Quality of Responses:

Responses are accurate in their entirety (10)
Cover all points on the topic (10)
Reflect application and synthesis of knowledge at an advanced practice level and do not simply state what is in the textbook or other resources (10)
In your own words and not cut and pasted from internet (10)
Other than required sources are cited (10)
Minimum of 300 words

For this assignment, please listen to the *entire* podcast “81 Words” linked to this week’s content. You can also click on a link to the transcript (the link can be found on the podcast main page) if you want to follow along or need to go back to a certain point in the podcast. Then respond to the following questions, making sure to include details from the podcast to support your responses:

1. How does this story illustrate why it matters who is on the various Psychiatric committees that determine what mental disorders are included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the DSM)?

2. What can we learn about how biases can enter into theoretical approaches to the causes, consequences, and treatments of mental disorders from this story?

3. What did you learn about how views on homosexuality changed over the course of the last century?

4. What impact might psychiatric labels have on societal views and treatment of people with mental disorders, on the clinicians directly treating these individuals, and on the individuals living with these labels? Give some examples from the podcast.

5. How did the scientific work by Evelyn Hooker and Alfred Kinsey contribute to changing views on homosexuality?

6. What other combination of forces/people contributed to the 81 words being removed from the DSM? Pick out and describe some of the major players in the narrative.

7. What are your reactions to this podcast? What do you find surprising or particularly interesting about this story? How do you think this may relate to what we will be studying for the rest of the semester in this class?

***The Podcast is the only source that can be used***

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/204/transcript

Response postings separately

Posting #1: What is behavioral analysis?

First of all, behavioral analysis is the scientific study of how people behave in one way to another. It the understanding, describing, predicting, and changing one’s undesirable behavior to a more desirable one. It is also where researchers look at all the factors of biological and environmental norms to be able to find the why and how to behaviors are to be changed accordingly. Behavior analysis focuses on the basic principles to individuals change their behaviors to have a better quality of life.

The one career I see for myself is working as an MFT and Behavioral Analyst to helping families with children with special needs by understanding how and why their child is responding to certain behaviors of the family system. I also see myself within the school system as well as working with DD population. Especially those who have been traumatized in one way or another. That alone can affect behavior in more ways than ever. I am especially interested in working with those on Autism Spectrum. I first became interested in this career advancement as I was completing my first Master’s MFT internship as I had two young brothers; one who was non verbal.

Working with the DD population within group homes was as well an rather rewarding experience as I learned how to respond to their emotional needs as their behavioral needs played a key role in getting what they desired from different staff members. Although I don’t know too much about the research behind behavior analysis; I am always finding out and looking up ways of communicating with responding to how they are trying to get their needs met.

References

New Mexico Association for Behavior Analysis. (2011). Retrieved from What is Behavior Analysis? : http://www.nmaba.org/ (Links to an external site.).

Posting #2: Hi everyone,

Behavior analysis is the observation of behavior to find the reason for the behavior, to then treat it with effective interventions. “The “analysis” part of behavior refers to our search for maintaining variables that prompt a behavior and for those that keep it going” (Bailey & Burch, pg 7). Kevin’s case is the most I found interesting because it is a scenario that can happen to anyone at any time. It was interesting to me because instead of being harsh on Kevin for his behavior, there was a different approach by trying to learn why the behavior is occurring. This is a type of situation that anyone can learn from because there is so much more that goes into why a person is behaving a certain way, and this behavior analysis search for that to know how to address it.

One of the new career possibilities that I see for myself is the possibility for conducting research and sharing my knowledge in other countries. This was an idea that had not crossed my mind until after I read some of the faculty bios. This interests me because it is collecting and sharing more information about behavior analysis to those who may not know much about it and gathering more information to the field.

Bailey, J., & Burch, M. (2006). How to think like a behavior analyst: Understanding the science that can change your life. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Posting # 3: What was most interesting in the required readings for this module was the scenario about Kevin. According to Bailey,J. & Burch, M (2006), behavior analysis involves finding a cause of a behavior. For example, you observe that a friend, “Kevin” is constantly interrupting a conversation when you get together for a party. You may think “that guy is such a jerk, I don’t know why I even hang out with him. I think you should dump him” As a behavior analyst, you may say to yourself “I wonder why Kevin does this? Its really rude and irritating but there must be something that sets him off” Everything you see people do has a cause. As competent behavior analysts, the next time this behavior is observed in Kevin, the behavior analyst should look for the stimulus that sets the stage for Kevin’s interrupting and watch closely for anything that seemed to prompt his rude behavior. He may interrupt when a certain person speaks or a certain topic comes up. As competent behavior analysts, would finding the cause of Kevin’s behavior help us to develop the most effective treatment plan possible to change this behavior in Kevin?

Reference

Bailey, J., & Burch, M. (2006). How to think like a behavior analyst: Understanding the science that can change your life. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

The topic of the paper must be in question form and it must be approved by the instructor prior to starting, so I need to communicate with the writer frequently. (For example, the topic could be is there a relationship between socioeconomic status and the high school dropout rate?)  I have some flexibility on topic as long as it relates back to a major theme/topic in psychology. 

