Working With Sexual Abuse Victims Social Work Essay

Working With Sexual Abuse Victims Social Work Essay Sexual abuse has been a growing concern in our society. The statistics on sexual abuse in America are alarming. According to Finkelhor (1994) approximately 150,000 confirmed cases of child sexual abuse were reported to child welfare authorities in the United States during 1993 (p.31). Lucinda stated, I have worked with children who have been sexually abused and it is a devastating experience for the individual. Working with an individual who has a history of sexual abuse would be very difficult. The individual will likely be guarded and possibly closed off from the surrounding environment. He or she may not want to talk about what happened in their past, and want to shut it away so they never have to relive the horror that happened to them. Since this abuse is not as visible as physical abuse, it is harder for people outside the abuse to recognize it. The individual in the abuse may feel that it is their fault, or they are inviting the abuser into the relationship. The abused individual may also feel that when speaking about the abuse to another person, that person will judge them think it is the fault of the abused. Core Issues Some of the core issues in treatment while working with someone diagnosed with a history of sexual abuse is gaining the clients trust so that they may disclose their history of being sexually abused and feeling safe and not being judged. Lucinda stated, For me, the most important factor for the clinician is to gain the trust of the individual first before the client feels safe enough to share such an experience with a total stranger. Sexual abuse is a touchy subject to some and some individuals do not disclose having been sexually abused because they feel ashamed or guilty or they fear being judge has damaged goods. According to Levs post, 88% of cases of sexual abuse are never disclosed by the child. In agreement, Alaggia (2005) states, 50% to 80% of victims do not purposefully disclose childhood sexual abuse before adulthood (p.454). Another core issue is the ability to gain that initial trust between the client and the clinician. For someone that has had a history of sexual abuse this can be a hard aspect to have happen. This is understandable because at some point in that persons life they lost the ability to trust when someone took that opportunity away from them. Its like that individual had their bond of trust violated and that may carry over as an adult for the ability to trust their own feelings and judgment. Additional core issues noticed with those sexually abused would be placing the blame on themselves or taking the responsibility for what has occurred to that individual. Also, having a constant fear instilled in them that something is wrong with them. Perhaps even issues with power and control because one may feel that was stripped away from them. An abused child will not open up unless they can trust again (trust is obviously something that is tarnished and even lost through the abuse). Another core issue in treatment while working with someone diagnosed with a history of sexual abuse is using memory to work through the trauma. As Courtois (1992) points out, Therapy is geared not only to the retrieval of autobiographical memory, but towards the integration of affect with recall to achieve resolution of the trauma. Because so many feelings, emotions of the memories are difficult to deal with on a day to day basis, many victims of sexual abuse tend to dissociate and therefore can suffer from dissociative disorder and PTSD. I think it is extremely important to address sexual assault of males. So often is hard to come forward about the assault but as Hopper (2010) addresses, Approximately one in six boys is sexually abused before age 16. He goes on to talk about the long lasting affects of sexual abuse and how it can become a perpetuated cycle of being hurt: Avoiding getting close to people and trying to hide all of ones pain and vulnerabilities may creating a sense of safety. But this approach to relationships leads to a great deal of loneliness, prevents experiences and learning about developing true intimacy and trust, and makes one vulnerable to desperately and naively putting trust in the wrong people and being betrayed again. A core factor for many that are abused is that they are not alone. Many times knowing that others are dealing with a similar situation can make a huge difference. Therapeutic Models The types of therapeutic modality that works best for someone who has been abused should be determined based on the individual and the therapist preference. In the article by Courtois (1999) discusses that the resolution of sexual abuse trauma requiring retrieval of memory and the working through of the associated affect. This is important so the individual can heal by having fully acknowledged what has occurred to them in the past. The article further states, memory retrieval is an important component of the therapeutic process. As a therapist, an essential task when working with the client, would be having them acknowledge the abuse that has happened to them and be able to retrieve the full memory to proceed in the healing process. Courtois (1999) notes how memory deficits are quite characteristic of trauma response and are utilized in the interest of defense and protection. This is an essential point for the clinician to understand in working on trauma resolution in general and me mory retrieval in particular. The strengths perspective acknowledges the client as the expert, which allows the memory retrieval to be a lot easier, and to be more accurate from the client. It is crucial that clinicians be educated when working with individuals who have a history of childhood sexual abuse. Stearn (1988) states, to diagnostically assess and treat clients in the most effective manner, social workers need to discover how each sexual abused clients views himself or herself, significant others, and the world (p.466). Jennings (1994) examines ways of using a broad spectrum of creative approaches, such as art, play, dance, music and drama, and combinations of those, to work with people who have been traumatized by experiences of sexual abuse (p.471). Lucinda stated, In my opinion, the best therapeutic modality that would work best with clients who have a history of childhood sexual abuse is using the strengths perspective. The client is the expert on his or her own experience because only they know how they felt and what actually occurred during those moments. Bell (2003) believes the strengths perspective involves turning away from rational, empirical models that order and codify reality, toward a constructivist view, which holds that the identification of human problems reflects not objective reality, but the perspective of the one doing the looking. With this constructivist understanding, three assumptions emerge from the strengths perspective. First, clients have personal and environmental strengths and are more likely to act on those strengths when they are affirmed and supported. Second, the strengths perspective views the client as the expert on his or her own experience. Third, the roles of the social workers shift from expert and fixer to collaborator who respects and fosters the strengths of the client (p.513). Lucinda stated, I feel that being empathetic, understanding, and compassionate are important in working with these clients. According to Calof (1993) listening to their stories and helping them explore the truth of their experiences has enabled many to turn their lives around (p.45). Family therapy is also important. Acknowledging the important and loving family members and their role in the victims life can help. With their love and support, the abused can work with the family to form treatment plans and other means of support. As social workers, we have to not only listen to what our clients are saying but also read their body language as well as anything else they give us as clues. They are children who have been violated and are reluctant to speak because in their minds they did something wrong. We have to work collaboratively with the non-offending family (if that is obvious), schools, doctors, and other professionals so that we can get a full picture of the childs symptoms, behaviors, and problems. Once we establish there has been abuse and from whom, we must remove the abuser if that has not already been done. Only then will we be able to work with the child towards a state of healing. Healing cannot happen when someone is still being abused. However literature does state most do not disclose what has happened until they are adults. Sometimes, it is not possible to remove the abuser if nothing is said about the abuse. As social workers, we would have to take every incident as it comes and deal with it as soon as possible. Unfortunately and sadly, most sexual abusers get off with a slap in the hand while the children they abuse suffer for the rest of their lives. Essential Task for Therapists An essential task for the therapist is providing a safe environment. Ensuring that a victim of sexual abuse feels comfortable in their setting is a pertinent factor in providing treatment. Also, maybe the sex of the therapist will matter. If the victim is female and was sexually abuse by a male, she may only feel comfortable speaking with another female. Lana stated, The women in my placement have expressed many times their fears and anxieties when in groups with men after sexual assaults that they faced both as children and adults. As therapist we should not only be treating for sexual abuse, we should also be doing more about prevention and education to all young children. It should not take years for a person to disclose that they were abused as child without having the ability to address the abuse. They should not have to go through the feelings that it was their fault or the one to blame. Laura stated, I think it is very important for children to understand that it is often an adult that they know who becomes an abuser. Schools teach stranger-danger, and to fear the stranger, when often the threat comes from an individual close to or seen by the child. Children need to be aware that there are monsters who can appear as nice people, who are not only strangers, and the only way to make something bad go away they have to talk. Some ways to do this is by using examples of what is appropriate from different people is the best way to get things across. Also, using child-like language is very important as well. U sing characters from TV and books can be used as examples of love and family as long as the child can relate and understand in a certain way. A therapist of someone who has a history of sexual abuse would need to patient and empathetic, while urging the individual to share their story. The individual has likely lived many years of hiding the abuse and trying to act like it never happened, while trying to live a normal life. This is not possible, as the horrible history will present itself in varying disorders, such as borderline personality disorder, dissociative disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder and create upset in their life. The therapist must create an era of trust and safety in which the individual can feel comfortable and able to speak about their past. I think the therapist needs to ease into the revelations in order to help the individual to feel more comfortable; with each small piece, followed by safety and reassurance, another may follow, allowing the individual to reveal their past. This is really the ideal, and the therapist will need to be able to help the person overcome the varying disorders and o ther issues in their life.

