The National Literacy Strategy Essay Example for Free

The National Literacy Strategy Essay The following essay will consider some of the components of the literacy hour and discuss the strategies teachers use to utilise these methods within the classroom. Literacy is at the heart of the drive to raise standards in schools (DfES, 2001, pg2) The above quote is taken from the National Literacy Strategy framework for teaching which, since 1998 has highlighted the importance of teaching English to all schoolchildren. The framework was introduced to couple the National Curriculum document and builds on theories and ideas from previous reports (such as the Kingman report: 1988 and the Cox report: 1989) and documentation which since 1975 have highlighted the importance of having certain attainment targets that children should be achieving. These targets are the acquisition of good speaking, listening, reading, writing and spelling skills, and the Literacy strategy influences teachers in planning and delivering at least an hour long literacy lesson each day, focusing on one or more of these targets. According to the National Literacy document children use a range of strategies, or searchlights, when reading to help them make sense of text. These searchlights fall into four categories. These are; phonic knowledge, grammatical knowledge, knowledge of context/word recognition and graphic knowledge (DfES: 2001. p 4) When teaching reading teachers will break their lesson down into shared (whole class) and guided (independent with support from teacher) sessions. When delivering shared and guided reading sessions teachers can model to children how to draw upon all four of the searchlights to aid them in their reading. Shared reading normally focuses on word and text level work and so teachers will plan for a whole class read in which specific features such as spelling patterns, alliteration, punctuation or the intention of the piece that is being read will be highlighted for to the class. (Ibid). Practitioners are also able to model how clues contained within the piece (such as pictures, exclamation or speech marks) can be used to predict how the story is to be read. However, during guided or independent reading children have to use what knowledge they have of the English language to read on their own. It is for this reason that practitioners will plan to teach the use of phonics to children from an early age. As young children find it hard to discriminate the sounds of letters automatically the teaching of phonics or letter sounds is used by teachers to help children to recognise the correct spelling of a word (DfES 2001). The most effective practitioners will teach children how to identify the phonemes in spoken language and then build an understanding of how each phoneme is correctly spelt. When children have acquired a sound knowledge of these phonemes, practitioners will educate them in two new skills known as segmentation and blending.

The Aral Sea Disaster Essay example -- Policies Environment Essays

The Aral Sea Disaster Abstract The Aral Sea and the entire Aral Sea basin area have achieved worldwide notoriety due to the environmental disaster. The example of the Aral Sea disaster has sent a signal to the entire international community demonstrating how fast and irrevocable the environmental system can be ruined if there is no long-term thinking and planning in place. This paper gives a broad overview of the policies that have resulted in dying of the forth-largest inland body of water. It concentrates on the policies and approaches of the international organizations towards the problem, describes examples of the projects and presents a conclusion on effectiveness of such policies. Introduction The Aral sea used to be the forth largest inland body of water. It had a fishing industry that employed 60,000 people and it attracted thousands of tourists. Today the Aral Sea is biologically dead and has shrunk by approximately 75-80% in volume and 50-60% in area. (See Attachment 1. The chronology of the desiccation of the Aral Sea). Fishing towns such as Muinak are now 60 kilometers inland. Approximately 75 million tons per year of toxic salt from the exposed seabed are blown over thousands of kilometers of inhabited land increasing the already high level of salinity and worsening the environmental situation. Where is the Aral Sea located? The Aral Sea is in the very heart of the Central Asia. Central Asia, an area of 1.7 millions km2 in total, lies in the middle of the Eurasian continent. It is at the crossroads of the old caravan routes that ran from Europe to Asia and the Middle East to the Far East. The whole region consists of vast deserts and semi-arid lands (See Attachment 2. Geographical ... .../aralsea/asa_dis.htm Operational Research http://www.msf.org/aralsea/op_res.htm Tuberculosis Pilot Program http://msf.org/aralsea/tb_pilot.htm 3. UNOPS web site http://unops.org/5 proin/5pi2001.html 4. International Aral Sea Rehabilitation Fund web site http://ifas-almaty.kz/ENG/Consequesnces.html 5. Soros Foundation ¡Ã‚ ¦s Office in Tashkent web site www.soros.org 6. German Remote Data Center Geographical location of the Aral Sea http://www.dfd.dlr.de/app/land/aralsee/aralregion.html Chronology of the desiccation of the Aral Sea http://www.dfd.dlf.de/app/land/aralsee/chronology.html Picture 1. Chronology of the dessication of the Aral Sea The series of images were derived by satellite remote sensing data and conventional data (WDB II for the mask of 1960, bathymetry for the year of 2010).

