Answer 3

• How can a therapist best aid clients in overcoming actions and behaviors that led them to counseling?
• A therapist can best aid their clients in overcoming actions and behaviors that led them to counseling by hosting a group therapy session.
• Details
• Group members will usually be going through the same situation as the client, helping them realize they are not alone. For example, a client who is going through depression, listens to one of the group members talk about his lack of focus and "emptiness", knowing what they are going through. This will lead the client to talk more about their condition, and come to terms with a goal.
• Group therapy is very supportive. Group leaders are trained to help the group develop an environment of safety and respect. For example, a client might not say anything during one-on-one therapy because they feel uncomfortable. However, after going to a group therapy session, they might feel wanted and safe, and will start to open up.
• Group therapy also helps the client see their problems in a different way. For example, they might bring up a fight they got into that week, and why they got upset. However, someone else in the group will look at the problem in a different way, opening the client's eyes to a different solution and/or how they could have handled it better.
• Sources
• Brook, David. "Exploring Group Therapies." Psychiatric Times. 1 Feb 2003. Web. 26 Feb 2015. 
• Nauert, Rick. "Brief Group Therapy Can Improve Teen Mental Health." PsychCentral. 5 Oct 2013. Web. 26 Feb 2015. 
• Jongsma, Arthur E. "The Adolescent Psychotherapy Treatment Planner." Practice Problems. 2006.
• Group Therapy is a solution that works for many clients because they realize they are not alone and become comfortable enough to open up to others.

February Post

This month, I interviewed both my mentor and Dr. Guy, a psychiatrist that works at the L.A. County Jail. Dr. Guy lent me 2 books, both on treatment planning. One book is for Children and the other is about Adolescents. Also, I attended my first meeting at Da Poetry Lounge. It was amazing. I was left speechless. The poets were so amazing.

Answer 2

1. What is your EQ?
A: How can a therapist aid clients in overcoming actions and behaviors that led them to counseling?

2. What is your first answer?
A: A therapist can aid clients in overcoming actions and behaviors that led them to counseling through case conceptualization and treatment planning because they create personalized plans, provide support, and create goals.

3. What is your second answer?
A; A therapist can aid clients in overcoming actions and behaviors that led them to counseling through art therapy because they are able to let out their true feelings through a form of therapy they are most comfortable with.

4. List three reasons your answer is true with a real-world application for each.

• Art therapy helps people with mental disorders. For example, The Austism Society of America joined with The American Art Therapy Association to offer an expanding art therapy program.
• Art therapy helps families. For example, children will use specific colors and drawings to express how they feel. A therapist can use this in a session to go in a family's problems.
• Art therapy helps people that have gone through some type of trauma or loss. Instead of talking about it, some people want to express how they feel through art.

5. What printed source best supports your answer?

A: "Art Therapy to Treat Depression." The Ranch. Web. 29 Jan 2015.

6. What other source supports your answer?

A: "Art therapies." Mind for Better Health. Web. 29 Jan 2015.

7. Art therapy is used along with other therapies, and is proven to be very effective in therapy and counseling.

Blog 15: Independent Component 2 Approval

1. Describe in detail what you plan to do for your 30 hours.
A: I plan to attend weekly meetings at Da Poetry Lounge in Los Angeles, around 4-5 hours a week. After getting some insight into poetry readings and slams, I will then host my own, where people of all ages are welcome to let their feelings out in a poem they wrote or song they would like to sing.

2. Discuss how or what you will do to meet the expectation of showing 30 hours of evidence.
A: I will take pictures and videos of these weekly meetings, and do short interviews with the manager and participants. I will also host my own poetry slam/reading, and record my work.

3. Explain how this component will help you explore your topic in more depth.
A: The second answer to my essential question is "Art Therapy." I have found that poetry and ranting is a way of Art Therapy. Some counselors and therapists use this method in their sessions. Some people are more comfortable showing how they feel in their own way. This will help me go further into my answer: Art Therapy.

4. The link to my Senior Project Hours log is here.

Independent Component 1

• LITERAL
• I, Camille Erskine, affirm that I have completed my independent component, which represents 30 hours of work.
• PSYCH101-EXC: Introduction to Pyschology, made by Saylor Academy.
• The link to my senior project hours is here: Senior Project Hours
• I have completed an online class called "Introduction to Psychology". My class consisted of lectures, readings, mini assessments, and seperate links. Since I didn't the sufficient funds to pay for the final exam, I made an exam based on what I've learned and emailed the exam to Saylor Academy.
• INTERPRETATIVE























• This class was significant to my senior project because it gives me background to base my research off of. For example, to explain what "classical conditioning" is to my class, I must first understand that this idea developed from Ivan Pavlov.
• There was a lot to learn and a lot of material I went over before I finished. The syllabus is almost 40 pages long. However, I feel that I learned a lot of important information that will help me throughout the rest of my senior project.
• APPLIED
• Information throughout this class applies to my topic, counseling. It goes in specifics about the brain, and mental disorders, which is a big part of my topic. It helped me realize I should focus more on mental disorders, and helped me find another answer. For example, I learned that both the environment and genes will make a person who they are. From the mix of genes and environments, mental disorders sometimes emerge. In counseling, therapists/psychologists ask about a family history, health history, and information about their life for this reason, to know if they have a higher chance of a mental disorder. 

January Blog Post

I'd like to reflect further on my 30 minute senior project presentation. The main answer I focused on was "Case Conceptualization and Treatment Plan." However, after giving a presentation, I think I will mainly focus on "Treatment Plan" for one of the answers to my essential question. It would let me go deeper into the answer, and I would be able to give more examples. One part of a treatment plan is to make goals. In order to make goals, you need to follow the acronym SMART.

SPECIFIC

MEASURABLE

ATTAINABLE

RELEVANT

TIME-BOUND

Lesson 2 Reflection

1. What are you most proud of and why?
A: I am most proud of my knowledge in my subject. It makes me proud knowing I can talk about it without looking at research.

2. What would you give yourself?
I would give myself an AP. Although I was knowledgeable, I did not make time at first, making my conclusion awkward.

3. What worked for you?
Telling other people about my research and what I have learned from my mentor and experiences.

4. What didn't work?
I would have made a couple more slides to have made time.

5. What do you think Answer #2 is going to be?
Interacting with clients and patients and keeping in touch to make sure they're okay, communication.