was established on earlier cultures and traditions of blacks (Lewis et al, pp 129). The avant-garde artists in Europe have drawn motivation from African view since they departed from real styles of representations towards sculpture and painting abstraction. Therefore, such experimental pride made black intellectuals view the heritage of Africa in a new

Article Summary with questions to be answered over MAT2A Mutations Case Study

Article Summary with questions to be answered over MAT2A Mutations Predispose Indivuals to Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms - Case Study Example Independent measures were applied since different zebrafish were used in each condition of mat2aa MO injection. b. The control was a zebrafish with normal phenotype with no injected MO, it had minimal pericardial effusion and no tail defects. After the injection, moderately affected showed large pericardial effusion and small eyes. Severe effects showed large pericardial effusion, small eyes and severe tail curvature. d. From this data, it can be concluded that mat2aa MO injection in the zebra fish caused significant defects in embryonic development. The developmental defects in the zebrafish were rescued by the wild type MAT2A mRNA more significantly compared to the mutant MAT2A mRNAs encoding either the p.Gly344Ala variant or the p.Arg356Hs variant. 5. The overall findings of the paper indicate that MAT2A loss of function variants predispose individuals to FTAAD. In rescuing the knocked-out defects in the zebrafish, WT MAT2 was more effective compared to other mRNA variants that were previously studied. This was used to establish whether the human wildtype and p.Gly344Ala and p.Arg356His mutant MAT2A mRNA rescued embryonic defects. 6. The main limitation in this research is that the disease progression is not known. The loss of function variants in MAT2A in FTAAD are predicted to lower cellular SAM levels which could lead to aortic disease through several pathways. It is probable that reduced SAM levels could decrease methylation activity or decrease in glutathione activity that increases oxidative stress. It is possible that the pathology that leads to aortic disease due to loss of MAT IIÃŽ ± may overlap with mutations of Fibrillin-1(FBN1) a protein that is altered in individuals with Marfan syndrome. 7. Identification of the pathway by which decreased enzymatic activity of MAT IIÃŽ ± leads to thoracic aortic aneurysm. Experiments that can help determine the pathway can be done by observing MAT IIÃŽ ± in zebra fish

Red Scare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Red Scare - Essay Example It might be said that from the government's point of view the roots of the "Red Scare" lie in the subversive actions of foreign and leftist elements in the United States, so it decided to suppress dissent and help promote pro-war opinion in the preparation for the American entry into World War. At the heart of the Red Scare was the conscription law of 1917, which was put in place during World War I for the armed forces to be able to conscript more Americans. This law caused many problems for the conscientious objector to WWI, because for one to claim that status, one had to be a member of a "well-recognized" religious organization which forbade their members to participation in war. As a result of such legislation, 20,000 conscientious objectors were inducted into the armed forces (Feuerlicht 74). After the real war ended in 1918, the ideological war turned against conscientious objectors and other radical minorities such as Wobblies, who were members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), and Socialists as well. These Wobblies and Socialists were damned as being subversives who were trying to overthrow the United States government. Wobblies, in particular, were persecuted against for speaking out against the capitalist system. Although most of what they said was on ly to attract attention to their cause, their rhetoric was taken seriously by the government and its officials. From the very beginning of the Red Scare, the Wobblies were the subject of attack by the government, because they were a symbol of radicalism. The government put in place legislation, not only against the Wobblies, but also against Socialists and Communists, due to the fact that the government did not distinguish one of its enemies from another. One such action taken by the government prevented Wobblies who were not yet citizens from naturalization, even if they quit their organization. In 1917, the US government made a law (Espionage Act) which gave the Secretary of Labor the power to arrest or deport any alien "advocating or teaching" destruction of property or the "overthrow of government by force." Words such as "advocating" and the vague language used in the law allowed the government to use deportation as a cure for the anti-government views of its enemies, namely th e Wobblies, Communists, and Socialists. After the war formally ended in 1918, all the groups which opposed the war came under fire. They were seen as destructive to the peace and security of the American nation. The focus of the attacks was no longer on the conscientious objectors, for many of them were already jailed during the war, and were still in jail at the time; it had switched over to the Socialists and the Wobblies (Renshaw 63-65; Zinn 108). In 1917, President Wilson established a "Committee on Public Information" to create and release news favorable to the Allied cause and hostile to Germany. To enforce the efforts of the Committee, the "Bureau of Investigation" was created and disrupted the work of German-American, union, and leftist organizations through raids, arrests, and legal prosecution. The Socialist Party of America strongly opposed the war on pacifist grounds and the result was persecution and punishment under the provisions of the Espionage Act (Murray 18). This act penalized anyone who obstructed the operation of the armed forces, was insubordinate, or displayed disloyalty