Benefits of Routine Eye Examinations

Posted by: Asa Don Brown on July 11, 2011 12:45 pm
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The British Columbia Association of Optometrists (BCAO) and American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends that children receive their first eye examination within the first year of life.  According to the AOA, the percentage of school-aged children who have visual concerns is 25 percent, or one in every four children. Major optometric associations recommend that children have routine eye examinations. 

What are the benefits of routine eye examinations? Routine eye examinations can rule-out sight threatening eye and health diseases or disorders.  They can prove a preventive measure, as well as, a resource for monitoring health related issues. 

Routine eye examinations can provide a baseline for which future eye health can be compared.  The determination of an accurate prescription can result in comfortable, clear vision. 

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*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

A Great Care Plan Takes Team Work!

Posted by: Debbie Grove on July 8, 2011 2:34 pm
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When we pause to think about it, people have multiple needs – it takes a lot to keep us going. A well-being or personal care plan incorporates health and mental health (emotional, physical, spiritual, and relational), finances, education and career, place of residence, leisure and recreation, and so on.

Counsellors and psychotherapists may be one of many components of a client’s personal well-being team. Like any team, information, open communication, and collaboration are important elements. Other members of the team might include, for example, a physician, physiotherapist, psychiatrist, chiropractor, pastor, school guidance counsellor, life coach, and sports coach. When a client is working with more than one professional or practitioner, there are many benefits; at the same time, however, there are some key tips to keep in mind when counsellors and clients are working together as part of a larger team.

 

Photo is courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

The Importance of Understanding Context

Posted by: Lori Walls on July 8, 2011 2:27 pm
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Part of being a graduate student is the task of trying to secure funding for research by writing and applying for grants. A result of the grant application process is developing a thick skin when reading the feedback rejection letters. In response to one of my recent grant applications I received comments indicating that during a period of my undergraduate studies (almost 20 years ago) I had let some of my marks slip. This resulted in the grant reviewers deeming my academic achievements as a spotty performance.  After my initial outrage I desperately wanted a chance to explain the context in which the slipping had occurred. Realizing that it was futile to explain I started to think about the influence of context on the academic and social success of the students that I currently work with and how enhancing my understanding of these factors may translate into different and more adaptive interventions.

In a recent study conducted by Dominguez, Viteiello, Fuccillo, et al. (2011) the additive and interactive effects of children’s context-specific problem behaviours and classroom quality dimensions were examined to determine their influence on  children’s approaches to learning. In this study teachers rated the problem behaviours and approaches to learning of 275 preschool children selected from an urban sample in the United States. Independent assessors conducted classroom observations to evaluate classroom quality. This study is of particular interest as it allowed “children’s needs to be addressed in a contextually and developmentally appropriate manner with the goal of promoting more successful engagement in learning opportunities” (p.177). 

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*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Practically Yours: Self-Care Tips for Counsellors – Environmental Health

Posted by: Derrick Shirley on July 8, 2011 2:02 pm
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“We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” -Thomas Fuller, 1732.

Is your home or work environment healthy or toxic? How would you know if it was or was not? Tending to your environmental health in the context of personal self-care is similar to my argument for the importance of tending to the Earth’s environmental health; it is never to late to start if you realize you may have fallen short. In this, post five of six, we explore the links between self-care and good health with a focus on personal environmental health.

From 2003-2010, I lived in Calgary, AB. I moved a few times over the course of those years, which my friends could attest to (thanks again everyone for lending a hand). During my last two years there, I brought the concepts of the medicine wheel home to my apartment and made some decorative changes. The medicine wheel is a conceptual framework for health with deep ties to early First Nations and Celtic culture. The four components of the medicine wheel are physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health. Essentially, optimal health is achieved when one is in balance with all quadrants.

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*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Hello Readers!

Posted by: Priya Senroy on July 8, 2011 1:24 pm
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In this July blog, I continue to share with you some amazing work happening in other parts of the world in the field of using creative arts as a counselling process.

This video illustrates how classes in acrobatics may be combined with group counselling concerning setting and obtaining goals in life within the realms of
social work. It provides guidelines for those in charge of acrobatics and counselling classes.

The facilitators recommended that if this combination methodology is meant to be used with a specific group of participants over a number of classes in acrobatics ideally over a period of at least a few months, involving at least 10 classes organized at regular intervals. Classes in acrobatics will help build confidence and self-esteem of participants. The counseling methodology is designed to capitalize on learning points classes in acrobatics provide concerning how to set and obtain goals in life.

Again this is for facilitators who are skilled in the language of acrobatics and for others who may want to get inspired to combine an art form that they are experts in with counselling.

 




*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Why Processing Occupational Information May Be Well-Suited For Your Own “Central-Processing Unit”

Posted by: Jeffrey Landine on July 8, 2011 12:07 pm
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Career development is one area of counselling that appears to have embraced the efficiency and seemingly endless capacity of technology to store information in a readily accessible way.  Online assessments and databases such as CHOICES and Career Cruising are now integral aspects of career development curriculum and approaches to career counselling across the country.  Government departments in Canada and the US have taken on the task of developing frameworks for organizing occupations and occupational information (NOC and O*NET) using hierarchical relationships that organize occupations in terms of responsibilities and occupation domains, and level of education.  These frameworks are akin to the hierarchical manner in which information is stored in a computer.

