Behavioural - Avoidance of Colleague. The WritePass Journal

Behavioural - Avoidance of Colleague. Introduction Behavioural Avoidance of Colleague. IntroductionREFERENCESRelated Introduction Although this model can be criticised for being too simplistic and failing to take social factors into account that can affect all its component parts, it does illustrate how SP can be disabling for the client as it reveals that the emotional distress and avoidant behaviour (C) is a consequence of the negative inferences and evaluations (B), and not, as the client mistakenly believes, a consequence of the activating event (A). There may be many innocent reasons as to why the colleague ignored the client, but it is how the client not only interpreted the colleagues action negatively, but also inferred a negative meaning and subsequently a negative evaluation, as it is certainly not catastrophic if someone does not like you. During assessment, the CB therapist will identify the As, Bs, and Cs by focusing on a specific emotional episode and following this procedure: 1) Assess the C 2) Assess the A 3) Connect the A and C 4) Assess B 5) Connect B to C Both (A) and (C) are assessed before (B) and 2 or 3 of these assessments are conducted as there are often several emotional episodes that have an underlying irrational belief (B) in common.   It is this identification of (B) that facilitates the next stage of formulation. A CB formulation makes an assertion that the client has one or more irrational beliefs underlying several specific episodes.   CB formulations integrate information gathered during assessment and provide a working hypothesis for how the clients SP developed, how the SP is being maintained by the client and how it might be resolved.   Any formulation made by the CB therapist must be based on the clients stated problems and be accepted by the client as a working formulation which then goes on to form the basis for CB intervention. Examples of case formulations include the Three Systems Approach (Rachman Hodgson, 1974), illustrated diagrammatically below, which attempts to understand emotional issues in behavioural, cognitive and physiological terms. However, this model does not take into account any environmental issues that may have precipitated the emotional distress.   This failing was addressed by Greenberg and Padesky, (1995) in the Five Aspect Model, illustrated diagrammatically below. In this model, all aspects are experienced within the environment.   An individuals ethnicity, socio-economic status, education level or upbringing can all be considered as environmental aspects of the problem. Using a fictitious client example, James has been referred by his GP for counselling for SP.   His CB therapist has conducted 3 ABC assessments, the first of which revealed that James is anxious about a job interview (A) and thinks that people will judge him as stupid (B). Jamess second assessment revealed his worry about blushing when dealing with people in authority (A) and that this means that he is physically abnormal (B).   His third assessment revealed his nausea (A) before delivering a best man speech where everyone would laugh at him (B). A general formulation here would be that Jamess SP results from his tendency to misinterpret the facial expressions and reactions of others and his constant negative evaluation of himself in the social situation of work. It is important that the client genuinely understands the formulation.   Irwin et al (1985) found that only 25% of patients genuinely understood the benefits and side effects of their treatment when questioned specifically.   This means 75% did not, and without this understanding, the client will not attribute any changes to their own efforts. Once the therapist is satisfied that the client genuinely understands the formulations, then the 4 steps of intervention can begin.   Firstly, the therapist and the client must agree on specific formulations to work on and secondly, using these formulations as a guide, they must together select specific goals that the client wishes to work on. Step 3 is the selection by the client, and agreed on by the therapist, of specific tasks that will help achieve the specific goals.   These tasks may include the keeping of a diary of events, behaviour and emotions.   Key elements of CBT treatments include Exposure, in which a client enters and remains in a feared situation despite distress, either in vivo or in vetro, beginning with situations that the client has ranked as moderately fear-provoking and moving up gradually to more highly feared situations.   The use of Exposure techniques is based on the assumption that the client must fully experience the feared situation in order for change in emotional and behavioural symptoms to occur (Foa Kozak, 1986). Relaxation techniques are also used in order to help the client deal with the physiological symptoms of SP.   Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) techniques are taught to the client so that they can practice using the techniques during everyday activities and then be able to use them when in a fear provoking situation (Ost, 1987). A final key element in the CBT treatment arsenal is Cognitive Restructuring (CR).   This is based on the assumption that it is the client’s irrational thoughts and beliefs that perpetuate the SP and not the actual situation (Beck Emery, 1985).     CR is often used in combination with Exposure to challenge the client’s irrational thoughts and beliefs rather than simply a process of teaching the client to ignore SP provoking stimuli. Finally, step 4 is the agreement of boundary conditions where the therapist and client agree by negotiation the number, frequency and duration of sessions, the agendas of those sessions, role relationship and locus of responsibility. Strengths and limitations of CBT CBT is a collaborative treatment, with the therapist as an expert in friends clothing rather than an aloof and removed ‘expert in doctors uniform’.   It helps the client to develop new skills for their use in future situations, and its brevity and time-limited aspect makes it attractive for cost-conscious primary care trusts here in the UK. CBTs focus on the issues in the here and now help to break maladaptive thinking and behavioural patterns that maintain the client’s distress levels.   This in turn may help past issues from a current viewpoint, as the new skills develop to cope with one situation, they can also be applied to other situations by the client to effectively heal themselves. CBTs structure and specificity in relation to goals and tasks make it very easy to evaluate and research and also gives the client positive reinforcement by being enabled to achieve realistic goals. Few studies have compared CBT with other psychotherapies in  the treatment of SP, however, Cottraux et al. (2000)  found that CBT was superior to supportive therapy. Treatment  effects for CBT were sustained at 36 and 60 week follow-ups, although the long-term effects of supportive therapy were not assessed. CBT also has its limitations.   Efficacy rates depend on the clients expectations of success, their willingness to complete the behavioural tasks and their ability to confront uncomfortable thoughts (Rosenbaum Horowitz, 1983; Marmar, Weiss Gaston, 1989). Psychological therapies in general are increasingly becoming an integral part of government planning in mental health care with CBT increasingly being viewed by government as the first choice of treatment for many psychological problems (Clark et al, 2009) however, CBTs apparent superiority may be undeserved. The NIMH study, now 20 years old, was the largest in the world and it found CBT performed poorly in comparison to interpersonal therapy and drug therapy (Elkin, 1994, pp. 114-142). There is also the question of CBTs clinical relevance as opposed to its ability to produce change under lab conditions.   CBT may do well in university based clinical trials with participants recruited from adverts but in the real world of clinical practice, not so well.   Leff et al (2000) found that in the London Depression Trial, CBT was discontinued early due to poor compliance from clinically typical patients. CBT does not address the biological issues that may cause SP, as mentioned earlier in Blair et al (2008) and their findings regarding the amygdalas role in causing SP, neither does it take into account the issue of co-morbidity, especially with Axis II disorders that could seriously disrupt CBT treatment.   Alnaes and Torgersen (1988) found that patients with borderline  personality disorder are at heightened risk for developing an anxiety disorder while Oldham et al (1995) found significant levels of comorbidity of anxiety  disorders with borderline, avoidant, and dependent personality disorders. Developmental psychologists argue that SP can result from attachment problems in early childhood. Longitudinal analyses (Brumariu Kerns, 2008) showed that lower attachment security and higher ambivalent attachment were most consistently correlated with higher social anxiety levels. Alternatives to CBT include hypnotherapy (Kirsch et al, 1995; Vickers Zollman, 2001), which has shown promising results when combined with CBT.   Antidepressants were initially developed to treat depression, but they are now also used to treat anxiety disorders. SSRIs such as fluoxetine (Prozac) and sertraline (Zoloft) are commonly prescribed by starting at low doses and then increased in dosage levels over time for panic disorder and social phobia (Hauser, 2006). Neural Linguistic Programming (NLP) has also shown to be effective as a ‘fast phobia cure’. Konefal Duncan (1998) provides evidence of significant reductions in SP using the Liebowitz Social Phobia Scale after NLP training. In conclusion, while CBT may have its limitations, and depend largely on the co-operation of the client, the same can be said for any psychotherapy as the outcome appears to be considerably enhanced when the client and therapist are actively involved in a cooperative relationship (Tryon Winograd, 2011).   