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Complete all 3 in Drug and Alcohol Treatment Specialist. Course textbook is uploaded along with the questions file. Module 1 • Student Assignment Booklet • DCA1 A-C Drug and Alcohol Treatment Specialist SCI Drug and Alcohol Treatment Specialist Module 1 DCA1 A-C Printed in Canada 1 Introduction Welcome to the first module of your Stratford Career Institute Drug & Alcohol Treatment Specialist Program. No doubt you are eager to get started. Before you do, however, please take a moment to read this Introduction. It will explain how the materials in this package are designed to be used. The reading material for Module One is a text entitled Preparing to Counsel Others. It offers an introduction to the field of counseling by providing information on several key topics that are important to understand before one goes on to acquire the technical details of particular social problems and interventions. The next module will be sent to you automatically once you are close to completing the assignments in this first package. In Module One you will be covering the following topics: • The Foundations of Human Behavior • The Process of Socialization • Social Issues in General • Social Issues in the Workplace • A Recipe for Psychological and Social Wellness • Counseling Tasks and Competencies • Recognizing Ambiguity and Complexity This Student Assignment Booklet divides the reading material for Module One into three assignments as follows: Assignment 1: Pages 1 to 35, Exam 1 Assignment 2: Pages 37 to 75, Exam 2 Assignment 3: Pages 77 to 98, Exam 3 Each assignment is preceded by a list of Learning Objectives and contains instructions pertaining to the relevant exam and answer sheet. Read through the objectives before you begin to study the material. Be sure to complete each assignment in the order shown and send only your completed answer sheet to the school for evaluation. Please send in each exam as you complete it, rather than saving them and sending them in batches. You may contact us with any questions or comments you may have about the material, either in writing or via our toll-free instructional lines. Please refer to the Student Handbook for more information on how to interact with the school. Our staff is here to help you, and your input is valuable to us in our ongoing efforts to optimize this course for our present and future students. 2 Assignment 1 Drug and Alcohol Treatment Specialist Learning Objectives After you have studied pages 1 to 35 of the reading material, you will be able to: • Explain what is meant by “nature versus nurture”. • Discuss human emotions and how and when they are acquired. • Explore motives for human behavior and explain how motives are related to needs. • Identify and describe a variety of defense mechanisms. • Define culture and identify the levels on which it exists. • Discuss the general role of social institutions. • Describe the process of social development and the role parents play in it. • Identify and discuss various forms of social maladjustment. When you have completed the reading and feel confident you have mastered the objectives, complete Exam 1, which begins on the next page. 3 4 Exam 1 Drug and Alcohol Treatment Specialist DCA1A Instructions: Select the item which best answers the question or makes the statement true. In all cases there is only one best choice. Mark the letter of that choice on the answer sheet provided. Upon completion of the exam send only the answer sheet to the school for grading. Do not wait until you complete the next exam. 1. Based on Freud’s terminology, the part of the mind that tries to achieve pleasure is the __________. a. ego b. superego c. id d. preconscious mind 2. Your reading material suggests that “perhaps the single MOST fundamental element for success as a counselor” is a/an __________. a. sound view of one’s own self, and of one’s role and limitations b. compendium of technical knowledge about substance abuse and other social problems c. ability to enforce a strict code of conduct d. high level of self-confidence 3. In psychotherapy the MAIN role of a therapy such as hypnosis is to __________. a. activate the conscious mind b. reign in the id c. stimulate the preconscious mind d. help unlock the subconscious mind 5 4. One of the MAIN distinctions between psychologists and psychiatrists is that, unlike a psychologist, a psychiatrist __________. a. has a graduate degree b. is a medical doctor c. is less concerned with emotions d. tends to treat people with no specific disorder 5. Rationalization is the process of inventing __________. a. actions b. emotions c. solutions d. reasons for behavior 6. Sociology is BEST defined as the study of __________. a. individual human development b. internal problems in people c. how people behave in social settings d. human personality traits 7. Which of the following is OFTEN a more severe form of defense mechanism than the others, and in its MOST extreme form can develop into amnesia? a. repression b. rationalization c. procrastination d. regression 8. Your reading material lists several criteria that can be used to judge objectively whether someone’s life is “successful” or “going well.” Which of the following is NOT a correct restatement of one of these? a. They are employed in some line of work, or alternative activity, that makes them feel productive and competent. b. They participate in society in a way that is acceptable to society itself. c. They have a good level of general health and fitness, or are coping well with any illness or disability. d. Economically they enjoy an average or above average standard of living. 6 9. A person drinks half a dozen or more beers a day, but refuses to admit he has a drinking problem. This is PRIMARILY an example of __________. a. regression b. denial c. procrastination d. amnesia 10. Any specific and definable mental/emotional disorder that threatens a person’s well being and requires medical intervention is BEST termed a __________. a. psychosis b. trauma c. dysfunction d. dependency 11. When children become separated from the mainstream of society or from their peer group, this is MOST specifically termed __________. a. debilitation b. deprivation c. alienation d. deviance 12. With regard to the expression “nature versus nurture”, where does genetics fit in? a. Genetics is part of what is referred to as nurture. b. Genetics is part of what is referred to as nature. c. Genetics is a product of both nature and nurture. d. Genetics is unrelated to either nature or nurture. 13. Your reading material asserts that “Counseling works because __________ change is possible.” a. predispositional b. sociological c. moral d. self-directed 7 14. Which of the following is a FALSE statement about human emotions? a. Emotions are extensions of our physical senses. b. The emotion of fear is a learned response. c. Young infants already can experience very strong emotions. d. Emotions convey important information to us. 15. Your reading material points out that socialization of toddlers varies in proportion to the quantity and quality of __________ that they receive. a. stimulation b. supervision c. nourishment d. autonomy 16. Which of the following is an important consideration when it comes to determining the origins of a SPECIFIC problem or trait in an adult person? a. upbringing b. genetics c. both a and b d. It depends on the age of the person. 17. Social institutions are formed PRIMARILY in response to systems of __________. a. enterprise b. belief c. accreditation d. learning 18. Sigmund Freud pointed out the harm that can result from __________. a. inadequate social welfare structure b. institutionalizing patients c. the failure to meet self-actualization needs d. ignoring strong emotions 8 19. Culture exists on the level of or within __________. a. nations b. organizations c. both a and b d. none of the above 20. Which of the following is at the BOTTOM of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs? a. physical needs b. safety needs c. esteem needs d. social needs This completes Exam 1. Please be sure to transfer your answers to the answer sheet after reviewing them. Then mail the answer sheet to the school in the postage-paid envelope provided, submit it through our web site at www.scitraining.com, or fax it to us toll-free at 1-888-486-9428. You may begin Assignment 2. 9 10 Mailing/Shipping Address: 1 Champlain Commons, Unit 3 PO Box 1560 St. Albans VT 05478-5560 P le a s e c u t a lo n g t h e d o tt e d l in e . Lesson Number DCA1A Name Address City State Zip Code Telephone:( ) Area Code Please Print Clearly Student Number Select only one answer for each question and mark the appropriate box with an “X”. NOTE: To submit this exam via the Internet, visit our web site at www.scitraining.com. 1. A B C D 2. A B C D 3. A B C D 4. A B C D 5. A B C D 6. A B C D 7. A B C D 8. A B C D 9. A B C D 10. A B C D 11. A B C D 12. A B C D 13. A B C D 14. A B C D 15. A B C D 16. A B C D 17. A B C D 18. A B C D 19. A B C D 20. A B C D 11 Please remember to write your student number in the space provided. ANSWER SHEET Exam 1 12 13 Assignment 2 Drug and Alcohol Treatment Specialist Learning Objectives After you have studied pages 37 to 75 of the reading material, you will be able to: • Define and describe the following social issues and their impacts on individuals and society: – poverty – alcoholism and drug abuse – domestic violence – racism and discrimination • Define and describe the following social issues in the workplace, and discuss the harm they do from the perspectives of employees and employers: – absenteeism – sexual harassment – stress in the workplace • Discuss the importance of goal setting. • Describe how and why one should participate in self evaluation. • Explain the importance of positive thinking and detail some of the basic philosophies and practices of positive thinkers. When you have completed the reading and feel confident you have mastered the objectives, complete Exam 2, which begins on the next page. 14 15 Exam 2 Drug and Alcohol Treatment Specialist DCA1B Instructions: Select the item which best answers the question or makes the statement true. In all cases there is only one best choice. Mark the letter of that choice on the answer sheet provided. Upon completion of the exam send only the answer sheet to the school for grading. Do not wait until you complete the next exam. 1. Stress has many different causes, but according to your reading material the kEY element to all of them is that they are “__________”. a. intrinsic b. upsetting c. cumulative d. unpredictable 2. Some experts define the poverty line as applying to any family that is required to spend more than __________% of their income on the basic necessities of food, clothing, and shelter. a. 50 b. 60 to 65 c. 75 d. 85 3. Which of the following is a FALSE statement about stress or handling it? a. It may take some effort, but the key to dealing with stress is eliminating all of the things that tend to cause it. b. Athletic activities can provide both physical and psychological benefits to persons suffering from stress. c. During times that are particularly stressful it is recommended that you treat yourself to something positive or pleasurable. d. Stress can have a devastating effect upon physical health, human relations, and social interactions. 16 4. Alcoholism contributes to __________% of all fatal traffic accidents. a. 25 b. 33 c. 40 d. 50 5. Which factor in causing stress does your reading material say is OFTEN underestimated? a. work responsibilities b. unpleasant domestic situations c. boredom d. confrontation 6. Your reading material identifies four situations, one or more of which indicates that a person clearly has a drinking problem. Which of the following is NOT an accurate restatement of one of these? a. the person consumes alcohol on a daily basis b. the person suffers financial losses and/or wasted opportunities because of drinking c. drinking causes a strain in the person’s relationships d. the drinking has caused accidents, injuries, or illness 7. One of the MAIN reasons discussed in your reading material for why people often tend not to deal with their boredom problem is that they make the fundamental error of __________. a. trying too hard to fix things b. blaming others for it c. looking for a medical solution d. expecting life to be stimulating 8. By definition verbal abuse MOST specifically involves __________. a. the use of foul language while delivering criticism b. any unpleasant comments made in an angry tone c. attempts to break down someone’s dignity, confidence, or self-esteem d. strongly worded verbal opposition to a person’s actions 17 9. What is the MAIN value of goal setting when it comes to managing large tasks? a. It allows us to postpone unpleasant tasks until they really need to be tackled. b. It allows us to develop more contexts around tasks. c. It helps us not to take these tasks too seriously. d. It allows these tasks to be divided up into manageable parts. 