Care Plan Essay

Medical Diagnosis: sickle cell anemia with vaso-occlusive crisis Nursing Diagnosis List 1.Impaired Comfort related to sickle cell anemia as evidenced by acute vaso-occlusive crisis. The patient’s pain should take precedence as the nursing diagnosis, because it is in all-encompassing factor that affects the client’s ability to function within the other areas of Maslow’s hierarchy of physiological needs, such as breathing and sleeping. The pain from the vaso-occlusion makes it difficult for the client to become comfortable enough to rest in addition to other factors that affect sleep patterns. The pain caused by the client’s chest pain also makes it difficult to for her to take deep, adequate breathes and to assess her lung sounds. 2.Ineffective Breathing Pattern related to acute chest syndrome secondary to sickle cell anemia as evidenced by alterations in depth of breathing. Breathing should be prioritized as the secondary nursing diagnosis, because the patient’s sickle cell anemia is presenting her with diminished lung sounds in the lo wer right lung. Since the primary nursing diagnosis is associated with vaso-occlusion, the client is not getting proper oxygenation to parts of their body, and interventions may include administering analgesics to treat the discomfort, of which an adverse effect may include an altered breathing pattern, it is especially important to pay attention to and assess respiratory functioning in order to treat the effects of smoking and administration of analgesics on respiratory function and assure adequate oxygenation. 3.Disturbed Sleep Pattern related to excessive noise as evidenced by reports of being awakened all night. Disturbed sleep pattern should be prioritized third, because lack of adequate rest can cause fatigue, further discomfort, and decreased ability to function and perform ADL’s which is important to a client’s self-esteem and independence. Nursing Diagnosis: Acute Pain related to vaso-occlusive crisis secondary to sickle cell anemia as manifested by grimacing and verbalization of pain Outcome/Short Term Patient Centered GoalsPlanning/Interventions ImplementationRationale for interventions/Evaluation Short-Term Desired Outcomes The client will â€Å"perform appropriate interventions, with or without significant others, to improve and/or maintain acceptable comfort level,† a 5 or less on a 0-10 pain scale, by the end of the day (Ackley & Ladwig, 2013). Long-Term Desired Outcomes The client will â€Å"identify strategies, with or without significant others, to improve and/or maintain comfort level† by the time of discharge (Ackley & Ladwig, 2013).1. â€Å"Assess pain intensity level in a client† every hour utilizing a 0-10 pain scale (Ackley & Ladwig, 2013). 2. â€Å"Describe the adverse effects of unrelieved pain† every hour along with each pain assessment until patient verbalizes understanding (Ackley & Ladwig, 2013). 3. Teach the client about prescribed medications (oxycodone, for pain), such as how to use it, how often to take it, how much at once, and the desired and adverse effects of it. 4. â€Å"Ask the client to report side effects, such as nausea and pruritus, and to describe appetite, bowel elimination, and ability to rest and sleep† by performing an interview every hour while assessing pain level (Ackley & Ladwig, 2013). 1.†The first step in pain assessment is to determine if the client can provide self-report† (Ackley & Ladwig, 2013). 2. â€Å"Ineffective management of acute pain has the potential for†¦neuronal remodelin, an impact on immune function, and long-lasting physiological, psychological, and emotional distress†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ackley & Ladwig, 2013). 3. â€Å"Instruct the client and family on prescribed medications and therapies that improve comfort† (Ackley & Ladwig, 2013). 4. â€Å"Constipation is one of the most common side effects of opioid therapy and can become a significant problem in pain management† (Ackley & Ladwig, 2013).Short-Term Desired Outcomes The client is able to properly utilize the prescribed oxycodone in their therapy to achieve a comfort level of 5 by the end of the day. Verbalizing an understanding of adverse effects of unrelieved pain helped patient understand the importance of reporting an accurate pain score whenever  experiencing discomfort. Goal Met. Nursing interventions for this goal were effective to help the patient achieve a more comfortable state. Long-Term Desired Outcomes The client is able to identify and report the side effects of the oxycodone, so that they can report any nausea, constipation, or abnormal sleep patterns to a nurse or physician. Goal met.

