Abolition in the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Abolition in the US - Essay Example The origins of abolitionist movement in the US can be traced back to the late 18th century: the American and French revolutions that occurred at that time separated by only a decade played the key role in its onset and further development. Both revolutions strongly relied on the concepts of equality between people and their right to live free and the protestant Christian morality (Wood, 1998; Doyle, 2002). Therefore, advocates of the early abolitionist movement believed it was wrong to maintain the artificial inferiority of non-white groups promoting the ideas of emancipation.While the earliest form of abolitionism in the US were rather mild and did not achieve any significant results except for the 1808's abolition of the slave trade with Africa, the later stage of the abolitionist movement that emerged in the 1830s was more powerful and called for an immediate end to slavery. The basic ideas underlying this later movement remained exactly the same as at the earliest stage: the comm on nature and origins of all human beings, the natural right to freedom, and the immorality of forced labor (Temperley, 1980). These ideas are vividly illustrated by one of the most famous artifacts of that epoch, namely the Wedgwood medallion featuring a kneeling chained slave and a slogan "Am I not a man and a brother"

Mental Health Groups: Theories and Methods

Mental Health Groups: Theories and Methods Constance Ballew All over the world the issue of mental health is a rampantly growing problem. With budget cuts both statewide and federally since the 1980’s by President Ronald Reagan, our country has had to create more cost efficient ways to meet the needs of our mental health crisis. Because of these budget cuts the need for more mental health services has grown and our county has responded to the outcry from those with mental health issues. Tulare County has come up with a way to help meet these needs locally through the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), which was voted for in November 2004 and became effective January 2005. From August 2009 to October 20011 MHSA has helped over 16,000 Tulare county residents with mental health issues. This is possible because of a 1% tax surcharge on those who make $1 million or more per year. Mental health groups in Tulare County treat a broad spectrum of problems. From Bipolar Disorder and depression to schizophrenia, there are support groups to help c lients deal with the difficulties associated with mental illness (HHSA, 2012). In California the rate mental illness vary from county to county. Over all the rate of those with mental health issues in California are 16.3% that equals to about 4 million Californians. This percentage is a scarce comparison to that of all Americans who need mental health services. These figures which are 20-28% are alarming. Mental health affects everyone, even those who don’t have mental illness are affected by the mental health crisis in our county and country. Mental illness does not choose its victims by color, race, gender or age. Mental illness also does not prefer certain social or economic status. (Lund, 2001) Before 1956 many patients were not open to the idea of group therapy, almost two thirds of the patients in fact. And of those who entered group therapy 15% dropped out within the first 5 weeks of therapy. It is also shown in the study done by DeSchill that patients who had already received individual counseling did not increase their likely hood of staying in group counseling over those who had not. (DeSchill, 2014) The creation of mental health groups came from the need for more patients to be seen at a more economic and less time consuming. This is due to the introduction of Managed care into the mental health care system. Managed care has brought some limitations into treatment of mental illness as well as other groups. These are that managed care will pay for a certain amount of group sessions. There is a price cap on some of the sessions and therapist are often limited to the quantity and quality of care they provide group members. The Goal of mental health groups is to help people cope with the disabilities they face in life. It is this such support that helps many people around the U.S. live their lives in more fruitful ways than they would if they did not had the support of the mental health support groups. Mental health support groups provide an end to isolation. The isolation that people suffer who have mental health issues is debilitating and leads to early death rates for the mentally ill. According to Marla Szalavitz, in a study done by researchers at University College London, 6,500 people over the age of 52 where studied. The most isolated of those had a 26% higher chance of earlier death than those who were not isolated. Mental health groups have a valuable role in the part of treating those with mental illness, not just mentally but also physically (Szalavitz, 2013). The group members would be screened prior to entering the group. This is to ensure safety within the group and also to allow the maximum effectiveness for the