10. Discrimination is unjust MOST specifically because it is based on __________. a. actions that may have a justifiable explanation b. assumptions or fears that have nothing to do with the individual c. a misunderstanding of social problems d. a lack of charity 11. Goals ought to be __________. a. short-term b. long-term c. both a and b d. none of the above 12. Which of the following questions is STILL permissible on job application forms under current North American anti-discrimination laws? a. Do you belong to any political party? b. Are you married? c. How old are you? d. none of the above 13. Your reading material points out that boredom can be viewed as a form of __________ about our lives. a. self-evaluation b. escapism c. external evaluation d. regression 18 14. In the abbreviation E.A.P., the “E” stands for “__________”. a. Employee b. Environmental c. Emergency d. Entitlement 15. Your reading material suggests that when using the opinions and reactions of others as a tool toward self evaluation, it is particularly useful to listen to and consider the opinions of __________. a. loved ones who care deeply about your well being b. persons with whom you do not have a close relationship and who do not have an emotional involvement in the issue c. people who are especially assertive by nature d. people who are especially sympathetic by nature 16. Which of the following problems does your reading material describe as “subtly addictive in itself”? a. depression b. stress c. absenteeism d. sexual harassment 17. What SPECIFICALLY does your reading material mean when it says, “Another element to the philosophy of positive thinking is not to become your own worst enemy”? a. You must avoid letting negative thinking and harmful feelings add to your real troubles. b. You must avoid neglecting your health when you are dealing with problems. c. You must not do things that encourage or assist your adversaries in life. d. You must not deliberately seek out trouble. 19 18. Your reading material uses a metaphorical image to describe the problem of absenteeism. It asserts that absenteeism can be compared to a __________. a. leaky roof b. school of piranha c. mouse that frightens an elephant d. toddler staging a temper tantrum 19. Which of the following is a FALSE statement about positive thinking? a. Part of the art of positive thinking is establishing an effective way of dealing with fear. b. A concept of practitioners of positive thinking is that life is not only what we make of it but also what we choose to see in it. c. Positive thinking involves concentrating primarily on what is going good in your life rather than what is going wrong. d. People who practice positive thinking expect to be happy all of the time. 20. Which of the following is a FALSE statement about sexual harassment? a. Sexual harassment is sometimes conducted in retaliation for rejected sexual overtures. b. Sexual harassment laws are designed to provide victims with alternatives to having to quit their jobs. c. Sexual harassment can be extremely stressful, and may aptly be com- pared to bullying in a school system. d. By definition sexual harassment always involves an overt or implied attempt to coerce a person into consenting to sex. This completes Exam 2. Please be sure to transfer your answers to the answer sheet after reviewing them. Then mail the answer sheet to the school in the postage-paid envelope provided, submit it through our web site at www.scitraining.com, or fax it to us toll-free at 1-888-486-9428. You may begin Assignment 3. 20 Mailing/Shipping Address: 1 Champlain Commons, Unit 3 PO Box 1560 St. Albans VT 05478-5560 P le a s e c u t a lo n g t h e d o tt e d l in e . Lesson Number DCA1B Name Address City State Zip Code Telephone:( ) Area Code Please Print Clearly Student Number Select only one answer for each question and mark the appropriate box with an “X”. NOTE: To submit this exam via the Internet, visit our web site at www.scitraining.com. 1. A B C D 2. A B C D 3. A B C D 4. A B C D 5. A B C D 6. A B C D 7. A B C D 8. A B C D 9. A B C D 10. A B C D 11. A B C D 12. A B C D 13. A B C D 14. A B C D 15. A B C D 16. A B C D 17. A B C D 18. A B C D 19. A B C D 20. A B C D Please remember to write your student number in the space provided. 21 ANSWER SHEET Exam 2 22 23 Assignment 3 Drug and Alcohol Treatment Specialist Learning Objectives After you have studied pages 77 to 98 of the reading material, you will be able to: • Identify and discuss the attributes of a successful counseling relationship. • Explain how the counselor should work with the individuality of the client. • Cite important counseling precepts. • Discuss the issue of hidden dependency. • Summarize the impacts of abuse and victimization on counseling issues. • Define and describe the dual-diagnosis client. • Explain the patterns of enabling and co-dependency. • Discuss responses clients typically have to receiving help, and why the responses can sometimes be problematic for the counselor. When you have completed the reading and feel confident you have mastered the objectives, complete Exam 3, which begins on the next page. 24 25 Exam 3 Drug and Alcohol Treatment Specialist DCA1C Instructions: Select the item which best answers the question or makes the statement true. In all cases there is only one best choice. Mark the letter of that choice on the answer sheet provided. Upon completion of the exam send only the answer sheet to the school for grading. Do not wait until you complete the next exam. 1. In MOST cases the term “dual diagnosis” is used to refer to a combination of chemical dependency and __________. a. physical abuse b. mental illness c. a physiological disease or condition resulting from the chemical dependency d. a co-dependent situation 2. Which of the following is NOT a correct restatement of one of the basic competencies of counseling as identified in your reading material? a. help the client develop and improve life skills needed for recovery b. discourage behaviors that interfere with treatment goals while keeping responses constructive c. help the client acquire knowledge, skills, and a more constructive attitude d. determine and impose a recovery strategy for the client 3. Which type of enabler is often, though not always, a female spouse of an addict? a. the messiah b. the buddy c. the passive sufferer d. none of the above 26 4. Empathy is needed because there are always TWO distinct components to any problem: the physical details of the problem and the __________. a. client’s perception of the problem b. tangible outcomes of the problem c. timeline of the problem d. solution to the problem 5. As described in your reading material the “messiah” type enabler is often a __________. a. member of the clergy b. parent c. fellow user d. total stranger 6. The characteristic of specificity MOST particularly requires __________. a. tact b. frank disclosure c. “good vibrations” d. encouragement 7. By definition a co-dependent is someone who lacks __________. a. moral fiber b. physical health c. resources d. psychological wholeness 8. Your reading material lists and discusses five general counseling precepts. Which of the following is NOT one of these? a. Substance abuse problems and many other counseling issues should be viewed as a continuum, not as a black and white issue. b. The counselor must emphasize the positive. c. Treatment should remain focused on the crisis at hand. d. Treatment must be individualized. 27 9. Which of the following is a FALSE statement about co-dependents? a. Sometimes a co-dependent is reliving some unresolved issue from earlier in his or her life. b. Most often the co-dependent person needs help as much as the addict. c. Co-dependents often feel misplaced guilt. d. Co-dependents seldom become enablers. 10. What does “the importance of context” mean? a. how underlying problems are specifically affecting the lives of individual clients b. the details of the substance abuse or other issue: when, how often, etc. c. the legal framework affecting the client’s rights and obligations d. the specific counseling methods being employed 11. The norm of reciprocity is normally related to a sense of __________. a. shame b. indebtedness c. isolation d. invincibility 12. As a general principle, the FIRST type of intervention should usually be __________. a. chosen by the client b. pharmacological in nature c. toward the more intensive end of the scale of possibilities (nip it in the bud) d. toward the less intensive and intrusive end of the scale of possibilities 13. The notion that all people have a strong drive to maximize their personal freedom and make their own choices is called __________. a. the norm of reciprocity b. attribution theory c. reactance theory d. external locus of control 28 14. Methadone is a pharmacological approach used in the treatment of __________. a. clinical depression b. heroin addiction c. alcoholism d. sleep disorders 15. Which of the following adjectives would MOST specifically characterize a person with a strong internal locus of control? a. confident b. generous c. defeatist d. moody 16. Your reading material lists several significant examples of the problem of hidden dependency or related hidden problems. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as one of these? a. physicians addicted to alcohol or prescription drugs b. housewives addicted to anti-anxiety drugs c. teenagers going into the woods to smoke pot d. former athletes and accident victims addicted to painkillers 17. In a helping situation, attribution theory centers MOST specifically on people’s need to figure out __________. a. who is the best person to help them b. what there is to gain from a helping relationship c. what effects help will have on their dependency d. why they require help in the first place 18. The key element to the term “victimization” is that the harm is __________. a. ongoing b. self-limiting c. sporadic d. hidden 29 19. The MAIN difference between a co-dependent and a messianic enabler is that the co-dependent operates from a __________. a. position of strength b. position of weakness c. detachment from the situation d. persecution complex 20. Which of the following statistics is INACCURATE? a. 14% of the elderly seen in emergency rooms have alcohol abuse problems. b. Up to 44% of the elderly seen in inpatient psychiatric treatment centers have alcohol abuse problems. c. Over 50% of the homeless suffer from some alcohol use disorder. d. Women make up about 25% of those addicted to cocaine. This completes Exam 3 and Module 1. Please be sure to transfer your answers to the answer sheet after reviewing them. Then mail the answer sheet to the school in the postage-paid envelope provided, submit it through our web site at www.scitraining.com, or fax it to us toll-free at 1-888-486-9428. You may begin Assignment 1 of Module 2. 30 Mailing/Shipping Address: 1 Champlain Commons, Unit 3 PO Box 1560 St. Albans VT 05478-5560 P le a s e c u t a lo n g t h e d o tt e d l in e . Lesson Number DCA1C Name Address City State Zip Code Telephone:( ) Area Code Please Print Clearly Student Number Select only one answer for each question and mark the appropriate box with an “X”. NOTE: To submit this exam via the Internet, visit our web site at www.scitraining.com. 1. A B C D 2. A B C D 3. A B C D 4. A B C D 5. A B C D 6. A B C D 7. A B C D 8. A B C D 9. A B C D 10. A B C D 11. A B C D 12. A B C D 13. A B C D 14. A B C D 15. A B C D 16. A B C D 17. A B C D 18. A B C D 19. A B C D 20. A B C D Please remember to write your student number in the space provided. ANSWER SHEET 31 Exam 3 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or trans mit ted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photo copying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without perm ission in writing from the Publisher. Copyright© 2016 Darnley Publishing Group Printed in Canada TBZC1 Senior Editor: Ernest Smith Contributing Editor: Ray Stazko Copy Editors: Joanne Labre Ted Cooney Layout and Design: Saskia Nieuwendijk IV Preparing to Counsel Others INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 The Pieces of the Puzzle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 CHAPTER 1: The Foundations of Human Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Nature Versus Nurture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Emotions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Motives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Defense Mechanisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 CHAPTER 2: The Process of Socialization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Social Institutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Social Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Social Maladjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 CHAPTER 3: Social Issues in General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Alcoholism and Drug Abuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Domestic Violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Racism and Discrimination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 V CHAPTER 4: Social Issues in the Workplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Absenteeism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Sexual Harassment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Stress in the Workplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 CHAPTER 5: A Recipe for Psychological and Social Wellness . . . . . . 