Discussion 1: Group Research Designs

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There are several different types of research designs. Each design is intended to respond to a particular type of research question. The type of research design depends on the type of research questions asked. For this Discussion, select one of the articles from the reading list and consider several classifications of group research designs. By Day 3
Post your response to the following: Describe which groups are compared in the research. Then, classify the research design as follows: By explaining whether the study is pre-experimental (cross-sectional, one-shot case study, and longitudinal), experimental (control group with pretest and posttest, posttest only, or four-group design), or quasi-experimental (comparing one group to itself at different times or comparing two different groups) By indicating what the researchers report about limitations of the study By explaining concerns you have regarding internal validity and the ability of the study to draw conclusions about causality By explaining any concerns you have about the generalizability of the study (external validity) and what aspect of the research design might limit generalizability
Please use the resources to support your answer.
 
Yegidis, B. L., Weinbach, R. W., & Myers, L. L. (2018). Research methods for social workers (8th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson. Chapter 5, “Quantitative Research” (pp. 100-125)

CJRS 4102 SERIOUS INQUIRES ONLY

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The assignment (1–2 pages):

Identify and describe risk factors and causes of criminal behavior for each of the two special criminal populations you selected.
Compare and contrast risk factors and causes of criminal behavior for the two populations you chose.
Provide one or two insights for how your analysis would inform the rehabilitation of special criminal populations.
The post CJRS 4102 SERIOUS INQUIRES ONLY first appeared on Nursing School Essays.

nursing research assignm W12 – Nursing Essay Tutors

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Assignments
Read Assignments
Chapter 20: Inferential Analysis  
Chapter 21: Analyzing qualitative data
Please review associated You Tube Videos located in lecture section.
Our discussion question is as follows:
What type of analysis you are conducting in your research studies? What are the advantages and disadvantages of both inferential analysis and qualitative analysis?

Dicussion 2

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Concerning Ethical Case Studies and  the APA Ethical Guidelines
First take a look at the 3 Case Studies below.   
Study 1, concerns Watson’s famous Little Albert.  Although we all know the story of Little Albert, we may not have read Watson and Rayner’s original 1920’s study.  Take into consideration the context and spirit of the times or Zeitgeist, if you will, when analyzing this study and the next one. http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Watson/emotion.htm
Study 2 tells the story of Wendell Johnson, or more specifically, Mary Tudor’s study of children in an orphanage in Iowa. It’s called the Monster Study for a reason as you will see. The Monster Study
Study 3 concerns Seligman and Maier’s (1967) Learned Helplessness study. Again, it helps to read these original studies when possible, so we can form our own judgments. http://psych.hanover.edu/classes/learning/papers/seligman%20maier%201967.pdf
Your assignment:  Please read over these studies and select one to analyze.
You will need to first review APA’s  Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.   Read the below module. You will find ethical considerations to current events and historical studies and understand more fully the reason why we need the ethical principles.  
Next, in your analysis, give some background information and then tell us which of the General Principles and/ or which Ethical Standard was violated, and explain why.  Do you think that the study you choose would be approved by an IRB today?  Why do you think the study was allowed or tolerated at the time? 
Ethical Guidelines and Considerations
See a Prezi Save or print a PDF
Here is an overview of the concerns associated with research and human subjects. We hope to stimulate your thinking about this important topic.
Think about this:
Corporate Scandals
The Enron, WorldCom, ImClone, and Adelphia companies sent shock waves throughout our economic fabric. Whether the corporate scandals were individually orchestrated or institutionally ignored, the public trust was shattered yet again.
Governmental Abuses
The White House, the intelligence services, and Congress are locked into a war of blame associated with the tragic events of 9/11 and subsequent actions. Public trust is once again being challenged.
Personal Failures and State Secrets
Martha Stewart, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Jayson Blair, and Jack Kelly all have stirred a variety of emotions among fans and followers. Whether the failing in question is cheating, performing provocative behaviors, or lying, the public is again assailed with trust-breaking behaviors.
Trust is one of the critical components of research, and it appears to be in short supply. As researchers, we face increasing difficulties in convincing potential participants to trust us.
Background Review
In 1946, the world learned of even more brutality and indifference to human life during a trial of those who had sworn “primum non nocere (first do no harm).” Numerous incidents of inhumane experiments and countless cases of euthanasia resulted in the conviction of 16 doctors. Seven were executed.
The Nuremberg Code of 1947 established specific guidelines for the medical profession in conducting research. These included voluntary consent, a requirement that the results cannot be obtained in other ways, and a requirement that subjects can terminate their participation.
The Helsinki Declaration of 1964 provided very clear guidelines for biomedical practitioners. It also stipulated that independent committees should review certain research efforts.
The Belmont Report was the seminal document in later efforts to establish legal obligations for biomedical and behavioral research. The report was in response to tasking by the National Research Act of 1974. The report provided the public and researchers with clear principles and guidelines about ethical behaviors with human subjects. The report also outlined the mechanics of informed consent.
The American Psychological Association established ethical standards in 1953. Since then, 10 revisions have occurred. The current (2010) version provides practitioners with guidelines covering most (some would argue too many) professional activities.
Federal Law, State Law, Professional Organizations
45 CFR 46, a result of the Belmont Report, provides very clear and definitive guidance for those performing research with human subjects.
The federal regulation addresses the mechanics and process of ethical research. It covers