It is of note that Horvath et al (2011) found that the effect size of the link between alliance and psychotherapy outcomes was 0.275, and that this statistically significant effect accounts for about 7.5% of the variance in outcomes, showing that the alliance-outcome relationship is one of the strongest predictors of treatment success that any research has been able to document thus far. REFERENCES Alnaes, R., and Torgersen, S. (1988). The relationship between DSM-III symptom disorders (axis I) and personality disorders (axis II) in an outpatient population. Acta Psychiatr Scand, 78, 485–492. American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (4th ed.). Washington, D.C: APA. Antony, M. M., and Swinson, R. P. (2008). The shyness and social anxiety workbook: Proven, step-by-step techniques for overcoming your fear (2nd ed.). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications. Beck, A.T., and Clark, D.A. (1988). Anxiety and depression: An information processing perspective. Anxiety Research: An International Journal, 1, 23-36. Beck, A. T., and Emery, G. (1985). Anxiety disorders and phobias: A cognitive perspective. New York: Basic Books. Blair, K., Shaywitz, J., Smith, B. W., Rhodes, R., Geraci, M. R. N., and Jones, M. (2008). Response to emotional expressions in generalized social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder: Evidence for separate disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 165, 1193-1202. Clark, D.M., Layard, R., Smithies, R., Richards, D.A., Suckling, R., and Wright, B. (2009). Improving access to psychological therapy: Initial evaluation of two UK demonstration sites. Behaviour Research and Therapy,  47 (11),  910-920. Elkin, I. (1994). The NIMH Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program. In A. E. Bergin S. L. Garfield (Eds.), Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behaviour Change (4th ed.), 114-142. New York: Wiley. Ellis, A. (1977). The Basic Clinical Theory of Rational-Emotive Therapy. In A. Ellis and R. Grieger (Eds.), Handbook of Rational-Emotive Therapy. New York: Springer. Foa, E. B., and Kozak, M. J. (1986). Emotional processing of fear: Exposure to corrective information. Psychological Bulletin, 99, 20–35. Greenberg, D. and Padesky, C. (1995). Mind Over Mood. New York: Guilford Press. Heimberg, R. G., and Becker, R. E. (2002). Cognitive-behavioral group therapy for social phobia: Basic mechanisms and clinical strategies. New York: Guilford Press. Hauser, J. (2006). Treatments for Social Phobia. Psych Central. Retrieved on July 29, 2011, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/treatments-for-social-phobia/ Horvath, A.O., Del Re, A.C., Flà ¼ckiger, C. (2011).   Evidence-based psychotherapy relationships: Alliance in individual psychotherapy. Psychotherapy, 48 (1), 9-16. Kirsch, I., Montgomery, G., and Sapirstein, G. (1995). Hypnosis as an adjunct to cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy: a meta-analysis.   J Consult Clin Psychol, 63, 214-220. Konefal, J.,   and Duncan, R.C. (1998). Social anxiety and training in neurolinguistic programming.  Psychological Reports, 83 (1), 1115-22. Leff, J., Vearnals, S., Brewin, C., Wolff, G., Alexander, B., Asen, E., Dayson, D., Jones, E., Chisholm, D. and Everitt, B. (2000). The London Depression Intervention Trial. Randomised Controlled Trial of Antidepressants v. Couple Therapy in the Treatment and Maintenance of People with Depression Living with a Partner: Clinical Outcome and Costs, British Journal of Psychiatry, 177: 95–100; Erratum, 177: 284. Comment, 178: 181–2. Marmar, C.R., Weiss, D.S., Gaston, L. (1989). Toward the validation of the California Therapeutic Alliance Ratings System. Psychological Assessment: A Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1, 46-52. Oldham, J.M., Skodol, A.E., Kellman, H.D., Hyler, S.E., Doidge, N., Rosnick, L., and Gallaher, P.E. (1995). Comorbidity of axis I and axis II disorders. Am J Psychiatry 152, 571–578. Ost, L.G. (1987). Applied relaxation: Description of a coping technique and review of controlled studies. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 25, 397–409. Rachman, S. and Hodgson, R. (1974). Synchrony and desynchrony in fear and avoidance. Behav. Res. Ther.12, 311-318. Rosenbaum, R. and Horowitz, M.J. (1983). Motivation for psychotherapy: a factorial and conceptual analysis. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, and Practice, 20, 346-354. Tryon, G.S., Winograd, G. (2011). Goal consensus and collaboration. Psychotherapy, 48 (1), 50-57. Vickers, A. and Zollman, C. (2001). Hypnosis and relaxation therapies. Western Journal of Medicine, 175 (4), 269-272.