group. The screening process would be done by a physician who would then refer the member to our group. This would help the therapist to focus on the members in the group who are able to do work and participate in their own change process. The roles of the members in a group are important to study. Each member role help to establish a flow for the dynamic and solidifies norms. The challenges of the leaders in a mental health group can be somewhat different from a leader in other groups. This is because the dynamic could change more often than that of other groups due to the challenges that face those with mental illness. The treatment models used to treat mental illness in group therapy according to Sara Battista, groups can be psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral psychotherapy and psychosocial. The purpose and goal of a mental health group is dependent on the type of model used. In psychosocial groups, the goal is to sustain a balance of norms in the clients life, change if it happens is slow and not expected with the psychosocial model of treatment. In a Cognitive behavioral model led group, the leader is an example for the group. The group is made of people with the same sorts of issues who seek the same goal. Psychodynamic groups focus on the role each member has had in their families or in society and now have in the group. (Battista, 2013) In addition to the generalization of the treatments used to treat mental health issues, there are more in depth tools used in groups for the treatment of mental illness. Depression for people who have a mild or moderate level has been treated with cognitive behavioral along with interpersonal psychotherapies. While patients who have a disorder such as schizophrenia have been shown to benefit from cognitive behavioral psychotherapy. (Lehman et al, 2004) Psychoanalytic groups or psychodynamic groups settings usually have anywhere from 5 to 10 people. In this type of setting there is a gender heterogeneity and the ages are usually within the same developmental stages. This is also a group which is cost effective and would benefit the members in financial hardship. The meetings are generally and 1  ½ long or longer depending on the group. This type of group would meet a couple of two to three time per a week. This model is used because of its effectiveness to deal with group issues such as resistance and transference. Because of the heterogeneity in the group, members are able to work out other emotional reactions they might have opposed to that of a homogeneous group. Group members use their interactions with each other to help them work out problems in their lives. There is a sense of self-awareness that is gained by this type of therapy in group and the individual is able to do work more efficiently than on his own (DeSchill, 1974 ). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy used in group sessions is cost and time efficient. This type of therapy helps the group members to focus on life issues such as relationships, matters of their health and are aims to help correct dysfunctional issues with the clients. The goals for this type of group would be to help the group members realize that they can have more choices than the ones that have had in the past. Also to replace faulty behavior with healthy emotions and behaviors. This group would be a smaller group of about 5-10 people and also heterogeneous. This group would most likely meet about twice a week for about 2 hours to help promote the necessary change needed in the group (Cowdry, 2012). Psychosocial group settings are settings in which the group members talk out their problems, this is an effective type of treatment for people who have various type of mental health disorders. The setting would also be gender heterogeneous and include different ethnic backgrounds. The cultural differences in the group may prove to be an issue of resistance but if the therapist is trained with a multicultural background it can be a learning experience for the rest of the group. This group much like the two previous types of groups I have mentioned would be smaller groups and would meet more frequently to help the process of change. (Cowdry, 2012) The group duration is ongoing for those with more serious mental health issues and can be more time limited for those with anxiety or depression issues. Since the goals for the groups are different. The duration would also be different. Meaning that people with schizophrenia will need a group with a longer duration, maybe 2 years while someone suffering from anxiety and depression may only need 16-18. This is because for those with serious issues the goals are more about maintaining their lives and with anxiety or depression it is to help produce change. The goals of each group would be depending on the degree of mental health issues in which the members have. For instance, the goals for group members who are more seriously mentally ill would more tailored to adapting or maintaining mental and physical health and not towards a cure or getting better. While the goals for groups that are for depression and anxiety are focused on cognitive and the behavioral changes for members. It is