E Commerce Business Activity That Occurs Online

E-commerce Electronic commerce, or e-commerce, refers to economic activity that occurs online. E-commerce includes all types of business activity, such as retail shopping, banking, investing and rentals. Even small businesses that provide personal services, such as hair and nail salons, can benefit from e-commerce by providing a website for the sale of related health and beauty products that normally are available only to their local customers. To operate as an e-commerce company you need certain hardware, I will explain this. 3 click businesses Ebay Amazon Gumtree 3 brick businesses McDonalds Subway McColls Hardware software of e-commerce Web servers: Web servers are compute systems that program and dispenses web pages as they are requested (they have an IP address). A web server is basically what a program or website is ran off of and depending on how good the servers are depends on how fast the programs are. The main use of a web server is to store, process and deliver web pages to clients. Another thing it is used for would include the configuration log file settings, including where the log files are saved, what data to include on the log files and other log file settings. As well as the ability to configure website security. An example of this would be user accounts that are or aren t allowed to view the website which also means the IP addresses that are or aren t allowed to view the website as well. Also creating an FTP site; an FTP site allows users toShow MoreRelatedE Commerce : A New Model1460 Words   |  6 Pagesjust as society progresses, so must businesses adapt a new model: e-commerce. E-commerce has been around si nce the advent of the Internet, and many consumers acknowledge the convenience e-commerce provides. E-commerce is a great model for not only current Internet shopping, but also the future economy where most items will be purchased online. However, complications such as phishing, hacking, and piracy are a growing problem to e-commerce. While solutions have been implemented to supposedly fix the issuesRead MoreBusinesses and The Internet1357 Words   |  6 PagesInternet to expand their business globally. This migration has come with many sacrifices, lessons learned, and challenges along the way. However, the businesses that demonstrated determination and a willingness to overcome the challenges that they were faced with, have ultimately succeeded in expanding their clientele. One example of the type of company that can be found online is an electronic retailer, or a cybermall type of a site. Electronic retailing, also known as e-tailing, is the directRead MoreE Business Model : The Marketing Model885 Words   |  4 Pages E-Business Model The e-business model is like a traditional business model, it describes how a company functions, how it sells products and services, how to capture new markets and technologies, and how to generate revenue. The basic difference between the two models is that an e-business is conducted over the internet and also known as electronic business. Like any other business, e-business activities also take place between the two parties mainly for the sale and purchase of products and servicesRead MoreImpact Of E Commerce On Global Economy1352 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Impact of E-Commerce on Global Economy It is exciting area especially E-Commerce. The advancement in World Wide Web, computers and mobile wireless communication technologies are transforming the way business is conducted. The success stories of Amazon, eBay are few examples. New technologies have provided the required platform for innovation, growth, shopping convenience, and price advantage due to the boundary less competition. Business leaders across the industry are developingRead MoreEssay about The ECommerce Environment of Singapore1496 Words   |  6 PagesSingapore is generally comprised of lowland areas with a central plateau in the middle of the island. Its elevation ranges from the Bukit Timah, (166 m.), to the Singapore Strait which is at sea level. Its climate is tropical and wet. Precipitation occurs on 40% of all days, (70% of days in April). Singapores two biggest natural recourses are its fishing industry, and its deep water ports. Singapore is also a focal point for most Southeast Asian sea routes. History Singapore was originallyRead MoreE-business: Easy Learning Outcome1588 Words   |  7 PagesChap14: E-Business Multiple Choice 1. What is the buying and selling of goods and services over the Internet? A. E-business B. E-commerce C. E-market D. E-mall Ans: B Level: Easy Learning Outcome: 14.1 Response: This is the definition of e-commerce. 