Tithonus and the Eternal Consequences of Decisions :: Tithonus

Tithonus and the Eternal Consequences of Decisions "Tithonus" was written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.   The poem's setting is the ancient story of Tithonus.   Tithonus fell in love with Eos, goddess of the dawn, and asked her for immortality.   Unfortunately for Tithonus he did not ask for eternal youth, only eternal life.   He, therefore, grows old but never dies while Eos not only never dies but also never grows old.   What makes Tithonus's situation worse is that "the gods themselves cannot recall their gifts" (49).   This dramatic monologue is characteristic of Tennyson.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tithonus is an excellent example of a dramatic monologue.   There is a speaker, Tithonus, who is not the poet.   There is an audience-the gods.   Another characteristic of a dramatic monologue found in Tithonus is an exchange between the speaker and the audience:   "I asked thee, 'Give me immortality?'" (15).   A character study is when the speaker speaks from an extraordinary perspective:   Tithonus is looking back on his decision, a decision which the reader will never be able to make but can only dream of making.   His portrayal of his decision causes the common response to be rejected:   most people would want eternal life, but Tithonus proves this short-sighted.   Tithonus proves the wish for immortality vain by stating that: Why should a man desire in any way To vary from the kindly race of men, Or pass beyond the goal of ordinance Where all should pause, as is most meet for all?   (29-31).      Another trait of the dramatic monologue is the dramatic, or critical, moment.   In Tithonus this moment is when Tithonus decides that he does not want immortality: "take back thy gift" (27).   "Tithonus" has all of the basic traits of a dramatic monologue: a speaker who is not the poet, an identifiable audience, an exchange between the two, a critical moment, and a character study of the speaker.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One other trait of a dramatic monologue is a dramatic tension.   This tension is between harsh judgment and sympathy.   This tension makes the audience see objectively rather than subjectively.   The audience has sympathy for Tithonus, because he suffers:   "strong hours indignant worked their wills, and beat me down and marred and wasted me" (50)   His telling the story also bring sympathy from the audience.   The audience must judge Tithonus negatively, because he has made an error.   His error was his will "to vary from the kindly race of men" (29).

HCS

How to control: Several engineering measures and work practices are recommended to control ergonomic hazards during garment transfer, pressing and bagging activities. Include modifying equipment, making changes in work practices and purchasing new tools or other devices to assist in the production process. By making these changes, it has reduced physical demands, and eliminated unnecessary movements and lowered injuries. Personal protective equipment: Watch what's happening around you, don't work in confined spaces, have good posture and don't be lazy.Use all the safety requirements when using heavy or dangerous equipment. Physical Hazards How to control: Some strategies to controlling a physical hazard includes. Effective detection and elimination systems. Effective facility maintenance. On-line visual inspection, Detection methods include metal detectors, x-ray machines, optical systems. Good manufacturing practices, End product screening etc. PEE: Wear your hard hats, use all the WHAMS symbols too help you. All your basic safety equipment; gloves, glasses, etc. Psychosocial How to control: Don't work with heavy or dangerous material when you are stressed, over tired or under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Personal protective equipment: Put signs to help you such as † Any form of abuse will not be tolerated her†. Stress relieving activities such as massages, face masks, or even try changing your diet. Chemical Hazards How to control: Remove the hazard from the work place. Control any injuries in a way that is necessary. Such as eyes, if you get chemicals in your eyes there are equipment to wash out your eyes as fast as possible.Personal protective equipment: Equipment worn by individuals to reduce exposure such as contact with chemicals or exposure to noise. Biological How to control: Controlling Biological is quit impel and common sense. If you have the flu, you take all the medication that is necessary, and stay out of public too avoid spre ading germs. If medication doesn't do the trick, going to see a doctor is your second most effective Way Of getting well again. Doctors will supply you with the proper medication or treatment that is required Personal Protective Equipment: wearing surgical masks when needed.Fire safety Examining and justifying the need for fire safety legislation/standards. The main reason why we have the need for safety and legislation standards for fire safety is so we all know how to handle a fire in he most safe and effective way. By exciting the safest ways etc. Before starting a new job, you must make sure you are aware of where all fire equipment lays in the area. Elements of fire include qualities of brightness, thinness, and motion. Fire we use the warm our homes, too cook our food, side around it to ward the night an active element which is contrary to water.Fire is the converter of the energy of other objects into other forms such as, heat, light, ash and smoke. Addressing fire hazards & fire prevention Messy crowded building, such as pulp mills have multiple fire hazards, to keep things safe and orderly notations, you can make signs, to notify people to the dangers that they might face. Or if you find an unsafe condition that you are unsure how too handle, report it! Tell the manager/coordinator. Fire prevention: Take cooking for example, to avoid fire caused by cooking; ;Don't leave cooking food/grills unattended. Keep things that can burn (think dishtowels, paper or plastic bags) at least three feet away from the stove top ; Loose-fitting clothes can catch on fire, so be sure to roll up long sleeves. Fire classifications and comparing the appropriate extinguishers Class A: Fires involving ordinary combustible materials, such as paper, wood, and textile fibers, where a cooling, blanketing, or wetting extinguishing agent is needed. Class B: Fires involving flammable liquids such as gasoline, thinners, lullabies paints and greases. Extinguishers for this type of fir e include carbon dioxide, dry chemical* and halogenated agent types.Class C: Fires involving energize electrical equipment, where a no conducting gaseous clean agent or smothering agent is needed. The most common type of extinguisher for this class is a carbon dioxide extinguisher. Class D: Fires involving combustible metals such as magnesium, sodium, potassium, titanium, and aluminum. Special dry powder* extinguishing agents are required for this class of fire, and must be tailored to the specific hazardous metal. Class K: Fires involving commercial cooking appliances with vegetable oils, animal oils, or fats at high temperatures. A wet potassium acetate, low pH- based agent is used for this class of fire.Electrical Safety/Hazards At home; Frayed or worn electric cords, Electrical appliances such as radios, hairdryers, or radiators used near showers, baths or swimming pools. Wet floors are resent where electricity is used. At School; The Smart Board wiring Ordinary outlets near wat er sources, faulty equipment. At work; Overloading electrical circuits and extension cords, Electrically operated office equipment such as computers, printers, scanners and shredders should also be checked regularly to ensure their power cords are not defective, frayed or improperly installed.Address these fire hazards by always having the proper equipment. Keep fire preventable materials locked up, never throw water of your fires in the kitchen, always salt or soda. Don't