institutional review board (IRB) use, construction, and procedures
informed consent form (ICF) construction and application
special (protected) population considerations

The state of Maryland is one of a number of states that have enacted laws to protect human subjects.
Additionally, many professional organizations, like the APA and the American Medical Association, have established ethical codes of conduct that are often more restrictive than federal and state laws.
Federal law is clear: If you conduct research associated with federal money or support, you must comply. If you conduct research that is within the scope of the department or agency but is not supported, then the effort must be scrutinized by an IRB.
Maryland state law is a bit clearer; if human subjects participate in the research, then compliance with the federal regulations (45 CFR 46) is mandatory.
Ethical Challenges

The Tuskegee Syphilis Study (1932)–399 African-American men infected with syphilis were denied medical treatment so researchers could document the natural history of the disease.

Milgram’s Obedience to Authority Experiments (1961-1962)–Stanley Milgram conducted research that resulted in a finding that 65 percent of the participants were willing to administer a shock that would deliver a potentially lethal electrical voltage to a “participant.”

Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment (1971)–Philip Zimbardo conducted an experiment that created a situation that altered individuals’ “normal” social behaviors in sadistic and torturous behaviors. The additional problem was that the researcher became so involved with the research that he was unable to see what was occurring until an outsider pointed it out.

Virginia Commonwealth University Research Program (2000)–A concerned father inadvertently learned several questions on a survey in a research project that his daughter was participating in. One question asked if her father ever suffered from depression, which in and of itself wasn’t overly objectionable. The second question was about whether the father had abnormal genitalia. After receiving inadequate responses to his requests for more information from both the researcher and the administration of VCU, he went to the FDA. VCU had to shut down 1,100 federally funded programs, costing around $10 million, while each was reviewed to ensure compliance with federal law.

Johns Hopkins University/Kennedy Krieger Lead Paint Experiment (2001)– the Maryland Court of Appeals overturned lower court findings. Researchers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute were monitoring lead levels in children in homes with known lead paint. This reversal placed JHU on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s radar screen for review.

PolyHeme Study (2004)–PolyHeme was experimenting on the effectiveness of artificial blood. The experiment used victims of catastrophic events who would die without intervention without the participants’ consent. The justification was that the individuals would die without this transfusion. By the way, VCU Hospital was trying to be one of the participating institutions.

The Association of Internet Researchers has issued its preliminary report on the ethical conduct of research using the Internet. The APA recently published several articles on studies using the Internet. Whether we are using the Internet to conduct research or conducting research on users, we face newer questions associated with the “use” of human subjects.

Violations of the APA’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct
Every year, in compliance with federal law, nonprofit organizations are required to produce a report to members. Part of the APA’s yearly report includes reporting information from the various internal committees and departments. The Ethics Office, within the Executive Office, provides a yearly notice that indicates those APA members who were either expelled or who resigned from the APA because of verified or possible violations of the APA’s Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.The post Dicussion 2 first appeared on Nursing School Essays.

NURSING LEADERSHIP & PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE — C493 Task 1

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COMPETENCIES
726.10.2 : Manager of the Healing Environment
The graduate responds to unpredictable situations and events common in the healthcare environment with appropriate flexibility and creativity.
726.10.3 : The Nurse as Scientist
The graduate correctly interprets and applies scientific evidence when planning and providing safe, quality, and culturally sensitive care for patients and families.
726.10.4 : The Nurse as Detective
The graduate detects subtle changes and deviations from expected health patterns while managing the care of patients.
740.2.8 : Interprofessional Practices
The graduate analyzes the impact of new and diverse advanced nursing and care provider roles on interprofessional practice.
INTRODUCTION
Nursing is a practice discipline that includes direct and indirect care activities that affect health outcomes. As a baccalaureate nursing student, you are developing new competencies in leadership, and in order to achieve mastery, you must apply those competencies to live practice experiences and situations. This Leadership Learning Experience (LLE) is designed to allow you to choose a clinical focus (e.g., practice, policy, education, population) in which you apply your leadership problem–solving skills. The LLE requires engagement with other people within the setting to complete.  
You will develop a project within a practice setting that allows you to develop these leadership skills. You will identify a problem area in a practice setting that you specifically want to address (e.g., practice, policy, population, education) that aligns with organizational priorities. Example sources for the problem area may include the following:
             •  Practice: joint commission standards, core measures as quality indicators, other data
             •  Policy: legislation, staffing ratio, regulations from state boards
             •  Population: children with diabetes, adult obesity
             •  Education: future of nursing, Benner’s recommendations about nursing education
You will focus on a real-life solution for the problem. You should choose a topic that is timely, manageable, and realistic to the current healthcare environment. An external resource person (i.e., manager, clinical leader, clinical educator, policy expert, or population expert) must confirm the relevance of the selected project and your engagement in the setting as part of project completion. As with all projects, you should think how you, as a nurse, function in the following roles: detective, scientist, and manager of the healing environment.
REQUIREMENTS
Your submission must be your original work. No more than a combined total of 30% of the submission and no more than a 10% match to any one individual source can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from sources, even if cited correctly. An originality report is provided when you submit your task that can be used as a guide.
You must use the rubric to direct the creation of your submission because it provides detailed criteria that will be used to evaluate your work. Each requirement below may be evaluated by more than one rubric aspect. The rubric aspect titles may contain hyperlinks to relevant portions of the course.
Note: Any information that would be considered confidential, proprietary, or personal in nature should not be included. Do not include the actual names of people, stakeholders, or other personally identifiable information. Fictional names should be used. Also, agency-specific data, including financial information, should not be included but should be addressed in a general fashion as appropriate.
Note: Your submission may be in a variety of formats (e.g., report, multimedia presentation).
A.    Develop a written proposal by doing the following:
1.    Identify a problem or issue related to practice, policy, population, or education that aligns with the organizational priorities you seek to solve.
Note: You may need to meet with your organization or practice setting, your manager, or your supervisor to help choose a current problem or issue.
a.    Explain the problem or issue, including why it is applicable to the area of practice you chose and the healthcare environment.
2.    Discuss your investigation of the problem or issue.
a.    Provide evidence to substantiate the problem or issue (e.g., organizational assessment, national source documents, evidence from a stakeholder).
3.    Analyze the state of the situation using current data.
a.    Analyze areas that might be contributing to the problem or issue.
4.    Propose a solution or innovation for the problem or issue.
a.    Justify your proposed solution or innovation based on the results of your investigation and analysis.
5.    Recommend resources to implement your proposed solution or innovation. Include a cost-benefit analysis of your proposed solution or innovation.
6.    Provide a timeline for implementation based on your proposal.
7.    Discuss why each key stakeholder or partner is important for the implementation of the solution or innovation.
a.    Summarize your engagement with the key stakeholders or partners, including the input and feedback you received.
b.    Discuss how you intend to work with those key stakeholders or partners in order to achieve success.
8.    Discuss how your proposed solution or innovation could be implemented, including how the implementation could be evaluated for success.
B.    Explain how you fulfilled the following roles during your process of investigation and proposal development:
1.    scientist
2.    detective
3.    manager of the healing environment
C.    Submit the completed attached “Professional Verification Form” from the organizational leader advising you in your leadership experience.
D.    Acknowledge sources, using APA-formatted in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.
E.    Demonstrate professional communication in the content and presentation of your submission.

Psychiatric Diagnosis For this assignment

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Psychiatric Diagnosis For this assignment, students will investigate and propose a psychiatric diagnosis based on the case study from the Gorenstein and Comer (2015) textbook Case Studies in Abnormal Psychology, chosen in the Week One “Initial Call” discussion. This paper will include an in-depth overview of the disorder(s) within the diagnosis, treatment options for the diagnosis, and a sound rationale that explains why this diagnosis was made. Note that the diagnosis may include more than one psychiatric disorder. The paper must present a thorough overview of each disorder within the diagnosis. Assume the audience has no prior knowledge of the disorder(s) within the diagnosis, and provide relevant and easy to understand explanations of each for the readers. When writing the paper, it is critical to convey all the necessary information in a straightforward manner using non-technical language. (Reference the Professional Voice and Writing resource provided by the Ashford Writing Center for assistance.) Support the analysis with at least five peer-reviewed sources published within the last ten years in addition to the course text. The Psychiatric Diagnosis topical paper must include the following: Explain psychological concepts in the patient’s presentation using professional terminology. Identify symptoms and behaviors exhibited by the patient in the chosen case study. Match the identified symptoms to potential disorders in a diagnostic manual. Propose a diagnosis based on the patient’s symptoms and the criteria listed for the disorder(s) in the diagnostic manual. Analyze and explain how the patient meets criteria for the disorder(s) according to the patient’s symptoms and the criteria outlined in the diagnostic manual. Justify the use of the chosen diagnostic manual (i.e., Why was this manual chosen over others?). Summarize general views of the diagnosis from multiple theoretical orientations and historical perspectives. Include a discussion on comorbidity if the diagnosis includes more than one disorder. Evaluate symptoms within the context of an appropriate theoretical orientation for this diagnosis. Use at least two peer-reviewed articles to assess the validity of this diagnosis, and describe who is most likely to have the diagnosis with regard to age, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and ethnicity. Provide a brief evaluation of the scientific merit of these peer-reviewed sources in the validity assessment. Summarize the risk factors (i.e., biological, psychological, and/or social) for the diagnosis. If one of the categories is not relevant, address this within the summary. Compare evidence-based and non-evidence-based treatment options for the diagnosis. Evaluate well-established treatments for the diagnosis, and describe the likelihood of success or possible outcomes for each treatment. Create an annotated bibliography of five peer-reviewed references published within the last ten years to inform the diagnosis and treatment recommendations. In the annotated bibliography, write a two- to three-sentence evaluation of the scientific merit of each of these references. For additional assistance with this portion of the assignment, access the Ashford Writing Center’s Sample Annotated Bibliography. Attention Students: The Masters of Arts in Psychology program is utilizing the Pathbrite portfolio tool as a repository for student scholarly work in the form of signature assignments completed within the program. After receiving feedback for this Psychiatric Diagnosis topical paper, please implement any changes recommended by the instructor, go to Pathbrite and upload the revised Psychiatric Diagnosis topical paper to the portfolio. (Use the Pathbrite Quick-Start Guide to create an account if you do not already have one.) The upload of signature assignments will take place after completing each course. Be certain to upload revised signature assignments throughout the program as the portfolio and its contents will be used in other courses and may be used by individual students as a professional resource tool. See the Pathbrite website for information and further instructions on using this portfolio tool. The Psychiatric Diagnosis Must be 8 to 15 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Must include a separate title page with the following: Title of paper Student’s name Course name and number Instructor’s name Date submitted Must use at least five peer-reviewed sources published within the last 10 years in addition to the course text. Must include a separate annotated bibliography page. Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center. Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Post- Tania

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 Respond to  your  colleagues by providing one alternative therapeutic approach. Explain  why you suggest this alternative and support your suggestion with  evidence-based literature and/or your own experiences with clients. 
NOTE: I need a positive comment about the post bellow
                                            Main Post
  