How to Win a Coca Cola Scholarship

How to Win a Coca Cola Scholarship SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you're looking into scholarship programs to help pay for your college education, the famous Coca-Cola scholarships are a good place to start. Why are they famous? Well, the Coca-Cola foundation offers some of the most generous awards out there to graduating high school seniors. They tend to be very competitive, so if you want a shot at the scholarship, you should learn as much about them as you possibly can. In this post, I'll talk about some of the logistical concerns you might have about the scholarship- things like deadlines and eligibility requirements. But more importantly, I'll also offer helpful tips and strategies to give your application the boost it needs. Read on to optimize your chances of winning one of these competitive scholarships! What Is the Coca-Cola Scholarship? There are a few different types of Coca-Cola scholarships, but the one you'll likely be most interested in is called the Coca-Cola Scholars Scholarship. This scholarship is a merit-based award given to graduating high school seniors who are enrolling in college. Each year since 1989,150 high school seniors per year have received $20,000 through this award program. If you've looked into other scholarship programs, you might recognize that the Coca-Cola Scholars award amount is pretty generous. $20,000 can cover a significant portion of your cost of attendance! As you might expect, the scholarship is pretty competitive: the top five colleges that scholarship recipients attend are Harvard, Stanford, Duke, Yale, and Princeton. Applicants are evaluated on leadership, academics, and service. Many scholarship recipients also demonstrate a passion for social justice. How Do You Know If You're Eligible? In order to qualify for the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation Scholarship, you must meet all of the following requirements: Be a current high school senior attending school in the US Be a US citizen, national, or permanent resident Anticipate receiving your high school diploma Plan on attending an accredited US post-secondary institution (two- or four-year college) Cannot bea child/grandchild of any employee, officer, or owner of Coca-Cola bottling companies, the Coca-Cola company, Company divisions or subsidiaries If you meet all of the above criteria, you're on the right track to submitting a successful Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation Scholarship application. What Information Do You Need to Apply? The next step to submitting a successful application would be to gather all necessary materials and information ahead of time. You'll need all of the following to complete an application: Your high school transcript and academic record- You'll need this to report courses and grades starting with your freshman year. Contact information- You will need to provide the names, emails, and phone numbers of your guidance counselor and principal. List of clubs and organizations- The application will ask you to provide a list of school and non-school related activities in which you've participated since your freshman year, along with any corresponding leadership positions. The application asks about the following specific domains: School activities: student council, class officer, academic/honor societies, school newspaper or literary magazine, school yearbook Performing arts: drama, theater, dance Speech, debate, or forensics Music: band, orchestra, vocal Visual arts Athletics Other: any school-related clubs, organizations, or intramurals List of honors and awards- You'll have to list any accolades you've received while participating in any clubs or organizations, and the level of each award (local, state, regional, or national) since your freshman year. List of volunteer activities- You'll be asked about all of your unpaid community service activities for each grade in high school. Be prepared to provide the number of hours you spent in each activity in addition to any honors or awards you received for your participation. List of paid work experiences- If you have an updated resume, you're already set! Be prepared to provide thenumber of weeks employed, average number of hours worked per week during the school year, and average number of hours worked during the summer for each job. Because this isn’t a need-based scholarship, you won’t have to worry about submitting any financial information. You also don’t need to worry about reporting any standardized test scores or asking for any letters of recommendation. How Do You Submit a Coca-Cola Scholarship Application? You have nothing to lose by submitting an application. Even if you're worried you won't receive an award because the scholarship is so competitive, think about how a few hours of your time could lead to a $20,000 scholarship. It's a no-brainer! The application window typicallyopens in early August andcloses in late October. This year's application period is from August 1, 2019, to October 31, 2019. Click through to find the appropriate link to the scholarship here. You can also check out a full sample application before submitting your own app. You'll have a lot more fun this upcoming Halloween if you submit your application in advance of the deadline. When Do You Find Out Whether You've Been Selected? There are several stages to the scholarship recipient selection process. First, about 2,000 semi-finalists will be selected by mid-November. If you make it to this stage, you'll likely be asked to submit additional scholarship materials by late December. A program committee then reviews semi-finalist applications in January to narrow it down to 250 regional finalists by the end of the month. Regional finalist interviews (over the phone or via Skype) take place in February. The scholarship winners are finally selected and notified after regional interviews. Scholarship recipients are invited to participate in a Scholars Weekend in Atlanta at the end of March or early April. How Can You Use the Scholarship Funds? If you win a Coca-Cola Scholars Scholarship,you can use it for any school-related expenses, including tuition, on-campus housing, books, fees, or even a computer. The scholarship is pretty flexible. You have between four and 10 years to use the full award amount and can choose to defer the award anytime within that 10-year time frame (like if you want to take a gap year or study abroad). Strategies: How to Increase Your Chances of Winning a Coca-Cola Scholars Scholarship According to the Coca-Cola Scholars program, scholarship recipients are strong leaders who are committed to "making a significant impact on their schools and communities." The most successful applications will embody the values that the Coca-Cola Scholars program prioritizes: leadership, service, and community commitment. Ultimately, scholarship awards are investments not only in a particular student but also in that student’s community. Scholarships will have the greatest impact when they’re awarded to students who are invested in â€Å"paying it forward,† or giving back to others. Corporate scholarships assume that the most successful students and professionals will demonstrate very strong leadership skills and academic potential. The following strategies will help you highlight the qualities that make you most attractive to the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. Want to build the best possible college application and financial aid package? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. If You're a Younger High School Student ... Demonstrate Academic Excellence You probably noticed earlier in this post that Coca-Cola scholarship winners tend to be going to some pretty great schools.Corporate scholarship programs like this one want to invest in students who show the most promise and potential. One way you can demonstrate your own potential is to earn exceptional grades- this will obviously serve you well when it comes to applying to colleges and other scholarship programs. In addition, take AP or advanced classes if they're offered. You'll be a more impressive applicant if your academic record shows a more rigorous course load.Unfortunately, the more challenging the courses, the more difficulty you may have in school. While this is OK (your grades don’t have to be perfect!), make sure to seek out extra help in weaker subject areas. Meet with your teachers or tutors to stay on top of your game. Develop Leadership Skills Leadership roles will help you stand out, in a good way. As with academic performance, leadership skills development indicates that you're likely to be successful as a student and as a professional. If you actively seek out leadership roles, this will demonstrate to the Coca-Cola Scholarship Program that you're proactive and take initiative. Commit to clubs, groups, or activities early on that align well with your interests and passions.It's generally better to be heavily invested in a few activities. If you make too many commitments, the caliber of your participation (and the opportunities for future leadership roles) will suffer. Focus on quality over quantity. Here's an example of what I mean: as a kid, I attended one particular camp every summer. It was something I really enjoyed, and it was great to go back year after year. When I aged out of the camp, I was given the opportunity to participate in the program as a camp counselor- I got to continue doing something I loved because I had shown that I was committed to it long-term, and I was "promoted" to a new and exciting leadership position. I likely wouldn't have gotten the position of camp counselor so easily if I hadn't already spent years at the camp. You can also demonstrate leadership and initiative in more creative ways. For example: Spend more time in your community service activities than is required of you. The scholarship evaluators will know if you need to volunteer a minimum number of hours to graduate, and they won't be impressed if you barely meet that minimum. Going above and beyond any required minimums demonstrates true initiative and a strong commitment to your community (qualities that will make you really stand out as an applicant). Actively seek out awards and honors, especially for your community service activities. You'll have to provide a list of accolades and honors for your scholarship application- if you're already dedicated to service, it's worth your time to seek out opportunities for acknowledgment. Check with your school guidance counselor or do a Google search for awards in your area. If You're Ready to Apply for the Coca-Cola Scholars Scholarship ... Keep Coca-Cola Scholars Values in Mind as You Fill Out Your Application Remember that successful applicants are students who not only excel academically but are also involved in their school communities. Through participation in classes and extracurriculars, scholarship winners show that they are passionate and service-oriented. Embrace the Lack of Essays Any application for which you don't have to write an essay must be an easy application, right? In reality, the Coca-Cola Scholarship application is trickier than most because it doesn't give you a chance to explain either your academic performance or your participation in extracurriculars. Essentially, you can’t talk about your passions, well-roundedness, intelligence, or commitment to service. The only thing you can do is show- through your grades and your participation in various activities- how you embody the qualities that the Coca-Cola Scholarship values in its award recipients. You'll notice on the sample application that questions about leadership roles come before any questions about your grades; clearly, they’re a very important part of the application. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to talk up your community commitments or leadership experiences if you don’t have a well-developed resume; the application is pretty cut and dry. What you can do is make sure that your resume is comprehensive. Make a list of every single activity, event, club, and organization you’ve ever been a part of and consider whether you could count it as some sort of leadership or community service experience. Scour your brain- don’t leave anything out! Remember that camp I was discussing earlier? Ididn’t think to consider it as volunteer work or community service- I had done it for years and considered it a privilege to work as a counselor. Luckily, someone less naive than me hinted that I should include it on my resume under "Volunteer Experience." Submit a Polished Finished Product Have someone you trust- a teacher or guidance counselor, for example- look over your application before you submit it to make sure it’s as polished as possible. Your reader might have suggestions on additional things you should include (or leave out). What's Next? On a mission to find other opportunities scholarship funding? You're in the right place! Check out our strategy guides to getting the Tylenol, Gates Millennium, Walmart, and McDonald's scholarships. Want to improve your application strength for this scholarship and for college? You can raise your GPA, take a rigorous course load, and improve your SAT/ACT score. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: