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Program Lets Nurses Find Healing Through Poetic Verse

August 15, 2013 By mariechan

DSCN0037Nursing can certainly be a stressful profession, but a program sponsored by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities is trying to give nurses a therapeutic outlet courtesy of the written word. Known as Poetry Heals, the outreach connects professional poets with nurses who work in hospital settings. Besides helping participants adequately cope with traumatic events that happen in the workplace, the initiative also attempts to help them develop worthwhile life skills that can be useful even outside the nursing industry.

Second Year of Workshops

The poetry workshops for healthcare providers were only launched last year, but the groundwork is already in place for another year of events that will occur across New Jersey. The workshop don’t just focus on writing, but also the processing of difficult life occurrences. Caregivers such as nurses are in the position of having to take responsibility for others on a daily basis, and often, they see patients in incredibly vulnerable conditions. Over time, this can cause nurses to feel burnt out, discouraged, and that they have nowhere to turn to for help. Many of the Poetry Heals events and are centered upon supportive discussions within a group, and frequently, these talks make participants feel so secure and loved they end up feeling ready to write poetry even if they’ve never done so in the past.

Exploring Depth

Organizers believe there are three important skills particularly crucial to healthcare providers that are emphasized during Poetry Heals courses: deep thinking, deep listening and deep speaking. It is hoped that by developing these skills, healthcare providers will be more able to process difficult events that occur in the workplace instead of allowing themselves to become weighed down and stressed out. CavanKerry Press has so far been responsible for providing professional poets who run each workshop at a healthcare facility free of charge.

who thinks i have a book problem? (274/365)

A Positive Impact

Judging from data received from participants during the first year Poetry Heals was available, results were favorable. Specifically, 85% of people who took part in the workshops said they would stand behind any future efforts from their hospitals to offer further opportunities for artistic expression to healthcare professionals. Also, more than 90% of respondents said they believed the poetic exercises played a noticeable role in encouraging them to demonstrate compassion, particularly while dealing with illness and attempting to see things from the perspective of patients.

Bringing the Worth of Poetry to a Television Audience

Healing Words: Poetry and Medicine is the name of a similar project that attempts to use poetry as a beneficial coping mechanism for people who are faced with their own illness, or that of a loved one. After compiling interviews and soundbites from people who have been positively affected by writing poetry, the leaders of that project believe broadcasting the results on television might stimulate people such as caregivers, people who have been diagnosed with severe illnesses, doctors and nurses to consider leaning on poetry when health-related stresses seem too much to bear.

Art has long been recognized as a way to deal with strong emotions but only recently been explored as a way to assist members of the healthcare community with the obstacles they face on a regular basis. Hopefully, as programs like those mentioned above continue to receive positive feedback, the option of using poetry as a stress-relieving mechanism will become a more widespread practice.

Author Brett Harris is an avid nursing and medicine blogger. To read her recent posts, view link here.

What is Somatic Treatment and Why Should Social Workers Give it Try?

May 22, 2013 By mariechan

Social workers are widening their approach to their work, and alternative treatments such as somatic treatment are being used to help social workers help clients who are dealing with stress or trauma. Somat, the root for somatic, means “body.” Somatic therapy studies the body in order to offer therapeutic healing. Somatic psychology was developed by Pierre Janet before Freud started practicing in the early 20th century, but its practice has become more and more prevalent in the 21st century.

Pierre Janet plaque - 54 rue de Varenne, Paris 7

How the 21st Century Developed Somatic Therapy

With the development of technology, social workers have been reinventing their approach to their work from implementing Facebook to developing new ways of helping their clients. Developed in 2005, Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a somatic approach to helping clients deal with trauma. The method focuses on the biological response of clients to trauma and leads social workers to help their clients by understanding how the body is physically responding to a traumatic event. SE depends on neuroimaging studies that show how trauma affects cortical and subcortical processing of information.

Developed by Laurie Leitch and Elaine Miller-Karas, Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM) was inspired by SE and it’s been used in disasters to help stabilize emergency settings. The treatment works by unlocking “stress memories” that are trapped by the body in stress situations. By helping the client to face these traumatic emotions earlier on, you can help him or her to avoid the recapitulation of these emotions down the road.

stress

How Social Workers Use SE/TRM Therapy

The SE / TRM session would work through observation of a client’s skin, muscle tone, breath, expression, and posture. The social worker relates these patters to the memories the client has connected to the traumatic event. By bringing up these emotions, you help to unblock the sensations that were originally intended for the flight or fight response but were trapped. The social worker will be able to observe the release of these pent up emotions as the client trembles, cries or even starts laughing uncontrollably.

Hurricane Katrina Relief - New Orleans - Oct 2005

SE / TRM treatment has been tested and used on Hurricane survivors who were experiencing PTSD. The studies showed that those who participated in an SE / TRM treatment group experienced less disruptive trauma than those who did not receive treatment. In fact, often social workers will even treat other social workers who have likewise experienced trauma. For example, studies were done on SR/TRM treatment used after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The results showed that the treatment group experienced significant decreases post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.

Using alternative treatments such as SE /TRM treatment is a useful tool for social workers who deal with clients who have undergone a traumatic event. Treatment can happen in a short amount of time, so it makes it a particularly useful tool when dealing with a mass disaster. Started more than a century ago, somatic therapy has resurged recently and social workers are finding it helpful in treating clients after particularly stressful events.

Robert Neff has seen and written about many traumatic events. He knows just how important the social services are when helping people recover. If you would like to have a career helping the victims of a crisis check out Case Western University and the social work degrees offered there.

The Story of Whole Foods and the Importance of Differentiation

May 12, 2013 By mariechan

Most people look for value and convenience when they go grocery shopping, so how did Whole Foods become so successful? The rise of specialty grocery stores that focused on healthier, organic foods began in the 1970s, but Whole Foods, founded in 1980, has been the real success story of the age. According to the Wall Street Journal, the grocery chain’s profits were up 50 percent in 2012, while more traditional grocery stores have continued to suffer. There are many different reasons for the popularity of Whole Foods, but possibly the biggest one is the magic of brand differentiation. Not only do customers shop at Whole Foods for quality products they can’t find anywhere else, the store also manages to create a unique shopping experience that inspires a certain loyalty in the people who love to buy food there.

Whole Foods at Mt. Washington, MD

1. A Brief History of Whole Foods

In 1978, 25-year-old John Mackey borrowed $45,000 to open a natural food store. Two years later, he merged with another natural food store to create the first Whole Foods in Austin, Texas. In 1984, they began to expand, and in 1989 they opened stores in California. The next two decades were filled with acquisitions of smaller natural food companies and the promotion of several regional managers until Whole Foods became a national chain. There are around 300 stores in America, and they also own a chain called Fresh & Wild which operates in the UK and Scotland. Recently, Forbes reported that the chain set a goal of 1,000 U.S. locations, which means Mackey is far from finished with his expansion.

2. The Appeal of Elite Shopping

Whole Foods Bakery

Prices at Whole Foods can be nearly triple those of a traditional grocery store, but the business prides itself on not being for everyone. Whole Foods offers itself as an alternative to the Wal-Mart culture, says Mackey, catering to the customer who wants to pay a higher price for better quality instead of the lowest possible price for mediocre food. In Los Angeles, Whole Foods is one of the most common places for paparazzi to snap celebrities. Its appeal to that kind of high-income clientele could be part of the reason that the other grocery chains are suffering. The pleasing store environment, helpful staff, and elegant presentation of the products are all part of an experience that conveys specialness. Not to mention, Whole Foods has been aggressively cornering the market on unique organic food for decades.

3. Can This Success Continue?

Whole Foods: Meat

Whole Foods’ differentiation seems to be an exacting business model that has worked wonders for them, but does their success have a limit? As other businesses catch on and copycat stores pop up, Whole Foods has to work to maintain its unique culture. Plus, grocery stores like Safeway and Kroger are beginning to stock more and more organic and natural products, and many customers would be just as happy buying them in local supermarkets and avoiding sky-high prices and long lines. One of the core reasons for Whole Foods succeeding when many other natural grocery chains failed is because they’ve been willing to change with the times. In the future, that change could start to take a much different form than Mackey or his CEOs have seen before.

Whole Foods will probably go down in history as being on the forefront of a change in how people shop for groceries. What began as a simple start-up business in the 1970s became a huge international chain through building its own unique brand and the culture to go along with it. The real test will be when that unique culture becomes more mainstream. But John Mackey and his Whole Foods empire have proven that they’re experts when it comes to standing out in a crowd.

Stacy Hilliard writes article reviews on local businesses such as the grocery store she frequents. A management career in the grocery sector can be obtainable with an online MBA offered by many schools.

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Planning for the Future: A Particular Concern for Women

May 4, 2013 By mariechan

Govanhill photoshoot at the Arches, Glasgow: The Group

An article from National Geographic recently profiled life expectancy trends and found a few surprising details. For starters, gender makes a difference. Women live an average of 81 years, while that number drops to 76 for men. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation looked deeper and found that although women still outlive men, the gap is narrowing. A co-author of the study said that it may be because an increasing number of women lack access to treatment for common health concerns like high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol.

A separate study from the MetLife company looked at retirement trends based on genders and found some additional startling information that pointed to the need for women to think about how to manage their golden years, even if that time is still deep in the future.

Women are more likely to go through the Aging Process Alone

An elderly couple taking time out for a snack and watching passers by

Known as the MetLife Study of Women, Retirement and Extra-Long Life, data examined many factors, and found evidence of a higher probability for men to be accompanied throughout the aging process, while women may be forced to go it alone. The study discovered that in addition to living longer than males, problems like divorce can also make women find themselves planning for retirement without a partner.

Those facts don’t mean that women have to make an anxious effort to enter the dating world as they become older, but rather, they show how it’s important to have a support system throughout all stages of life, particularly for single women. Fortunately, websites like MeetUp.com appeal to anyone who wants to be social without necessarily looking for an intimate relationship. Users can filter search results to reflect certain interests or geographic areas, and the simply designed interface is often encouraging for people who recognize the benefits of having a group of friends to rely on, but don’t want to feel overwhelmed by finding a place to fit in.

Financial Costs Related to Personal Healthcare and Caregiving Concerns

The MetLife study also showed that women are more likely than men to deal with high healthcare costs. Data pointed to a variety of possible reasons, including a lack of access to insurance and more out-of-pocket expenses. Recent health care reform has created some positive healthcare changes for women, but some also deal with separate expenses that are connected with caring for someone else.

Rapprochement

Because women generally have a longer life expectancy, they may assume the role of being a caregiver for a spouse or other family member. This is a noble decision, but one that includes its own financial burdens, especially because being a caregiver often means that the person responsible has no choice but to cut back on the number of hours worked outside of the home.

A Financial Plan is Essential

Creating a financial plan is a smart way to deal with the potential for differing future needs. Luckily, getting started is as easy as setting a budget and trying to save money as much as possible. It’s also essential for women to work on improving financial competency levels, especially if they habitually depend on others to take care of those essentials. Some communities offer free or low-cost classes specifically for women who want to start thinking about how to provide for the future.

Having a future oriented mindset is important for people of both genders, but as the details above show, women have particular factors to consider. Being financially proactive is important at any age, but especially as someone becomes older.

Sam Negrete is a writer for several health blogs. Today, more than ever, people are living longer and there is a need for quality living arrangements for their late years. At the Assisted Living Today Official Website there is information on when to move to an assisted facility, where is a safe, clean place and how much it will cost.

Five Methods of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

December 1, 2012 By mariechan

Journal 2006

There are many different kinds of therapy specifically geared towards the problems we may face in life, but the kind of therapy we typically imagine – where a patient can express his feelings of stress and sadness and learn to cope with them – is known as cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT is a hugely effective method for treating depression, anxiety, and other mental conditions. For 6-15 sessions on average, a patient can learn how to change their thinking and develop tools to help them succeed. The style of therapists can vary, but for the most part, there are certain methods of CBT that are known to be successful.

1. Setting Goals

Patients will be asked to set goals both on a weekly basis and for the long term. The short-term goals are usually small, and therapists work with their patients to shape and manage them. Something as simple as getting out of the house every week can mean a lot for a person with depression, as long as the therapist helps them frame their goals in a positive light.

2. Keeping a Journal

It can be helpful for patients to make note of difficult situations so they can remember how they felt and how they reacted. The therapist can talk over the events the patient chronicled in their journal with them so they can figure out ways to handle them better and identify certain chronic issues the patient faces. It can simply help them realize what is effecting their mood.

3. Belief Testing

A therapist will ask their patient what their various beliefs are – whether they think they are worthless, whether they believe no one cares about them, or similar patterns of thinking. Then the therapist will ask the patient to provide concrete evidence to support their beliefs. Usually a patient will find that there are no valid reasons to believe the things they do, or if they have reasons they interpret to be valid, the therapist knows what needs to be addressed.

4. Role-playing

Role-playing can help a patient master how to interact with other people. The therapist will often provide a number of possible scenarios and types of people the patient could encounter. They get the opportunity to practice healthy responses and learn to be more confident.

5. Cognitive Restructuring

There is a long list of cognitive distortions that usually affect people with depression or other mental problems. Magnification, over-generalization, mind-reading, and ignoring the positives can be just a few. Therapy helps patients replace these negative thoughts with more positive and also more realistic ones. This can be implemented in many of the exercises involved in a therapy session. True restructuring is the ultimate goal of CBT.

CBT can help patients overcome depression, and it can also help with other things like substance abuse, weight loss, or overcoming grief. The tools a patient learns in therapy can help them rebuild and reshape their life. Almost everybody can benefit from education about positive thinking and healthy mental outlooks, and therapy is the right place to start for many people.

Nancy Meyers writes for education blogs where you can read more about the Top 10 Best Online Therapy Degree Programs.

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