In the realm of cognitive psychology, information-processing models often represent cognition, our information-processing abilities, as involving a series of sequential stages similar to the functioning of a computer where information, the input, is first into the computer through our sensory register.  There it is processed, and the resulting output is an answer or solution to a problem.  With computers, as long as the information at the input end is the same and the internal processes brought to bear on the information are similar, the output is the same, regardless of the computer used.  When the problem or, in the realm we are addressing, a career decision, involves human processing, however, the resulting answers or decisions are not always the same, even when the information being input is the same from one person to the next.  For example, a presentation made to a first-year university class describes the process involved in becoming a corporate banker, the typical duties a banker performs, and future employment outlooks for this occupation.  While all students receive the same information, what is done with the information likely varies from student to student.  This suggests that there are complicating variables that render each individual’s processing of information unique. 

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*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Life is talking to you…Are you listening??

Posted by: Victoria Lorient-Faibish on July 8, 2011 12:00 pm
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I recently reluctantly had to cancel a couple of days work due to illness.  I hated doing that as a self employed person but alas the body was not able to continue. I had a bronchial infection that left me flat on my you know what!

Life has a way of making its point known whether we like it or not. Clearly I had been pushing myself too hard and something had to give.   When going about your life there can be a tendency to go into the auto pilot mode. In this mode we tend to not pay attention to our needs, sign and symptoms that are dialoguing with us and trying make us stop and listen.

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*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Counselling vs. Psychotherapy

Posted by: Maritza Rodriguez on July 8, 2011 11:54 am
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One of the questions I am often asked is what is the difference between counselling and psychotherapy? The terms are often used interchangeably and synonymously but there is a slight and distinctive difference. Psychotherapy is often treatment based in response to a diagnosable mental health issue such as depression, bi-polar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, adjustment disorder, etc. It is often in-depth and used in conjunction with psychotropic medication, but not necessarily. Counselling tends to be wellness oriented, providing increased insight and learning how to effectively overcome problems and challenges.

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*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Developing A Relationship With Your Child’s Teachers And School

Posted by: Asa Don Brown on June 27, 2011 2:17 pm
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Parental involvement is the key ingredient to developing and maintaining good rapport within your child’s academic endeavors.  As parents, being involved can be a balancing act, because voicing too many opinions can be seen as overbearing. Yet, avoiding voicing your desires or opinions can be a detriment to the needs of your child.  We must remember that teachers are people too.  They have feelings, emotions, and personal needs, thus it is important to show your child’s teachers respect and dignity. 

In many circumstances teachers are being overworked, underpaid, and overburdened by their classroom sizes.   Schools are being forced to cut costs and reduce their financial obligations. The financial burdens play a role in the lives of the parents, teachers, school administrations, and the individual student.

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*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA

Reflective Practice: An Essential Part of Developing Cultural Competency

Posted by: Lori Walls on June 22, 2011 2:10 pm
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 Most school counsellor’s approach their jobs with the goal of wanting to helping students achieve their best in academics, adaptive functioning, and social competencies. It is my belief that to do this requires the school counsellor to commit to a regime of reflective practice which can be a difficult task. I recall the first time that I encountered a culture competency model of counselling and was asked to identify my biases to my fellow classmates. My immediate reaction was that I didn’t have any biases and that I would be willing to work with any student on any issue. Upon further questioning and reflection I realized that having biases is unavoidable and that one of the most important aspects of being a counsellor is to acknowledge and exam our world views to develop an understanding of how those views shape our practice perspectives and influence our interactions with students. Sue and Sue (2002) described culturally competent counsellors as having an awareness of their own assumptions, values, and beliefs, having knowledge about the worldviews of others, as well as possessing the skill necessary to use therapeutic modalities and interventions that are most appropriate for the individual client. Schools are a microcosm that reflects the ever changing and growing diversity in today’s society and as such it is more important than ever that counsellors commit to deepening our understanding of ourselves and the impact our views have on our interactions and interventions with students.

As this week marks the beginning of PRIDE week in Toronto and the topic of this blog is about developing competency when working with diverse populations, I started thinking about the importance of the school counsellor in helping to create and maintain the school as a safe and supportive place for all students.  The following link is to a guide created by Wells and Tsutsumi (2005) titled, Creating Safe, Caring and Inclusive Schools for LGBTQ Students.  I found the guide useful in helping to understand the needs of LGBTQ students.  The guide offers information, strategies and ethical guidelines to help school counsellors develop supports, services, and interventions for LGBTQ students.

http://www.ismss.ualberta.ca/documents/people/kriswells/LGBTQGuidebookforCounsellorsWellsTsutsumi2005.pdf

Sue, D., & Sue, D. (2002). Counselling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice. NY: John Wiley & Sons.




*The views expressed by our authors are personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCPA
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