65 Goal Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Self Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Positive Thinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 CHAPTER 6: Counseling Tasks and Competencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Attributes of an Effective Counseling Relationship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Acknowledging and Working with the Individuality of the Client . . 79 Counseling Precepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 CHAPTER 7: Recognizing Ambiguity and Complexity . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Hidden Dependency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Abuse and Victimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 The Dual-Diagnosis Client . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Enabling and Codependency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Responses to Receiving Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 VI Preparing to Counsel Others I NTRODUCTIONI NTRODUCTION This book is intended to provide initial training and awareness to people who plan to become counselors in the areas of substance abuse, sexual dysfunction and other psychosocial problems. Each of those fields requires significant technical and clinical knowledge. However, before that knowledge can be received, absorbed, and implemented effectively, there is some basic initial information needed by the would-be counselor. One of the most famous quotations from the Bible that has been used in so many other contexts that many people do not realize its origin. The phrase is “Physician, heal thyself.” Perhaps a companion quotation, one also widely exported to other fields, comes from the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates. That phrase is “At least do no harm.” At the outset of training to serve in any helping profession, it is of great potential benefit for the student to contemplate the meaning and significance of these phrases. Introduction 1 There is tremendous responsibility assumed when one sets about to help a human being try to become whole again, at whatever level of participation. To begin with, as Hippocrates warned, there is always the very real risk of not only failing to help, but of actually doing further damage. In counseling, this is most likely to happen not only if the helper lacks sufficient technical training, but if he or she brings to the table his or her own unresolved problems, deficiencies, and biases. Perhaps the single most fundamental element for success as a counselor is a well-grounded and unencumbered view of one’s own self, one’s role, and one’s limitations. The human mind is a wonderful thing, arguably the most complex ever created. The sciences of psychology and sociology have emerged in the last century or so. They has explored how the mind forms and develops, what challenges or threatens it, and how it behaves to form families, peer groups, and communities. All human achievements, and most human failings, have their roots in the workings of this vital organ. This is not to suggest that to be effective a counselor must become a chemist, biologist, physician, or psychiatrist. We can borrow from the work of such professionals and take away a distilled, simplified version of how we all think, behave, and interact. Without such awareness, a counselor is working in the dark, and unlikely to achieve desirable results. You will be studying the basic issues involved in helping, as well as the impediments to helping. No one textbook, and certainly not one of an introductory nature, can take you very far down that road. You will be provided with an introduction and the framework upon which you can build. Another expression worth a quick mention here at the outset (and one not as easily attributed to its original source as the other two, but believed to be derived from a Native American saying) is the need to “walk a mile in my shoes.” The core skill of the effective counselor is often the ability to understand what life is like and how things appear from the viewpoint of the 2 Preparing to Counsel Others client. This ability to shift perspective with insight and empathy is cultivated through basic knowledge of human nature and human relations. That is our mission here. We will start with some relevant general information about human psychology and social problems. Then, in the later stages of the text, we will turn more specifically to the topic of counseling. THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE The field of Human Relations is vast and complex. There are many different viewpoints from which to study it. It is useful to take a moment to look at the disciplines involved, and who the professionals are who practice in these areas. Psychology is the study of human development and behavior. It is classified as a social science. There is a scientific component involving testing and field studies, but also a theoretical element which interprets the science and is open to debate and discussion. Psychology looks at human development from infancy through all phases of life. It examines fears, feelings, behaviors and motivations. It describes what is needed for normal and successful human development, and what elements can interfere in this process and create problems. A person with a graduate degree in psychology is called a psychologist. Some psychologists teach or conduct clinical research on the scientific aspects of behavior. However, many psychologists act as counselors and work with clients who are experiencing developmental problems or behavior- related difficulties. Many people confuse psychologists and psychiatrists. Psychiatry is the study of abnormal mental or emotional conditions and disorders. Unlike a psychologist, a psychiatrist is a medical doctor. This means that he or she has completed medical school before obtaining specialized training in psychiatry. Because a psychiatrist is a medical doctor, he or she can prescribe drugs and medical treatments for which a psychologist has no license or training. Many psychiatrists provide therapy and counseling to patients, therefore some aspects of their work overlap with that of psychologists. A person with no specific disorder Introduction 3 requiring medical treatment might receive help from either a psychologist or a psychiatrist. Patients exhibiting serious mental or emotional problems are treated by a psychiatrist. This distinction is important because many mental disorders or problems can be triggered or aggravated by chemical or hormonal imbalances in the brain. It has recently been learned that some forms of depression, as well as attention deficit problems in children, fall into this category. A person suffering from such a condition may need medical treatment in order to have the best chance of recovery. Counseling alone may not be sufficient. Sociology is the study of how people behave in social settings. It focuses more on trends in group behavior than on individual development. Because it is also a social science, it has developed objective research methods. Sociologists examine issues such as urbanization, changes to population groups, causes and patterns of poverty or crime, and government responses to social problems. The role of a social worker is to assist individuals who are experiencing social problems. Social workers intervene in cases where people are suffering from social injustice or abuse. They arrange for needy persons to 4 Preparing to Counsel Others receive social assistance and to participate in government sponsored programs. Social workers often have a background in sociology. Many also have a post-graduate degree from a school of social work. The word “counselor” is a non- specific term. It may refer to any of the professionals we have just mentioned, or to others who have received training to provide assistance in some specific area. For example, “peer counselors” are people who have undergone some problem or crisis in their own lives, recovered from it, and then taken some training to enable them to help others who are facing the same situation. Semi-professional or non-professional counselors usually work under the supervision of a professional, and they refer cases that go beyond their area of expertise to appropriate medical professionals or agencies. We have drawn together ideas, information and examples from all of these areas. Human behavior has been closely and systematically studied by the social sciences over the last 100 years. We have gained a good understanding of what makes most people succeed or fail in social situations in general, and in the workplace in particular. Psychologists can predict behavior and its outcomes in a wide range of situations. There are always exceptions to every rule. As human beings, we are not all identical and totally predictable. Free will and individual choice are important parts of our human constitution. However, we are all influenced by predisposing factors far more than most of us realize. Without an understanding of these factors we may not be as free and as self-directed as we think we are. When we use the terms “success” or “well being” we are describing someone whose life is “working well” from his or her point of view and that of most of the people around them. A person’s life can be going well without that person making a great deal of money, and even in spite of some physical impediments Introduction 5 or medical problems. In general, it can be said that peoples’ lives are going well if they possess most or all of the following qualities: • Physically they have a good level of health and fitness, or they are successfully coping with any illness or disability. • Economically they have the basic comforts and feel reasonably secure, whatever their standard of living. • They are employed in some line of work that makes them feel productive and competent, even if that work is not high paying, technically complex or wildly exciting — or, in lieu of employment, they find a satisfactory level of meaning and purpose via their family lives or in some other area of activity. • They have stable and satisfying personal relations with parents, siblings, spouses, lovers, or close friends. • They participate in society in a way that is acceptable to society itself; in other words they are not in conflict with the world around them and do not face arrests, evictions, dismissals, nor are they the victims of or perpetrators of violent acts or serious antisocial behaviors. • They do not display health problems that are caused or aggravated by stress, conflict, depression, anxiety or confusion, dysfunction*, dependency**, or psychosis***. *Dysfunction may be defined as a troubling inability to perform some normal and important human activity due to a medical and/or psychological problem. **Dependency may be defined as an abnormal and unhealthy compulsive need for some chemical, substance, or activity. The related term “addiction” has a more limited and precise medical meaning. ***Psychosis is a specific, identifiable, and significant mental/emotional disorder that threatens a person’s well being and requires medical intervention. • They are not happy all of the time but, when they are not experiencing a moment of specific illness or crisis they are fundamentally content with who they are and with life itself; they have a strong will to live and hope for the future. 6 Preparing to Counsel Others Fulfilling everything on the above list is a tall order, and learning how to become a successful and contented human being is a lifelong process. However, there are several fundamental attitudes and awarenesses that help most people get started in the right direction and make certain and steady progress. Introduction 7 8 Preparing to Counsel Others NATURE VERSUS NURTURE Since the dawn of mankind the human race has been asking the following big questions: Who are we? How did we get here? What is our purpose in being here? Many of us as individuals ask ourselves a parallel set of questions about our own unique lives and identities: Who are we? What are we like? How did we get to be this way? Is there anything we can do to improve our situation? On an individual basis, just as on the level of the human species, these questions cannot be answered only through intuition and opinion. Just as there is a scientific element to biological man, there is a scientific element to the social process that has produced you and I and brought us to the present point in our lives. In order to understand ourselves completely, we must begin by looking at our lives. We now know a great deal about human development and how the human mind works. We cannot hope to take control of the factors that have assembled themselves in our lives unless we understand some essential realities about how we work. Unfortunately, as human beings we don’t come into this world with an The Foundations of Human Behavior 9 CHAPTE R 1 THE FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN BEHAVIORTHE FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR instruction manual. The challenge for us is to try to develop ourselves by studying people and society as a whole. We can discover what works and what doesn’t work for others, and why. There is a good chance that much of what applies to others will also apply to us. “Nature versus Nurture” is a well- known phrase in the field of psychology and refers to a long-standing discussion and debate between two schools of thought. On the one hand, there are those people who believe that human beings are fundamentally created to be the way they are by nature. On the other hand, there are those who believe that our development in a specific situation or environment, especially during early childhood, is the main factor that determines the type of personality, social skills and social problems that we will exhibit throughout our lives. If you think about it for a moment you can see that it makes quite a difference which side is right on this issue. If who we are is determined mainly or entirely by nature, then it probably doesn’t matter a great deal how or where we grow up or what our experiences may be. We should easily be able to overcome unfortunate experiences if our fundamental nature and constitution give us the ability to do so. By “nature,” in today’s view, we refer mainly to genetics. You may be familiar with the notion that all living things, including human beings, contain a complete set of genes within the nucleus of each of their living cells. Individual genes are arranged on 46 strands called chromosomes. The process is incredibly complex and scientists are a long way from fully understanding and identifying how chromosomes control the growth and development of an organism. However, it is known that genes control many aspects of individual traits and features. They determine our overall 10 Preparing to Counsel Others size and shape, our sex, race, physical features and many aspects about development of the brain and its capabilities. We receive our genes from the sperm and egg cells of our parents at the time we are conceived. We receive half of our genetic material from each parent, but they merge to form a new combination that is unique to each one of us. This is why children within the same family resemble their parents and one another to some extent, but are also different in many ways. Only identical twins share an exact duplicate of genetic material with one another. Scientists have come to appreciate the importance of genetics, especially when we study other creatures. Consider the behavior of bees and other insects that work together in colonies. There is no evidence that these creatures have a training period or a learning process. They seem to be born somehow “knowing” what they must do throughout their lives and how to do it. This innate, inborn knowledge is referred to as instinct. Instinct is the driving force in most forms of animal behavior. We do not understand precisely how instinct is related to genetics, but it is clear that there is some connection. Although it is not known how instincts are stored in the brain, it is evident that the information is available at birth to all normally developed members of the species. At first glance, human beings appear to be radically different from other animals in this regard. Human infants are born without knowing very much about their environment or about their roles and tasks as adults. Most of this has to be learned through a long educational process that extends into adult life. On the other hand, it is not entirely true that infants are born without instincts. Newborn babies display various types of defense mechanisms and reflex actions. They also develop according to predictable patterns, even in the first few months when their development cannot possibly be controlled by a conscious thought process or things that they have observed and learned from others. The Foundations of Human Behavior 11 Thus, it becomes clear that even human beings are born with certain instincts that guide their early development and behavior. However, the vast amount of information that must be learned by each human being provides the framework for the “nurture” side of the debate. Through careful study of large numbers of children and adults of all ages and situations, it has become clear to psychologists that there is a pattern and a process to human development. Certain conditions are necessary in order for children to develop normally, to become well adjusted to society, and to avoid psychological and social problems. It has also been shown that when some of these basic requirements are lacking, specific problems and abnormal behaviors can be predicted. In short, psychological studies have virtually proven the significance of our external environment and upbringing to some of the traits that we develop, the skills that we attain, or the problems that may confront us both during childhood and later in life. Which side is right? Is the geneticist or the psychologist better equipped to explain to us how we became who we are? Most experts today would agree that both factors are important in determining who we are. When we try to determine the origins of a specific problem or trait it is important to consider the influence of both genetics and upbringing. It is also important to understand and accept that neither nature nor 12 Preparing to Counsel Others Emotional development is greatly influenced by environmental and conditional responses. nurture determines what is totally beyond our ability to control or change. If this were the case, there would be little point in making an effort to improve ourselves. It would be a no-win situation. If we spot weaknesses or deficiencies in ourselves, we would have to conclude that we are what we are because of genetics, or we were not nurtured properly. Either way, there would be nothing we could do about it now. Very few experts in the field would support this line of thinking. We need to be aware that there are factors that work within us that we do not entirely understand and that may be difficult to control. At the same time, there are countless examples of people who have successfully taken charge of their lives and made significant and lasting changes in who they are and what they decide to do. It is not easy to take charge of who we are and what we become, but it is certainly possible and well worth the effort. Were this not true, there would be little role for psychologists or counselors. EMOTIONS Before we can understand how to change ourselves, better our lives, or help others to do so, we need to continue the fundamental exploration of who we are and exactly how we decide just how well we are doing. This issue is directly involved with what we commonly refer to as “feelings” or “emotions”. In the animal kingdom, success appears to be measured purely in physical terms. If the animal is alive and well, free of serious injuries or illnesses, it can generally be termed successful. If it has successfully reproduced, it seems to have achieved the ultimate level of success of which it is capable. With human beings it is obviously far more complicated. Simple health and reproduction do not define success in our eyes nor in the eyes of those around us. How then do we know if we are doing well, or if we need to make some change in our situations? Like other animals we are born with various ways of sensing the world around us. Without senses we would not know that the world outside our bodies ever existed, nor would we have The Foundations of Human Behavior 13 come to the conclusion that we exist as a separate entity in a larger world. Babies are born without a clear understanding of these things and must discover them as they develop. In probing our world and discovering what it is all about, we employ various physical senses, such as sight, touch, taste, hearing and smell. We also have the ability to experience pain. Pain provides powerful information about how our bodies are doing and when they are in physical danger. Emotions are extensions of our physical senses. They are more complex, for they involve the ability of our brains to process information and form conclusions. We can learn a great deal about the nature of emotions by studying the emotional level of infants. Many psychologists believe that newborns experience emotional states only in a very general way. They may experience general excitability, or general distress, in response to physical sensations such as hunger, pain, and warmth. However, newborns do not experience emotions in the same way as adults. Often, parents and casual observers tend to “overestimate” the emotional responses of infants. For example, an infant who is crying may appear to be severely distraught and experiencing extreme fear or rage. We come to this conclusion largely because we realize that if an adult were behaving in this manner such conclusions would be warranted. An adult crying hysterically is a person experiencing considerable distress. However, the crying reaction in infants is much simpler and usually not as emotionally traumatic as it may appear. Young infants have relatively little capacity for any of the strong emotions that we experience as adults. They experience relatively little fear. It is unclear whether or not they experience love, even though they have an instinctive attraction to their primary caregiver. It is unlikely that they experience anger or rage even when they are emitting shrill cries of protest from their cribs. All of these stronger emotions we now believe are learned during the 14 Preparing to Counsel Others earliest phases of our social development. Fear in particular is a learned response. If you were to be so reckless as to put a rattlesnake into the crib with a young infant, you would find that few if any of the infants would display any fear. Infants do not know very much about what is dangerous to them. In the beginning they may have no clear notion of danger or harm at all. As a result, they can observe things that are quite terrifying to many adults and experience no emotional reaction at all. This seems to reinforce the notion that strong emotions come as a result of our learning process. They are tied in with our memories of good and bad experiences and our desire to repeat the former and avoid the latter in the future. Eventually we become aware of the possibility of being harmed not only by our environment but also by others around us. We become aware of the need to compete with others for the things that seem essential to us. As a result of this entire process of growth and development, we become increasingly capable of feeling anger, disappointment, jealousy, fear and frustration. Many of these emotions may be described as sensory indicators for our mental states. Just as loud noises or sharp pains may warn us about dangers in our physical environment, emotions provide us with another level by which we view and learn about our situations and our relations with others around us. Thus, emotions convey important information to us and it is important that we deal with this information. The Foundations of Human Behavior 15 Understanding our own inner needs leads to better relationships with others. Sigmund Freud, the father of modern psychoanalysis, long ago pointed out the harm that can result from ignoring strong emotions. If you feel a sharp pain when you put your hand on a stove burner, you need to take your hand away immediately or your skin and underlying tissue are going to be damaged. If you feel strong emotions, chances are you need to respond to them in some way or you may experience a similar type of internal harm. The problem is that instinct tells us what to do with the hand on the hot stove. The correct and appropriate response to strong emotions does not appear to be anywhere nearly as instinctive or automatic. We know we have to do something, but there is a danger that what we do may be the wrong thing and may actually make the situation worse. This is why the causes of our feelings and emotions need to be explored in detail before they can be understood and acted upon appropriately. MOTIVES Before we can hope to change our behavior to patterns that can be more effective in getting what we want in life, it is important for us to know why we do the things we do and, just as importantly, why other people do what they do. Sometimes the actions of others seem totally illogical or irrational to us. However, upon closer examination, we may discover that their view of the world is significantly different from ours, and that within their view what they attempt to do may make considerably more sense. Their view may seem distorted and inaccurate to us, but they must still respond to it, since it is the only view they have to work with. 16 Preparing to Counsel Others Psychologists have determined that there are a wide variety of factors that motivate human behavior and a hierarchy to these factors. In other words, some basic needs and motives are more important to us than others. Until these fundamental needs are satisfied, we tend to direct most of our energy in their direction. It is only once the basics have been met that we turn our attention to satisfying needs that are higher up on the ladder. Psychologist Abraham Maslow is best known for identifying a fundamental hierarchy of human needs. The existence of a …