also focused on helping the group members see more positive ways to manage stress and coping skills to manage negative thoughts. (Corey et al, 2014). Group rules for mental health members should be clear and easy to understand. They should set limits on behaviors and encourage the members to share. Rules should also help to ensure safety and confidentiality within the group. Rules would be as follows; please allow people to finish sharing before speaking. Respect others thoughts and feelings. Please keep what has been shared in group inside group. Please share any thoughts or concerns you may have in group. The tools that can be used in the forming stage of the group can be activities used to create safety and trust. This would be for the first few sessions of the group. The next few sessions would be activities to confront resistance in the group so that the members can get through to the second stage of tuckmans model which is storming. Then a few team building exercises to help the group cohesion and encourage the norming stage. The next few sessions would be based on tools to increase performing within the members and the final stage and for the last few weeks group members and therapist would be focused on the ending of the group-termination. This final stage would be to help the member talk about any issues that they feel haven’t been addressed and also deal with the closing of the group. These last sessions will also be used to go over what has been learned by the group members, what they will do after group and help them with crisis plans. There are some ways in which a group can be evaluated to see if it has been an effective form of treatment. One way is to ask the clients to complete a pre group and post group questionnaire. This would ask questions asking the group member to rate their feelings toward themselves, their mental illness, their current abilities to function inside and outside of the group and also would ask them how willing they are to join the group. The post group questionnaire would also ask the client to rate their feelings based on how they felt after receiving the treatment in group. Another way to evaluate the effectiveness of the group would be to ask the group members to share with each other how they feel in group during the first few sessions about the effectiveness. This would be charted. The therapist can also ask members to come to a meeting after termination of the group in which they are asked their thoughts and feelings again about their time in the group. This would also be charted. T he comparisons used in the feeling checks before and after group can help the group leader determine the effectiveness of the group. A therapist can also evaluate the effectiveness of the group by research. The therapist can study how many people need more help, how many terminate early and for what reasons and also what changes need to be made to enhance the effectiveness (Corey et al, 2014). In doing this research, I found that mental health groups are a vital part of treating those with mental health issues. At times people feel alone, with group such as mental health treatment groups, members don’t have to feel alone and can relate to each other. References Battista, S. (2013) New Trends in Mental Health Treatment, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Retrieved From http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Top_Storytemplate=/contentmanagement/contentdisplay.cfmContentID=158934 Corey et al, (2014) Theories and Techniques of Group Counseling, Groups Process and Practice, Ninth Edition, Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning Cowdry, R (2012) Treatments and Services, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Retrieved From  http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=About_Treatments_and_SupportsTemplate=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfmContentID=10510 DeSchill, S (1974) Introduction to Psychoanalytic Group Psychotherapy Part 1, The Challenge for Group Psychotherapy, Retrieved From http://americanmentalhealthfoundation.org/books/introduction-to-psychoanalytic-group-psychotherapy-part-1/ Health and Human Services Agency (2012) Tulare County Mental Health Services Act, Five Year Report, HHSA, Retrieved From http://hhsawebdocs.tchhsa.org/questys.cmx.hhsawebdocs/File.ashx?id=2819v=1x=pdf Lehman et al. (2004) Evidence-Based Mental Health Treatments and Services:  Examples to Inform Public Policy, Millbank Memorial Fund Retrieved From http://www.milbank.org/uploads/documents/2004lehman/2004lehman.html Lund, L. E. (2001) Mental Health Care in California Counties: Perceived Need and Barriers to Access, Center for Health Statistics, Retrieved From http://www.cdph.ca.gov/pubsforms/Pubs/OHIRmentalhealthCareCA2001.pdf Szalavitz, M. (2013) Social Isolation, Not just feeling Lonely May Shorten Lives, Time, Retrieved from http://healthland.time.com/2013/03/26/social-isolation-not-just-feeling-lonely-may-shorten-lives/

All About Florida Essay -- essays research papers fc