2. What is the conducting of business on the Internet, not only buying and selling, but also serving customers and collaborating with business partners? A. E-business B. E-commerce C. E-market D. E-mall Ans: A Level: Easy Read MoreAlibaba s Dominant Business Model Essay1470 Words   |  6 PagesAlibaba’s dominant business model is an exchange. Piccoli, in his textbook, defines exchanges as â€Å"Exchanges are organizations that create a marketplace for buyers and sellers to come together and transact. Thus, an exchange does not take control of inventory or worry about fulfillment. Rather the exchange provides a â€Å"market making† service and is compensated with fees, commission on sales, or consulting fees on more complex business-to-business transactions. The prototypical example of an exchangeRead MoreInternal Analysis : The Boston Group Matrix1560 Words   |  7 Pagescompany is capable of. There are many tools that play a part of the internal analysis but the three main tools used in an internal analysis are the Boston Consulting Group Matrix, the Value Chain Analysis which includes primary activities and support activities inside the business. Another big part o f the internal analysis is the Financial Ratio Analysis which is used to evaluate various aspects of a company’s operating and financial performance such as its efficiency, liquidity, profitability and solvencyRead MoreEvolution Of Credit Card Fraud Within The Growing E Commerce Industry1716 Words   |  7 Pagesthe growing e-commerce industry. Online Shopping: Risk of Paying More than You Receive I examine the evolution of credit card fraud in regards of the technology or methodology fraudsters used specifically within the e-commerce industry, and discuss various security concerns companies have for establishing online shopping sites. The appearance of credit cards and the growing e-commerce industry in the past decade has provided fraudsters more ways to commit fraud through online activities than everRead MoreAdvantages And Disadvantages Of E-Commerce958 Words   |  4 PagesAbstract E-Commerce Ecommerce (or electrical commerce) refers to the shopping for and mercantilism of products and services via electronic channels, primarily the net. On-line retail is unquestionably convenient because of its 24-hour handiness, international reach and usually economical client service. The invention of quicker net property and powerful on-line tools has resulted in a new commerce arena – Ecommerce. Ecommerce offered several blessings to firms and customers however it additionally

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock - 858 Words

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock By T.S Eliot Who among us has not been to a social event or in a situation where they have felt uncomfortable or self conscience, perhaps at family events or at a party where the you are unfamiliar with the guest or even the host . However for some people this problem goes far beyond social events and seeps into daily life taking away happiness before it is even gained. In T.S. Eliots poem The Love Song of Alfred Prufrock the persona is so crippled by his social disorder and self consciousness he is not able to do anything without playing every possible outcome in his mind, this prevents him from having a close relationship with anyone around him. Throughout this work elements of†¦show more content†¦Many people throughout the world have social disorders that prevent them from being what they want to be, it is evident from the amount of pharmaceutical commercials on television, and in newspaper ads. It is a scary feeling to not be comfortable in your surroundings, to not know wh at is proper and to be self-conscience every moment of the day , Eliots usage of imagery, theme, and metaphor allows the reader a glimpse into this cold and depressing train of thought and allows them to walk side by side with someone who suffers from thisShow MoreRelatedThe Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock1647 Words   |  7 Pagesseen in T.S. Eliot’s work The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. The main character, Prufrock, plans to ask the woman he loves the overwhelming question of marriage, but due to his pessimistic outlook, he became hesitant and self conscious. Surges of insecurity arise, and instead of proposing his love, Prufrock delays the question and spends the night talking nonsense to avoid the situation. In the end, Prufrock’s insecurities and fear of rejection alter his feelings of love into a sense of emotional protectionRead MoreThe Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock970 Words   |  4 PagesNever in Love When reading the title of T.S Eliot’s â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† it is believed we are in store for a poem of romance and hope. A song that will inspire embrace and warmth of the heart, regretfully this is could not be further from the truth. This poem takes us into the depths of J. Alfred Prufrock, someone who holds faltering doubt and as a result may never come to understand real love. â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† takes us through Prufrock’s mindset and his self-doubtingRead MoreThe Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock1072 Words   |  5 Pages We may never be given a second chance to do something daring ever again so we seize the day! However, people like in J. Alfred Prufrock make the attempt to do but it doesn’t work. â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,† written by T.S. Elliot, essentially is about a simple man that wishes to ask a question, although the question is never revealed, the reader is taken on journey the with the speaker, only to find that they have spent a lengthy amount of time of their lives without ever asking theRead MoreThe Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock Essay1928 Words   |  8 PagesHuman Voices Wake Us and We Drown’: Community in ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’,† James Haba contends that the repeated use of â€Å"you†, â€Å"we†, and â€Å"us† in T. S. Eliot’s â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† creates a personal ambience around the reader and Prufrock. Because of this, Haba argues that Eliot’s use of personal pronouns and references produces a sense of community and intimacy between the reader and Prufrock (53), even though Prufrock seemingly struggles with emotions of intimacy andRead MoreThe Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock915 Words   |  4 PagesThe Love Song of Alfred Prufrock: Taking the Love out of Song A tragedy in a poem is usually characterized as an event that has a tragic or unhappy ending. They generally are used to teach morals or lessons. T.S. Eliot’s, â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock†, is considered a tragedy because of the way Eliot uses four different writing styles: word choice, figurative language, images, and biblical allusions. Using these styles, Eliot acknowledges the tragic endeavor of single, reclusiveRead MoreThe Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock1729 Words   |  7 PagesThe Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock The dramatic monologue â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock was written by Thomas Stearns Eliot and published in June of 1915. Eliot was born in St Louis, Missouri on September 26, 1888, where he grew up and lived until the age of eighteen. After high school, Eliot studied at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA and the Sorbonne in Paris, France. Eventually, Eliot ended up in England where he married his wife Vivien and spent the remainder of his lifeRead MoreThe Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock1125 Words   |  5 Pagesmodernism. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, despite being one of T.S Eliot s earliest publications, still manages to remain one of the most famous. He uses this poem to not only draw out the psychological aspect of members of modern society, but also to draw out the aspect of the time that he lived in. The speaker of this poem is a modern man who feels alone, isolated, and incapable of making decisive actions for himself. Prufrock desires to sp eak to a woman about his love for her, but heRead MoreThe Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock986 Words   |  4 PagesIn The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T. S. Eliot and Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold the poets utilizes poetic devices to convey their respective themes. Through use of symbols and metaphors, the speaker in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock displays his fears of the changes brought with the younger generation, and isolation from the changing society. The speaker in Dover Beach, utilizes symbols, metaphors, and similes to state that the younger generation has less faith than the older, and societyRead MoreThe Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock1966 Words   |  8 Pagessymbolism to capture the readers attention in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. The poem has a dramatic discourse. The percipience of lifes emptiness is the main theme of the poem. Eliot exhorts the spiritual decomposition by exploring a type of life in death. T. S. Eliot, who in the Clark Lectures notes, Real Irony is an expression of suffering(Lobb, 53), uses irony and symbolism throughout the poem to exemplify the suffering of J. Alfred Prufrock who believes he is filled with spiritual morbidityRead MoreThe Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock1005 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock,† published in 1915, was written by a man named T.S. Eliot. The speaker of the poem begins to describe an evening that appears to be somewhat romantic and a little mysterious. As the reader progresses into the poem, the mood soon fades and the reader starts to figure out that this evening is not what they pictured. â€Å"Acquainted with the Night† is a poem written by Robert Frost. The poem was first published in 1927. The speaker of the poem has a similar mood as

“the History of the Caribbean Is the History of the...