I need 4-5 full body pages PLUS the title, abstract, and reference pages.  The sources MUST be from 5 scholarly journals ONLY.  The paper should answer the following questions:
1. An introduction of the topic (history, background)
2. What is the theoretical purpose of writing the topic chosen?
3. What are some interesting findings on your topic as a result of published scholarly studies?
4. What area and population has been impacted most by the research topic?
5.  What other societal elements (laws, economy) contribute to such outcomes on your topic?
6. What theorist and their theoretical perspective in Psychology explains your research topic?  (link those elements to your topic)
7. Concluding paragraph

1. As you processed the Interview Skills Scenarios, what therapeutic approaches do you believe would be effective for each scenario? Identify two therapeutic techniques within the theories that you would consider integrating into the session, and why you chose the particular technique. Finally, what interviewing skills might be essential for working with this client, and what are one or two factors that are important to keep in mind as you use these skills?

2. In The Resilient Practitioner, Skovholt lays out key components of sustaining the professional self. Identify two components that you feel are particularly important and how this knowledge may impact your professional development.

Skovholt, T. M., & Trotter-Mathison, M. (2016). The resilient practitioner: Burnout and compassion fatigue prevention and self-care strategies for the helping professions. Routledge.

Use the Mentalism and Radical Behaviorism Template provided in the Resources area of this assignment to complete the following:

For the 10 phrases or sentences provided in the template, identify whether the statement provides a mentalistic or a behavioristic explanation for a behavior.
Write a summary, explaining the reasoning behind your choices. You are not required to provide an individual explanation for each statement.

For each of the mentalistic explanations you identify, provide a behavioristic explanation as an alternative.
Analyze how the behavioristic approach is different from most other psychology fields.
How would a mentalistic approach inform ones practice?
How would a behavior analytic approach inform ones practice?
Assignment Requirements

Written communication: Should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
APA formatting: References and citations are formatted according to current APA style guidelines.
Resources: Minimum of 12 scholarly or professional resources.
Length: 24 double-spaced pages, in addition to the title page and reference page.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
SafeAssign: You are required to use SafeAssign before submitting the completed assignment to your instructor. Submit your work to SafeAssign as a draft, review the results, and make any needed changes. When you are ready, submit your assignment to the assignment area for grading.

Description: You will reflect on the relationship between psychology and Christianity as you currently perceive it.

The purpose of this reflection paper is to allow you to think about the relationship between these two disciplines before discussing how others have approached the topic.

Details:
1.    The task is to reflect on the relationship between psychology and Christian faith.
2.    There is no required format/content for the reflection, but if youre having trouble getting started, you might consider the following ideas:
    Whether truth can be found in either/both;
    Whether one is more important and why;
    How psychology is viewed by your church;
    Whether they should mix with each other; and/or
    How your experience has led you to this position.
3.    Although you may discuss how your church background has impacted your perceptions, this is not the place to share your personal conversion testimony.
4.    Make sure that your reflection demonstrates critical thinking; it must not simply be a collection of personal stories.
5.    No citations are necessary for this reflection, but feel free to incorporate Scripture.

Paper format:
    At least 2 pages, double-spaced.
    Times New Roman, 12 point font, 1 margins.
    First person is allowed for this assignment.

he paper must be at least 8-10 pages double spaced in length and documented in APA style. The title page and reference pages are NOT included in the length requirement-the paper must be 8-10 pages of content.  The student must use at least eight scholarly references when researching the topic.  Scholarly references should primarily include scholarly peer reviewed articles.  Specifically, only two of the eight resources can come from alternative sources such as websites (ending in .gov, .org, .edu. only) or other scholarly material; the other six resources must come from scholarly peer reviewed articles (To find scholarly, peer-reviewed articles it is recommended to use the university library database social work journals, PSYCinfo, Medline or other databases with the option to limit search results to scholarly, peer reviewed, full text material only).  Textbooks may be used for support, but not as a primary source.  Please refer to the writing tips for the research papers in the Introduction section of this course for detailed instructions on acceptable resources and APA style.  Paper is due the 5th week of class and is worth 100 points.  It is encouraged for students to review the rubric for this assignment in the Introduction section of the course as well.  When reviewing the rubric, you will notice that students are expected to address “core issues” related to the chosen topic. 

An example of “core issues” related to a chronic illness experienced by many older adults would be examining the scope/severity of the issue, significant statistics in regards to target populations with the illness, defining the illness, symptoms of the illness, short and long term effects of the illness, and treatment(s) for the illness and effectiveness of available treatment(s).

An example of “core issues” related to a social service area related to aging would include examining the social problem leading to the development of the service, the scope and severity of the problem before and after implementation of the service, funding for the service, assessment of clients, interventions provided by the service area, and evaluation of the social service’s effectiveness.

Beyond your desire to help others, please share specifics on what drives you to help others and how you would like to accomplish this task.

2. Discuss a personal experience or a current event which led to a new appreciation of diversity and an insight into how the context of the community, the country, and world influences the day-to-day experiences of individuals.

3. What can social workers do at a macro level to advance human rights or social & economic justice for diverse groups, and how do you think social work practice might be affected by societal trends?

4. Read the following scenario and give a brief discussion of how you would respond to this situation and how your actions would be related to the NASW Code of Ethics.

Imagine that you are a social worker at a shelter and are concerned about a person who recently froze to death because of refusing to come into the shelter. The city adopts a new policy to protect people who are homeless in the winter. City workers begin collecting all people sleeping on the streets and taking them involuntarily to shelters if the temperature falls below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. You also happen to be in a personal relationship with someone who controls funding for the shelter the more people who fill the shelter beds, the more money the shelter receives. A worried client asks you if he could get arrested for choosing to live on the streets rather than go to the shelter. What are the ethical issues involved? What personal values would you consider in making this decision? What would you tell the client? Would your answer change if you found out that a small percentage of the people who were homeless had an impaired mental capacity to make decisions? Please explain