PTSD  is a debilitating disorder and should always be taken very seriously  when a client presents with this disorder. Normally, it develops after  experiencing or getting exposed to a traumatic event and it is always  managed through both psychotherapies and pharmacotherapies (Lancaster,  Teeters, Grs & Back, 2016). About 6.8 to 7.3 percent of Americans  are affected by PTSD in their lifetime. Studies however show that  African Americans have a higher rate of 8.7% in lifetime prevalence  (Nguyen, Chatters, Taylor, Levine & Himle, 2016). This is a very  significant statistics for the purpose of this discussion because  William the client is an African American with high risk factor of  having PTSD because he served in the army and was deployed to Iraq  during the war.
   In his narration, William seems not to concentrate especially in regard  to his surroundings. He also points out that his family, that is him  and his wife have been going through a lot. Just recently, he lost his  job and he was not able to effectively meet the deadlines for his  mortgage. Because of this, he became homeless. He was then taken in by  his brother who lives with his wife and children. William denies the  fact that his brother is concerned about his condition. It is known that  he has a problem with alcohol, and this could be a way of coping with  his PTSD from the war. In fact, through an exploratory analysis, it was  concluded that drinking with a view of coping with PTSD was common in  war veterans. This coupled with the perception that they were  stigmatized led to increased severity of PTSD and alcohol abuse as well  as associated consequences (Miller, Pedersen & Marshall, 2017).  William was directly experiencing traumatic occurrences in the war.  There is a very high possibility therefore that he has PTSD leading to  his drinking problem as a way of coping. This has affected his life in  very different ways including losing his job, house and becoming  homeless. William has been having flashbacks about the events in the  war. He avoids things that may remind him of such events, and he does  not have interest in doing different activities including his hobbies.  He has a sense of self-blame and he is reckless as well as experiencing  sleep disturbance. All these have been going on for a while. Long enough  to cost him his job and house. The DSM-5 requires that these  disturbances should not be due to drugs, alcohol or a different medical  issue (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). William is going through  all these issues because of the traumatic events at war and the alcohol  use is just because he thinks this is a way of coping.
   In the treatment and management of PTSD for William, psychodynamic  therapy shall be implemented. Through a systematic review, psychodynamic  therapy showed efficacy in reducing all measures that were associated  with PTSD and at the end of the studies reviewed, more than half of  participants did not present with requirements or symptoms that could  meet the PTSD DSM criteria (Paintain & Cassidy, 2018). As such, for  William, psychodynamic theory shall be used. SSRIs that are first line  treatment for PTSD can be used as an additional therapy. If such fails  to work, Trazodone shall be used as it has been effective in cases where  SSRIs fail in this patient population (Shin &Saadabadi, 2019).  Psychodynamic theory can be used alone in this case. However, a combined  therapy will be more effective in helping to improve symptoms and  allowing William to start functioning effectively. If drugs shall be  used, he is supposed to be told that they may have some side effects.  This will allow him to choose whether he want psychotherapy alone or a  combination.  
                                            References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5®). American Psychiatric Pub
Lancaster,  C. L., Teeters, J. B., Gros, D. F., & Back, S. E. (2016).  Posttraumatic stress disorder: Overview of evidence-based assessment and  treatment. Journal of clinical medicine, 5(11), 105
Miller,  S. M., Pedersen, E. R., & Marshall, G. N. (2017). Combat experience  and problem drinking in veterans: Exploring the roles of PTSD, coping  motives, and perceived stigma. Addictive behaviors, 66, 90-95
Nguyen,  A. W., Chatters, L. M., Taylor, R. J., Levine, D. S., & Himle, J.  A. (2016). Family, friends, and 12-month PTSD among African Americans. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 51(8), 1149-1157.
Paintain, E., & Cassidy, S. (2018). First‐line therapy for post‐traumatic stress disorder: A systematic review of cognitive behavioural therapy and psychodynamic approaches. Counselling and psychotherapy research, 18(3), 237-250.
Shin, J. J., & Saadabadi, A. (2019). Trazodone, Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470560/
The post Post- Tania appeared first on Nursing Essay Tutors.
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Making a Differential Diagnosis no plagiarism (will provide case study in inbox)

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Making a Differential Diagnosis
Prior to beginning work on this assignment, please read Chapter 1: Differential Diagnosis Step by Step in DSM-5: Handbook of Differential Diagnosis and review the same case study you used to write your Weeks One and Two discussion forums and Week Three Assignment.For this assignment, you will create a differential diagnosis for the patient in your chosen case. This assignment continues the work you started in the Weeks One and Two discussion forums and the Week Three assignment. Be sure to follow the instructions in Chapter 1: Differential Diagnosis Step by Step when creating your differential diagnosis. Your assignment must include the following:

Recommend a diagnosis based on the patient’s symptoms, presenting problems, and history.
Assess the validity of your diagnosis using a sociocultural perspective.
Compare at least one evidence-based and one non-evidence-based treatment option for the diagnosis. Research a minimum of two peer-reviewed sources to support your choices.
Propose and provide an explanation for a minimum of two historical perspectives and two theoretical orientations that are inappropriate alternates for the conceptualizations in this case.

The Making a Differential Diagnosis assignment

Must be three to five double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a separate title page with the following:

Title of paper
Student’s name
Course name and number
Instructor’s name
Date submitted

Must use at least two peer-reviewed sources in addition to the course text.
Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Expert Advice: Eliminate Distractions to Stay Focused

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Email. Twitter. Blogs. Instagram. Facebook. Podcasts. TV. Video games. Text messages. Telephone calls. Google. YouTube. Smartphone apps. SnapChat. CandyCrush. “Surfing the Web.”
What does each of these things have in common? They are distractions keeping you from doing the work you need to get done. Yes, distractions – while you may feel like you may be missing out if you don’t immediately attend to that “ping,” not one of these things will help you to focus on the task-at-hand, whatever that may be. Distractions, especially those related to social media, can be extremely time-consuming.
In this post, I’ll talk about how distractions can derail you and how to begin to untangle yourself from the temptations all around you!
Distraction Defined“Work is hard. Distractions are plentiful. And time is short.” Adam Hochschild, American AuthorWhat is a distraction? Is it always a bad thing or can it be a boon for creativity? It depends on how you are using the distractor. Is it a tool for procrastination or creativity? The Association for Psychological Science reported that, according to researchers from George Mason University, “even small interruptions” can decrease productivity.
Distraction is defined as “a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else.” Some of those things I listed above can be fun or informative by themselves. But when they prevent you from concentrating on getting the work you need to get done (school, work projects, etc.) — that is, stopping you from giving your full attention to your work — they become a hindrance, not a help.
The Internet is a wonderful thing. But using the Internet for research is my major distractor. I have gone down quite a few rabbit holes that have taken me a while to climb back out — I get engrossed with interesting articles or facts. Or I find items that I want to use for a future blog post or teaching/learning assignment for a class I’m teaching. Before I know it an hour or two has gone by and I’m no closer to the information I needed from my original search!
One way for me to get out of that rabbit hole quickly is to save those interesting articles and content to either Pocket or Evernote. These are free apps that allow you to save or “clip” an article, webpage, or other content to read t a later time; there are paid plans with more features, also. When I save content, only the content is saved — no ads or other web site distractors. See Dooley’s article (2017) for more detailed information about Pocket and Evernote.
I’m getting better at disciplining myself to focus and to eliminate distractions. Here are some of my other strategies:
How to Manage Distractions“One way to boost our will power and focus is to manage our distractions instead of letting them manage us.” Daniel Goleman, American AuthorI talked about a few of these strategies in my previous blog posts on productivity habits and work-life balance, but because digital distractions can be extremely time-consuming they need to be reiterated.
Disable Notifications or Delete AppsFirst, write down which apps are likely to cause you to spend time using the app and not working on your project.
Second, disable those apps or all social media applications from your phone or work computer. What does that mean? Disable the notifications of tweets or Facebook updates or new snaps so you won’t be tempted to retweet that celebrity you follow or watch the latest cat video your mother posted.
Turn off the sound on your phone or computer or put your devices on airplane mode so that you are not distracted by email or social media audible alerts. You also might want to reconsider some of the sounds you’ve enabled when the phone is back on — a train whistle? Really?
You can also install apps on your computer, phone, or tablet that will stop you from checking your social media accounts and other distractions for a predetermined amount of time. Productivity apps such as FocusMe (PC, Mac), Cold Turkey (PC, Mac, Android), and SelfControl (Mac only) are a few options.
Andrew Sullivan (2016), a writer for New York Magazine, suggested creating a “digital Sabbath each week” where you unplug (or at least disable notifications) for at least 24 hours. Because the world seems so “connected,” that this is a hard thing to do for a lot of people (Sullivan, 2016).
Schedule Checks of Email and Social MediaTell yourself you will only check email or social media at scheduled times – and stick to it!
Today, I’m getting better at not checking my Twitter or Facebook accounts multiple times every day. But I used to get distracted by a Facebook or Twitter update or a sudden desire to check my personal, faculty, and work email accounts many times throughout the day.
I am disciplining myself to not check my email during the time I’ve set aside for focused work. And I’m happy to say, this habit is on its way to being ingrained! Now I schedule a predetermined amount of time to clear and respond to email in the morning and in the evening at the end of my work day. You can do the same for your social media accounts.
Schedule Concentrated Work Periods to Eliminate DistractionsWhen you are working on a project for which you need concentration, make your work schedule known to your work colleagues or your family members.
If you can make a habit of always working on priority projects during certain time periods, your colleagues will know you are not available during those times. Close your office or study door and refuse casual interruptions.Put earbuds in and listen to music without lyrics (Patel, 2016) to help your concentration and to discourage those casual interruptions. If that doesn’t work, Patel also suggested telling the interrupter: “I am working on a big project right now and need to focus; can you wait and tell me what’s going on, at lunchtime or after work?” You can also just make a sign (“I’m working and need to focus”) and place it on your door or study area.My office is in our loft above our kitchen and family room. When my husband is watching TV, I put on my noise-canceling headphones and listen to Pandora’s New Age Ambient Radio channel. These block out the sound and I have peaceful, beautiful music to help me concentrate.These strategies work if you work at home or need time to study for school, also. Keep your focused work time sacred, if possible. Let your partner or significant others know that you need uninterrupted time to focus your energy on your priority tasks. When the kids do their homework, maybe that is the time you do yours, too! Do what works for you — but don’t sacrifice the time you need to get your work done.If you don’t value your time, others won’t either (Patel, 2016). I will talk more about scheduling focused work sessions in a future post.
Track Your Productive TimeIt is very likely that you really don’t know how much time you are spending on your devices. Patel (2016) reported that Americans spend almost half their work week (3.2 hours per day/16 hours per 5-day work week) on social media.
Rescue Time is one app I’ve recommended in the past. This app tracks how productive you are by tracking how much time you are spending on websites. You fully control what to track – you identify the websites you visit as productive or non-productive time and can set goals for how you are spending your time. Once a week you get a report sent to your inbox with a comparison of where you spent time this week versus last week. There is a free and a paid version and you can install the app on as many devices as you like. Rescue Time is available for Mac, Windows, Linux, and Android devices.
ReferencesDooley, R. (2016, November 9). Two free tools to help you fight distraction and boost productivity. Forbes Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerdooley/2017/06/05/productivity-tools/#35937353697b
Patel, N. (2016, November 9). 5 Distractions that are productivity poison (and how to avoid them). Entrepreneur. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/279307#
Sullivan, A. (2016, September 19). I used to be a human being. New York Magazine. Retrieved from http://nymag.com/selectall/2016/09/andrew-sullivan-technology-almost-killed

Ethically and Culturally Sensitive Evaluation Plans

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There is needs to be a separate response to each peer posting. The response needs to be supported with at least two references.
Ethical and Legal Issues:
Though there are processes in place, it can easily veer off course in regards to violating ethics and the law. The ACA Code of Ethics (2014) is based on the principles created to provide counselors parameters in dealing with their counseling work as well protecting those who they are trying to serve and abide ethical soundness and legal obligation. Contained in the Code of Ethics, counselors are expected to gain the information needed without causing detriment to those who participate or volunteer and be productive as well. Competence is based on knowing what how well you know your skills and how you utilize them. In dealing with the public, professionals should be respectful to those they are trying to serve, honest and accurate with the information that is being shared and competent in their abilities (ACA Code of Ethics, 2014 & AEA Guiding Principles for Evaluators, 2004). In working with a program dealing with grief, the evaluator should take in consideration the clientele that is participating the program. The people who seek our grief services come because they are need and in doing so, the information that is provided to the community it serves should be information that is truthful and founded. If the program is not working it should not be falsified just to be more appealing.  Evaluators should be capable of doing evaluation effectively and have the qualifications to fulfill the task (AEA Guiding Principles for Evaluators, 2004). ACA Code of Ethics (2014) also maintains that professionals should not go beyond their capable and qualified limits. In evaluation of the grief program, in order to fully understand grief and what should be provided, the evaluator should be knowledgeable about how grief effects people and how to find resolution. Understanding this will help the evaluator know if the program can actually provide the service that it portrays it does as well as knowing what may be lacking. The participates in the program have a voice and the evaluator should take the time to investigate the allegations or concerns that may have arose. Evaluators should make the effort to learn the pros and cons that clients have find with in the program (AEA Guiding Principles for Evaluators, 2004). Each side should be explored with one side not having more weight than the other but as Royse, Thyer and Padgett (2016) maintains, sometimes the information that is supplied by clientele may not be the most truthful and caution should be warranted. In essence, a person who may be going through grief in the program could have other issues that may affect their judgement or perception.
Cultural Sensitivity:
Each person handles their grief differently. This can vary greatly when seen from a cultural aspect. Some cultures take withdraw within their group and relate only to family and loved ones while others suffer in silence and withdraw within themselves.  Bonanno, Papa and O’Neill (2202) felt that when going through bereavement, how a person manages this situation can offer insight into their overall lifestyle. Knowing and learning about a culture or community that partakes into grief counseling can make a large difference in the success or improvement in the program. Even though some expectation of the participants may not or cannot be met by the program itself, respecting the individual and who they are, where they come from and their experiences should be given.  Client’s define their issues stemming from their cultural aspects (ACA Code of Ethics, section E.5.b., 2014). In managing the grief program, these things and more should be considered. For example, looking at what the person may be feeling grief over may not be the loss of a person but could the loss of a relationship, a job or a transition in life. Understanding what they good of the community to be served should begin the process of what the program can provide, improve or do without.  
Data Needed:
To fully evaluate the program in regards to culture, the evaluator needs to have some sense of direction in where to begin. One thing that is needed is the age of the group involved whether facilitators or participants. This is important because there is a breakdown between the generations. Also, knowing the various cultures that are participants in the program. Culture does not mean just where someone come from or their ethnicity but the community in which a person resonates. Opinions and attitudes could pose conflict among the staff, the participant or both. Knowing the community around the location. There could people out there who are unaware of the services that could be provided, embarrassed coming forth or have prejudge what the services is about. Learn why there is an untapped population. Saltzman et al (2001) pointed out with the gang related violence, the exposure to the youth is consistently high even though the violence itself may have been seen to decrease. Youth may see that the program may not be for them and not seek the help and the assistance they need out prejudged notions but also the exposure itself could create other issues (Saltzman et al., 2001). Knowing that they are condition that could coincide with grief, brought on by the grief or escalated because the grief could be avenues the program may or may not be equipped handle. This information could bring a different perspective for the staff and be insightful to the evaluator as to how many of other issues could be present which could complicate the grief, the help needed, and the population participating and nonparticipating.
References:
American Counseling Association (2014) 2014 ACA code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics-pdf.
American Evaluation Association. (2004). American Evaluation guiding principles for evaluators. Retrieved from http://www.eval.org/p/cm/ld/fid=51
Bonanno, G. A., Papa, A. & O’Neill (2002). Loss and human resilience. Applied & Preventive Psychology.10(1). 193-206.
Royse, D. Thayer, B.A., & Padgett, D. K. (2016). Program evaluation: An introduction to an evidence-based approach. (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Saltzman, W. R., Pynoos, R. S., Layne, C. M., Steinberg, A. M., & Aisenberg, E. (2001). Trauma-and grief-focused intervention for adolescents exposed to community violence: Results of a school-based screening and group treatment protocol. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 5(4), 291.
2nd Peer posting
Top of Form
The Children’s Center is for troubled children ages 10-18. This center is to help children that are depressed, has anxiety problems, ADHD, ADD or any other type of disorder that has caused them to have problems concentrating in school or causing harm to themselves.
Every program must make sure that the participants understand and receive an informed consent which explains the programs confidentiality, privacy, what is expected of each participant, and since this is a program for children legal consent will be required (American Counseling Association, 2014). With the participants being minors the counselors need to be aware of the differences of working with children versus adults. The counselors need to respect not only the participants but their families as well. The parents of the adolescents will want to be involved in what is going on with their child (American Evaluation Association, 2013). The parents and students that are referred need to know that they are not required to participate in the program, that this is an option for them to use but is not required and they will not be held reliable for refusing the program. This is a normal concern by anyone that may be referred to any program. This is just an option for the students that are having a hard time in school or that may be going through a difficult time in their life, something out of the normal or if they are taking the situation harder than the average adolescent.
Are the intended services being delivered to the intended persons? Do particular groups find the services problematic because of their cultural values or practices?
In order to know if the participants are receiving the services they need, the counselor will do an intake interview to make sure they receive the service they need. Parents will need to be involved or give permission to allow the adolescent to do a quiz and interview. “Minors cannot give informed consent without permission from their parents or legal guardians” (Rouse, Thyer, & Padgett, 2016). For a minor to participate in any form of quiz such as antisocial or self-incriminating behavior and psychological problems the counselor must have a written consent (Rouse, Thyer, & Padgett, 2016).
Any type of group must be “obliged to be culturally sensitive when members of ethnic or other diverse groups are involved” (Rouse, Thyer, & Padgett, 2016). The counselor needs to understand the different types of cultures, what is a norm and what the beliefs are of the that culture. The group is not allowed to refuse anyone due to their minority group without cause. All documentation needs to be carefully translated into their language (Rouse, Thyer, & Padgett, 2016).
Are there needy but unserved persons the program is not reaching? What is known about these unserved persons and why the program is not reaching them?
The students are referred to the program, they come from the local school. For the students that attend school out of the county, they may not have a program that is like this in their area. The program is willing to take any adolescent that is referred to the program however, the parents will need to provide transportation. The program is shared by teachers, counselors and any other community member that has helped in funding the program.
Once in service, do clients complete service? Who drops out, and why? Do particular groups drop out more often than other groups? Could this mean that the services are not sensitive to their cultural needs?
When a client leaves the program, the counselors will provide an exit interview. This includes a questionnaire that the parents of the participants will assist them in completing. By doing this interview the counselor will be able to see if the adolescent will need further monitoring when they leave the program. The participant will be dropped from the program if they do not participate in the program, if they choose to leave at their own will or if the counselor feels they might be ready. The counselor will talk to the adolescent and the parents to see how they feel, no one will be forced to leave if they are not comfortable in leaving the program unless they are not participating. Everyone is treated fairly and their culture is being respected. If there is a problem with an individual being offended by either a student or counselor/volunteer, that individual will be talked to in order to teach them the proper way to respect each culture.
American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf
American Evaluation Association. (2004). American Evaluation Association guiding principles for evaluators. Retrieved from http://www.eval.org/p/cm/ld/fid=51
Royse, D., Thyer, B. A., & Padgett, D. K. (2016). Program evaluation: An introduction to an evidence-based approach (6th ed.).