Questions On The Working Stage

HIV/ AIDS affect African Americans at a higher rate than any other race (White, Asian, and Hispanic). With African Americans making up approximately 13 percent of the U.S. population, in 2014, they made up almost half of all new HIV/AIDS cases; 44 percent. African American men accounted for 73 percent of new HIV/AIDS cases, and of that 43 percent of African American men were heterosexual (CDC 2014). Since heterosexual African American men don’t equate to the larger population of HIV cases as compared to African American men who have sex with men, these heterosexual men are virtually invisible in the theoretical and empirical psychological HIV/AIDS literature (Bowleg, 2004, p.166).

When leading the group therapy, leaders can often encounter various problems or challenges from some members. Some of the issues that might arise within the counseling process include issues of the dominator, the chronic talker, the negative members, the distracter, the resistant members and the member who strives to outsmart the leader (Corey et al., 1995).

According to recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 1.2 million individuals in the United States have HIV (about 14 percent of which are unaware of their infection and another 1.1 million have progressed to AIDS. Over the past decade, the number of HIV cases in the US has increased, however, the annual number of cases remains stable at about 50, 000 new cases per year. Within these estimates, certain groups tend to carry the burden of these disease, particularly the gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men (MSM) and among race/ethnic groups, Blacks/African American males remain disproportionately affected. (CDC)

Group therapy is a way for patients

One’s community plays a huge role in their health behaviors. The African-American community must provide better opportunities and options for the homosexual men within their communities. Wishfully thinking, there should be a leader from every community that will be in charge of improving HIV/AIDS within their own neighborhoods/communities. Having someone with a personal connection to the community is a great asset because they know exactly what is going on and what will work and what will not.

I worked directly with the HIV/AIDS population as well as individuals whose behaviors place them at high risk for becoming infected. I am currently the Supervisor for the AIDS Institute Linkage and Navigation Program where I am responsible for overseeing the delivery of services. These services encompass but are not limited to entitlements, referral to agencies that assist with identifying appropriate housing, referral to medical, mental health and substance use services. I also, oversee treatment adherence services which support clients in their readiness to begin (ARV) antiretroviral therapy and maintain adherence to their prescribed medication for treatment for HIV/AIDS.

There is much to learn from all ancestral cultures including the new coin phrase sexual minorities . Mental heath professional is consistently evolving and practitioners must adapt to the changes within practice and ACA ethical guidelines. This paper explores a counselor 's level of competence, etiology findings for homosexuality, controversies with treatment practice by professional and paraprofessional therapy, and new frontier approach with client-centered approach. Since the multicultural movement has become a pillar for ACA code of ethics, it is with great importance to embrace new cultural styles. Although, the counseling field has a great paucity in empirical research; ACA task force remains optimistic in filling this gap. The objective is to help clients find congruence in their identity, belief, and values within their sexual orientation. Counselor must arm themselves with proficient training in multicultural competence, client-centered approach toward client identity edification, and having the integrity to guard clients from harmful clinical practice.

Clients need to develop appropriate coping mechanisms and positive social goals which tend to take an extensive amount of time to adapt to for sustainable utilization. Long term goals and persistent therapy are essential to reaching defined outcomes. The following are interventions that are important in short-term as well as long-term

HIV is highly prevalent among the United States population, primarily affecting African Americans of all economic levels and age groups. HIV is transmissible through sexual contact and damages the immune system as it interferes with the individual’s capability to fight off any infections or illnesses. Health inequalities that greatly affect the high rates of HIV include but are not limited to: higher rates of poverty, lack of awareness, intercourse within the same sex, having anxiety towards getting tested for STD’s or HIV, as well as being fearful of “coming out”. Local, state, and nationwide organizations are designed to inform and provide assistance to those who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. S.A.A.F. (Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation)

In Chapter 10 of Rudolph K. Sanders’ book, Christian Counseling Ethics: A Handbook for Psychologists, Therapists and Pastors, Mark Yarhouse, Jill Kays and Stanton Jones discuss the “sexual minority” as it pertains to the field of professional counseling. This group is defined as “individuals with same sex attractions or behavior, regardless of self-identification” (Sanders, et. al., 2013, p. 252). By looking at counseling the homosexual community through its etiology, standards by which a counselor should proceed with treatment, and the options a client has on deciding treatment options, we can be better prepared as Christian counselors to be better prepared in serving the needs of others.

Client resistance is ever present in the social work profession. As per Goldstein (1995), resistance presents itself in treatment within the client’s conscious or unconscious actions which interfere with therapeutic progress. Assessing the complex dynamic causing a client’s resistant behavior during clinical treatment is a challenging, but an essential task for goal achievement. According to Woods and Hollis (2000), understanding why a client is resistant facilitates reaching common ground with the client, enabling realistic goal setting. The causality of resistance is often discomfort associated with the client not being in a state of readiness, further emphasizing the need for mutual goal setting in order to obtain treatment progression.

A unique aspect of the cognitive behavioral approach in group therapy is the focus on specific target areas of change. The members are responsible for formulating specific statements of the personal goals they want to achieve. The group leader is responsible for helping the members break down their goals into specific, concrete, and measureable goals. An agenda is set at the beginning of each session in a collaborative fashion with the members and group leader in order to prioritize

As part of my Stage 2 Workplace Practices subject I was required to do 50 hours of work placement in my chosen industry so I could practice the theory I learnt for my Certificate III in Sport and Recreation. I knew I needed to have experience in the Fitness industry such as a local gym club because I am very serious about body building and teaching others about fitness. As it is important for me to be successful in my pathway goal for the future, which is to become a police officer I did some research and learnt that they are very strict about fitness and it is very hard to pass the fitness test. If I want to achieve my goal I need to start improving my fitness levels and give myself a better chance.

Group therapy is an important method that is commonly used by psychiatric professionals in the treatment of many types of mental illnesses. They consist of three or more people and are targeted at promoting psychological development and change. There are three different types of groups. The task group works by using tasks, such as activities and techniques, designed to help clients work toward desired goals. In addition, midrange groups work by allowing clients to share their thoughts and feelings with others who have learned to cope with similar problems over a longer period of time. Lastly, process groups work by allowing clients to work on their communicating patterns, skills and methods (Fortinash & Holoday Worrett, 2008).

Looking for new and more effective ways to treat the issues of their clients, counselors and therapists may often begin to consider leading a group therapy session. Group therapy is a form of therapy in which a therapist either treats or provides psychoeducational skills to a small, carefully planned target group of individuals in an effort to ameliorate the issues and dysfunctions of each individual in that particular group of patients together (Scheidlinger, 2004). In this group, therapists often utilize some of the psychotherapy theories such as Gestalt, transactional analysis, psychotherapy or psychodrama which they often use to treat clients individually.