overload circuits by putting to many plugs into one. Electrical Safety Your own safety plan for establishing a safe work conditions are keep informed on how to be safe, do your research on electrical safety and let others know what you know. Lockout/tag out procedures; lockout is the isolation of energy from the system (a machine or equipment) which physically locks the system in a safe mode.The energy-isolating device can be a manually operated disconnect switch, a circuit breaker, or a line valve. Tag out is a l abeling process that is always used when lockout is required. The process of tagging out a system involves attaching or using an indicator Ladder Safety Step ladders are often used both for inside and outside electrical connections. Extension ladders allow the user to reach heights that step ladders cannot reach. Plat form ladders allows you to work on any project that requires you to use two hands as safely as if you were on the ground itself.Being able to rotate around and work in which ever direction you need helps you to work safer and faster. Folding ladders are normally used for smaller inside tasks. These ladders have the ability to fold up when not in use for extremely easy storage. Know The Climbing Limits. Look Around For Hidden Dangers Before Climbing A Ladder Tie Off Ladders For Safety Use Proper Ladder Angles What to inspect? Missing or loose steps or rungs, damaged or worn non-slip feet, loose nails, screws, bolts or nuts, rot, decay or warped rails in wooden ladders. Etc. Proper storage; where they are protected from the weather, horizontally on racks.Ensure that storage areas are easy to reach, tie ladders to each support point to reduce damage. Etc. Confined Space Safety TO find Out whether a space is confined or not, ask yourself, Is the space fully or partially enclosed? Is the space not both designed and constructed for continuous human occupancy? Confined space† means a fully or partially enclosed space, that is not both designed and constructed for continuous human occupancy, and in which atmospheric hazards may occur because of its construction, location or contents or because of work that is done in it.Confined Space Associated Dangers in confined spaces can include: ;Poor air quality: There may be an insufficient amount of oxygen for the worker to breathe. ;Chemical exposures due to skin contact or ingestion as well as inhalation of ‘bad' air. ;Safety hazards such as moving parts of equipment, structural hazards, entangleme nt, slips, falls. Uncontrolled energy including electrical shock. Before entering a confined space/Creating your own plan you should test the quality of the air, care should be taken to ensure that air is tested throughout the confined space – side-to-side and top to bottom.Always ensure the testing equipment is properly calibrated and maintained Rescue Plan Training requirements; address the following: the company's policy and confined space program limiting the employees' access to confined spaces and their hazards, they must recognize the confined space warning and identification signs; changes in use or configuration f non-permit spaces that could require the space to be reclassified as a permit-required space; and, finally, procedures that address employees of other companies who enter and work in the prerequisites confined spaces of the employer.WHIMS Why WHIMS? WHIMS is a System is a proper safety compliance system designed for workers involved in handling different ki nds of hazardous materials. Classes of WHIMS Class A – Compressed gas WHIMS Class DO. SVGA Class B -Flammable and combustible material Class C – Oxidize material Class D-l – Materials causing immediate and serious toxic effects Class D-2 – Materials causing other toxic effects Class D-3 – Bio hazardous infectious Labels on controlled products label is one of the ways health hazard information is made available to anyone using the material.

Article Analysis Anthony Tucketts The Experience of...

Assessment of First Article: Anthony Tucketts The experience of lying in dementia care: A qualitative study This article is an excellent example of work that is based on grounded theory and demonstrates the ways in which qualitative research provides the kind of rich data that are often lacking when a quantitative study is used. This is not to say that either qualitative or quantitative studies are better than each other. Rather, these different types of studies provide different types of data, and these different types of data provide answers to different types of questions. Tuckett notes that he is using a method called grounded theory, which is a relatively new methodology. Its origins are in the methodological fields of participatory and feminist research and it is designed to elicit the ways in which subjects of a particular culture or subculture understand their world and determine the meaning of what they do. It should thus be clear that this is an ideal methodology for an investigation of how the profess ional staff members that he interviewed came to assign meaning to the ways in which they communicated with their patients (Dauwerse, Dam, Abma, 2012). Tuckett was interested not in the formal rules of the organizations that he was studying. That is, he was not interested in learning what people knew that they should be doing according to their job descriptions and the formally expressed ethics of their professions. Rather, he was interested in