â€Å"The history of the Caribbean is the history of the exploitation of labour† - with reference to slavery and the Encomienda labour system† In the above statement â€Å"the history of the Caribbean is the history of the exploitation of labour,† it simply states that the Caribbean’s history is basically the history of its exploitation of labour. The definitions of keywords exploitation and labour must be considered. Exploitation can be defined as the practice of taking selfish or unfair advantage of a person or situation, usually for personal gain, while labour is defined as work done using the effort and strength of the body. With the definitions obtained, it can now be stated that the history of the Caribbean is the history of the various†¦show more content†¦However, due to this, Spanish men were killed and forced to move due to the fact that the native peoples created warfare because of their ill treatment and also of the ways in which the native women were taken advantage of. Another labour system that is referred to with the exploitation of labour in the Caribbean is slavery. The demand for slaves to cultivate sugarcane and other crops caused what came to be known as the triangle trade. This is when ships left Europe, stopped in Africa for trading then traveled to America where slaves were traded for sugar, rum, salt etc and then returned to Europe to begin trading again.Once they, the Africans, aboard the ships then they realized that they were being sent far away from home. Because of this they jumped overboard into the sea, choosing to drown or to be eaten by sharks rather than to be taken away from their homeland. However, those who survived on the ship faced more abuses on the plantation where they were captured as slaves. Families were split up and the Africans were not allowed to learn to read or to write. African men, women and children were forced to work with the little that they had to eat or drink. Soon after the African slave population began to outnumber the Europeans and the native peoples because of the triangle trade. The planters lived in a state of terror about the possibility of a rebellion and where cruel in their suppression of the slaves. This then went further than just

Prejudice and Ethics in Counselling free essay sample

If a counsellor finds herself drifting into judgemental thoughts upon listening to a client describe a lifestyle in which she eats all day, while attempting to lose weight, it will be extremely difficult for me to keep the results of my emotional response to this judgemental attitude from reflecting in my voice and choice of words in working with the client. Clients may be dysfunctional, but they arent emotionally insensitive or unintelligent, and are very likely to hear the implied feelings of the therapist. Obviously, this will do little to establish or maintain the kind of trust necessary for effective counselling. I need to recognise this more in myself. I am sure that intellectually I try to have no prejudices; however I know that I do because I can tell by the tone of my voice or the little voice that may appear in my head. I know that I am hypocritical in several of these instances. We will write a custom essay sample on Prejudice and Ethics in Counselling or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page For example, I may think that that unemployed people are lazy, and that fat people are lazy too, when I have been unemployed and not looking for work. Even though I dont often think in prejudicial terms I can do if under pressure and stressed, and looking for someone to blame. Therapists are necessarily aware of and respect cultural, individual, and role differences, including those based on age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, and socio-economic status and consider these factors when working with members of such groups. Therapists try to eliminate the effect on their work of biases based on those factors, and they do not knowingly participate in or condone activities of others based upon such prejudices. Because of the tendency to generalize, rather than be specific, it is quite possible to encounter therapists who simply dont see obesity as a disability, and therefore excuse themselves, internally, from their prejudice in this area, rationalizing that the person is not disabled, but simply lazy. There are therapists who within the privacy of their own thoughts, may feel the same way about alcoholics or drug addicts. These therapists may realize that their prejudice is counter-productive to the therapeutic process, and may attempt to avoid voicing their feelings around other therapists or in the presence of their clients, but while they may succeed in not overtly expressing these feelings in front of their clients, they are usually unable to keep from letting them slip in the presence of their friends. If they are lucky, they will receive productive feedback, who may assist them in overcoming their own prejudices. This, in fact, is the idea behind supervision in the therapeutic process, wherein a therapist is monitored