Did you know that for ever person that lives in Florida, four more people visit the state every year? Tourism makes up eighty-one percent of Florida’s gross state product. Also, â€Å"no trip is complete without tasting a fresh-picked orange or a slice of Key lime pie† (Heinrichs 11). The excellent weather and awesome beaches in Florida are irresistible to tourists. Florida’s early history, geography, climate, wildlife, and economy will be explained thoroughly in this paper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Florida was first settled over 12,000 years ago when people from Asia migrated to the Americas over the Bering Land Bridge. The first European to set foot on the North American continent was the Spaniard Juan Ponce de Leà ³n. In Spain, there were rumors of a spring bubbling with the magical waters of youth (Heinrichs 15). He set out determined to uncover many rumors about the New World. On March 27th, 1513, he went ashore near present-day St. Augustine and called the area La Florida for one of two reasons. It was either because it was Easter time (Pascua Florida in Spanish) or because of all the flowers he found there (Florida is Spanish for â€Å"flowery†). Unfortunately, Leà ³n was killed by an Indian attack on his second expedition of the area in 1521. The next explorer to try his luck in Florida was Pà ¡nfilo de Narvà ¡ez. Gold was the object of his voyage to Florida, but he found none when he went ashore in Tampa Bay in 1528.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first actual settlement in Florida and North America as well was Fort Caroline. It was built by French Protestants who needed refuge from persecution. The fort was built at the mouth of the St. John’s River. When King Philip II of Spain heard about the French colony, he sent Admiral Pedro Menà ©ndez de Avilà ©s to eliminate the fort. He set up a fort where Leà ³n originally landed and called it San Augustin (St. Augustine). This became the first European settlement in North America that still exists today. The Spanish colony thrived with 140 Franciscan missions and forts. However, by the 1700s, British and Indian raids burned out most of the mission forts. Florida went under British control in 1793 when the Seven Years’ War ended. However, Spain regained Florida when the American Revolution ended in 1783. Spain finally lost Florida to the United States in 1819 when the Adams-Onà ­s treaty was signed between the U.S. an... ...l eat: fish, crabs, shrimp, sharks and octopuses. Mines in Florida contain phosphate rock, petroleum, and natural gas, fuller’s earth, kaolin, limestone, thorium, and zircon.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Florida, nicknamed The Sunshine State, is a tourist and retiree magnet. The state’s high temperatures, exotic wildlife, and sunny skies attract people of all ages. Even the first Spanish explorers to the area thought it was a paradise. A leading producer of oranges, Florida’s economy is growing faster than any other state’s. From the shallow swamps of the Everglades of the south, to the â€Å"hammock† studded forests of the north, Florida is a truly unique state. Florida’s early history, geography, climate, wildlife, and economy stand out from other states. It is a state that should be visited at least once in a lifetime. Works Cited: Blakey, Arch F. â€Å"Florida†. World Book Encyclopedia. World Book Inc.2000. Vol. 7, pp. 242-265. â€Å"Florida Almanac from NETSTATE†. NETSTATE.COM [Online State Almanac] (NSTATE, rev. 2001, 1997; accessed 5 June, 2001); available from http://www.netstate.com/states/alma/fl_alma.htm. Heinrichs, Ann. Florida. Danbury, Connecticut: Children’s Press, 1998.

Future of technology (advantages and disadvantages) Essay

From day to day, our world has been changed gradually from one condition to another. Nowadays, technology has advanced in huge leaps and bounds. We cannot imagine the world without technological advances such as computer, televisions, and machines and so on. However there are some advantages and disadvantages of technology. First, technologies play an important role in society because it makes life easier to live on and makes time less consuming. People do not have to do all the hard labor anymore. For example, many people have washing machines, clothes driers and dishwashers, so the amount of energy needed to wash and dry clothes and wash dishes is greatly reduced. Second, medical science is very progressive and saves many innocent lives. Medical treatment has been going well with the help of technology. Nowadays, hospitals use technology as assistance for operations. However, technology also brings harm to our society. The overuse and development of factory industries causes pollution to our world. For example the use of cars and machines causes smoke that affects the quality of our air and destroys our ozone layer and as a result people suffer illnesses like cancer. Another disadvantage is that technologies create financial problems in families because most technologies are expensive. For example people that do not have a washing machine will have to wash clothes by hand which is time consuming. In conclusion, we cannot stop technology from developing in our society. Nowadays, we as people rely on technology everyday to make our lives simpler. Without modern technology our world would be a tough place to live in.