and overseen by another therapist who has more experience. This provides the opportunity for the therapist to be made aware of any limitations being imposed on the therapeutic process due to prejudicial attitudes, judgements, lack of education with regard to a particular illness, and many other areas. Realistically not all therapists receive the benefits of adequate supervision, and it is quite possible to find those that are limited by the prejudices with which they, knowingly or unknowingly, view the world, of which their clients form a part. Specifically addressing areas: Religious Affiliation Many of those who seek counselling have had atypical experiences in their upbringing. This often leads them into exploring areas of belief which most people with a more conventional upbringing would never consider appropriate, even if they were exposed to the opportunity. One example is Wicca which many people, out of ignorance, associate with devil-worship or something equivalent. If a counsellor is a devout Christian, with no exposure to the truth behind various forms of paganism, and if the clients belief in these things comes up in the course of therapy, it may be very difficult for the therapist to resist a little preaching or proselytizing, or to avoid associating the clients religious beliefs with their coincidentally different, and likely dysfunctional lifestyle. Obviously, if the client gets a sense of this, they are likely to shut down and be less forthcoming with their thoughts and feelings. Class This comes under the heading of socio-economic status. There are some therapists who firmly believe in dressing down when working with clients from a disadvantaged socio-economic background. This doesnt mean looking sloppy or wearing torn jeans, but just dressing simply as in trousers and a t-shirt, rather than a suit. While there is some truth to the value of not unnecessarily emphasizing a visual difference between the therapist and the client there are other therapists who insist that they should dress according to status. I feel that a therapist should dress in whatever way makes them feel most comfortable, since it is this feeling of being comfortable that the client will notice. Of course, there are other ways in which the therapist can err in contrasting their social status with that of the client. The client may get them to talking about themselves, and the therapist may let it slip that they just bought a new car. This does little to assist the client, and may engender the feeling that sure, the ideas you talk about work for you, but thats only because your life and background is so much better than mine heyll never work for me in my situation. For this reason, therapists are trained not to indulge in disclosure of their personal life beyond what might be useful in establishing rapport with the client. Ethnicity This is a prominent area in which prejudice is not tolerable. There is a difference between overcoming prejudice against someone, and being proactive for someone of a race with which you are not closely acquainted. It is one thing to avoid politically incorrect vocabulary, but quite another to be aware of appropriate role models for those of another race, based on a knowledge of their contributions to society. Of course a client of colour is very likely to pick up on such limitations on the therapists part. Age Ageism is one of the most recent entries into the area of prejudicial conscience. Factors contributing to this prejudice include fear of death and loss of control, an almost worshipful regard for youth and beauty, a societal sense of self-worth based on productivity, and a stereotype of the elderly as being institutionalized and in poor health something which is simply not the case with the majority of seniors today. Counselling a senior in regard to their love life will obviously be a stretch for the counsellor who is not age positive. Seniors are especially likely to be aware of, and sensitive to, any indication on the part of the therapist that they view them in some judgemental way as theyve learned a lot about reading people in their lifetimes. Gender Sexism can severely compromise the ability of a therapist to nurture the self-esteem and independence necessary for a client to progress. A female therapist who is unable to get past her own expectations that a male should be the strong, responsible provider in a relationship is not likely to be of much value to a male client who needs to take the time away from such responsibilities which will facilitate his ability to explore deeply repressed feelings. Also women who have had a bad experience with a certain type of chauvinistic male may then begin to see men as inferior and have difficulty dealing with an assertive male. A therapist who has herself experienced domestic violence may feel uneasy or threatened by a male who divulges that he is or was a wife-beater. The therapist must be able to compartmentalise her own feelings in order to treat the client. Sexual Orientation and Practices Prejudice against a gay male may be inseparable from prejudice against the practice of anal sex. It is also equally possible for a male therapist to resent a gay female. Contempt is a difficult emotion to mask, and a client with an alternate orientation, or the practitioner of an unusual sexual lifestyle, maybe more likely to keep this quiet. If this information is never disclosed due to fear of repugnance, it may hamper the progress of therapy. Mental Health Diagnosis Most therapists have been carefully trained to be cognizant of the very real stigma which a diagnosis of mental illness can cause in the experience of a client. When you consider that a large percentage of therapists initially enter the field of mental health either seeking to comprehend their own problems or out of the desire to help others which is based on having been raised in an emotional environment which promotes the dysfunctional beliefs of co-dependency, it is not hard to understand that they might a familiarity with the trauma of mental illness in the course of their own upbringing. Such a background can emerge during therapy as fear of, or repulsion by, certain symptoms or behaviours which might have been exhibited by family members during their own childhood, and caused them to experience their own traumas. If these feelings havent been resolved, the therapist may resist the very presence of the client whose behaviours trigger unresolved emotions from their own past. It is hardly therapeutic for the therapist to feel threatened by the client when they are at their worst in terms of symptoms or behaviours. A therapist who is only comfortable with clients who are acting normal isnt much good. Physical Disorders Any disability which is not understood can engender fear and loathing, nervousness and uncertainty. A client with cerebral palsy in addition to a mental disorder may have to work at finding a therapist who has the patience, compassion and education about the physical condition needed to make any headway into the mental condition. In this sense it is also a responsibility of the client to interview the therapist to ascertain that the therapist is competent. Most therapists eventually realize that the nature of their occupation requires that they work on and resolve their own issues as diligently as they work on resolving the issues of their clients. Having removed the emotional blocks which might cause them to unconsciously stifle the feelings nd behaviours of their clients, they still need to educate themselves in the area of multicultural awareness so as to be able to provide motivation and proactive guidance to the clients in their charge regardless of age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, socio-economic status, or any combination of these. Other things that may induce prejudice are: †¢ Jargon – the use of specialized language, creating barriers which reinforce power differences. Stereotypes – terms use d to refer to people from different groups, i. e. older people as ‘old dears’. †¢ Stigma – terms such as ‘mental handicap’ carry a damaging stigma. †¢ Exclusion – this might be inadvertently asking a Muslim what his ‘Christian’ name is, rather than his ‘first’ name. †¢ Depersonalization – this relates to terms such as ‘the elderly’ rather than ‘older people’ and ‘the mentally ill’ rather than ‘people with mental distress’ Use of language with clients: I believe it is critically important to explore our use of language as therapists. Mindful of some of the settings in which counsellors work and the specific difficulties clients struggle with, we need to be sensitive to some of the words in common use and which are deeply offensive. Working with people who have dependency problem we must be aware not to term suffers as ‘drug user’, ‘drug abuser’, ‘drug pusher’ or ‘recreational drug use’, ‘alcoholic’, ‘alcohol abuser/misuser’ It is only in recent years that we have developed a language to describe the phenomenon of child sexual abuse. Previously there was no discourse and children’s distress went often unheeded. Burstow (1992: 202) refers to ‘eating disorders’ as ‘troubled eating’. She says ‘There is nothing more orderly than the precise regimen that women who are anorexic follow’. We hear of ‘date rape’ and somehow it is thought to be less traumatic or damaging than other rape. Burstow (1992) refers to ‘psychiatric survivors’ having been ‘psychiatrized’ by the system, and Wilson and Beresford (2000) use the term ‘people with madness and distress’ rather than the more sanitized ‘mental health service users’. It is important for the therapist to develop awareness of the social and political backdrop to their clients’ stories. Does this woman, for example, stay in a violent relationship because of her personal psychology, or do issues of poverty and powerlessness and lack of appropriate support services contribute to her problems. Is she a black woman? What would her (and her children’s) experience be of a refuge where all the other women, including workers, were white. And if she were a lesbian, how might she be received or understood by her heterosexual peers.