10-Perseverance Essay

To our beloved President and Cavite School Life founder, Mr. Ernesto V. Yu, to our adorable Cavite School of Life director and Finance Officer, Ms. Maybelle O. Yu, to the man with a big heart, our Principal, Mr. Roberto G. Dumali, to our efficient student affairs coordinator Mr. Francis H. Mangrobang, to our handsome Discipline Coordinator, Mr. Rogelio T. Chavez, to our school board members, faculty and staffs, parents, family, fellow graduates, guests, ladies and gentlemen. Good day. There is a Latin dictum which says and I quote, â€Å"Ex abundancia cordis, os loquitur† which means, â€Å"From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks!† Today, allow me to speak of Angelic words, of words of wisdom, of words of love and of words of joy and thanksgiving. For today, in this very historical place, and in this very important moment in our very lives as graduates of 2013, we have witnessed the fruits of our labor! Today, I stand before you not as a superhero, nor a genius, and not even the best of all but as one with you who can truly prove the proof of success despite of nothingness. See more: Analysis of Starbucks coffee company employees essay Yes, nothingness or poverty is never a hindrance to a true success! Once more, we have proven that. Once more, I have proven that. As you may all have known, my parents are never rich. You must have known and learned how my father, Papa Boy, labored so hard to send me to this wonderful and spirit filled school. You must have known as well, how my mother, Mama Paz has to give up some of her wants just so that I can pursue my studies. When Papa Boy got a stroke that almost send him to eternal rest, I almost lose hope for he is the only one who provides us with our basic needs especially my school needs. Thinking that I might stop from schooling really sends shivers down my spine. As I look at Mama Paz crying, I could not but feel the tremendous pain of a mother who was not only thinking of how could Papa survive much more to her fears of asking me to stop from schooling. Despite that, my family stood still with faith and trust and even inspired me more to study well. It took us months of really praying and holding of our hands together, sharing whatever little we have for none in my family would allow me to stop from schooling. Even if Mama Paz did not tell, I knew then that she had to do so many things (call it part time jobs) just to make ends meet. Papa Boy on the other hand fought so hard to regain health the soonest. â€Å"Alam kong nahihirapan ng husto si Papa pero nilalabanan niya ang kanyang sakit para maiwasan ang nag aambang kamatayan dahil alam ko sabi niya sa sarili niya, andiyan pa si Jasmine na kailangang makapagtapos ng pag-aaral.† Indeed I was and am so lucky to have parents like them—di man mayaman pero hindi nila ako pinababayaan. Papa Boy and Mama Paz, maraming salamat po sa lahat lahat. Hindi ako darating sa kinaroroonan ko ngayon kung hindi dahil sa inyo. I love you po! I am also grateful to Cavite School of Life because though my father was sick at that moment, they didn’t abandon him, they still gave him a chance and hope to live and work for his family, most especially for me, his daughter. This we owe so much to Mr. Ernesto V. Yu and his family, we will forever give thanks to them, Words are not enough to express how blessed we are to have you Mr. and Mrs. Yu in our life. Needless to say, how grateful I am too to all of my teachers, especially my adviser, Ms Maricar, my classmates and my friends who are so supportive and understand my situation. They have always been there in times when truly I needed them most. When I first came to Cavite School of Life, I didn’t expect that I will be changed and be improved for the better, because in my previous school, our Principal seems didn’t care about us, unlike here I really felt that I’m a part of the family and here, our teachers wanted us to learn not just for school but for life, I’m very overwhelmed by the people here, because they helped me to prepare not just for college but also for our future. I was a second year student when I started studying here in Cavite School of Life, at first I was only a girl in the corner, doesn’t care what around or what’s happening, I also can’t understand why I’m here in Cavite School of Life. A lot of questions in my mind such as why I’m studying? What’s God’s plan for me? I have no idea at all. But after two months, I just woke up then I realized that everything seems at place, I’m growing, I’m learning and I’m happy. The next thing I know is that, my relationship to God became better, and I found out that the school philosophy, â€Å"WE LEARN NOT FOR SCHOOL BUT FOR LIFE† is true. This school shelter and taught us not only for school, they also prepared us to live our life outside. After this night, we will be leaving the school but the lessons that we learned will remain in our hearts forever, Thank you Cavite School of Life for that. That is the thing we will surely treasure the most. Indeed my very own life is a living testament of success despite scarcity. That indeed behind the hills of sacrifices lay the valley of success. If we stand together as I, we could do anything. Now I could say that the greatest gift my parents give me, besides life, is education. The same thing I believe is what every parent here now is giving to each one of us. May I invite you all therefore to be one with me in giving the greatest and deepest expression of our gratitude to them who have labored so hard and worked so well so that we may become what we are today. Fellow graduates, let us all stand therefore and give the loudest and sincerest to our dearly beloved parents! As we leave the portals of our dear Alma Matter, let us always remember not only the good and funniest memories but life’s learning experiences we have gained. Let us treasure them and bring them to whatever we go so we can also become the bearers of light and life. Let us always remember that what we are now is God’s gift to us and what we became of ourselves is our gift to Him.