paper for cteris

HSMF 687

Reflective Journal Assignment Instructions

The Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to provide an opportunity for you to evaluate your journey through the developmental stages and transitions of your life and to reflect how the impact of these transitions may help or hinder your work as a counselor.

Basic Description: In Part A of this assignment, you will evaluate your life in 10 year segments up through your present age. You will select your most influential transition, and then research a journal article or a book chapter and write a summary about what you learned. In Part B you will be asked to reflect on what you discovered and how you think it may impact you and your clients in your future counseling profession.

The next paragraph should complete Part A:

My life in the last 40 years. First ten years were spent with my mother and father in our home. I am an only child and was extremely spoiled. My father is an electrician and my mother was a civilian worker for the U.S. government. Seemingly normal childhood and attended St. Stephen’s Episcopal church every Sunday. From age 10-20 I remained in my parents’ home until I graduated high school and went on to undergrad at Francis Marion University. I did not complete undergrad at that time because I got married at age 20 and had my first child at age 22. From 20-30 was spent raising my two daughters and helping my husband deal with a severe cocaine addiction. These were the hardest ten years of my life spent driving 18-wheeler trucks for various companies to help pay bills and treatment for my husband. I then joined the U.S. Army full time and moved my family to various states while serving. At 39 my mother passed away due to complications of Sickle Cell Anemia. This was the first major trauma of my life and I suffered from depression for 3 years until I finally reached out for assistance from the military. Now the next major event is my oldest daughter moving out on her own in Atlanta while attending college. My last child will also be attending Sam Houston State University in the fall, so I am currently worried about my next stage of life without my children to occupy my time. I guess its sort of an empty nest syndrome.

Part A:

· Compose a brief paragraph (approximately100–150 words) about each 10-year segment of your life explaining the major events or transitions that have impacted you during each of those 10 years. The older you are, the longer this section will be as you will have a greater number of 10 year segments. This section will be approximately 1–3 pages in length. Integrate Erikson’s stages into this section of the paper.

· Determine what specific transition was the most difficult for you.

· Find and read a professional journal article or a chapter from a scholarly book that discusses the transition or life stage challenge (marriage, divorce, eating disorder, empty nest, etc.) that was most influential to you. This should be a source outside of your class materials (or your COUN 502 class materials).

· End Part A by writing a paragraph summary about what you learned from your journal article or book chapter. (This should also be around 100–150 words.)

Part B: Upon completing Part A, compose a 3–5 page paper reflecting on the most influential transitions that you have experienced in your life. You are required to integrate 2 concepts or illustrations and discoveries from your class readings, the research you did (journal article or book chapter), and presentations during Module/Week 3. At the end of this paper include a paragraph that discusses strengths and weaknesses that may have developed from your transitions that may hinder or help you in your counseling and future burnout vulnerability.

The following questions can to be considered while preparing Part B of your paper:

(You may elaborate on meaningful questions in reference to your life’s transitions. The purpose of these questions is to stimulate your thinking by writing your paper; do not copy and answer each question.)

1. How did your developmental transitions impact you spiritually, emotionally, and physically?

2. How did your developmental years impact your biblical worldview?

3. Did anything specifically stand out in your development that may have impacted your decision to go into the counseling profession?

4. What was your role in your family when you were growing up, and what impact does it have on this attraction to counseling?

5. Who are you as a person?

6. What wounds or unfinished business do you carry with you into the counseling room?

7. How are you healing these wounds?

8. What do you notice or what do you think your work with clients will (does) trigger in you?

9. Whom do you have unfinished business with?

10. How do you handle being in conflict? Being confronted? Being evaluated? What defenses do you use in these situations?

11. What are repetitive or chronic issues for you? How might these affect your work with clients?

12. What do you see in other people that you consistently do not like? Reflect upon whether you can find these same qualities in yourself, and “own” them as also belonging to you.

Submission Instructions:

1. Submit both Part A and Part B as one continuous document by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of Module/Week 3. Label each section with Part A and Part B as headings.

2. The assignment must be double-spaced and in APA format. The assignment must also include a Title Page and Reference Page.

3. Both Part A and Part B of this assignment should total between 4-8 pages in length not including the Title Page or Reference Page. Depending on your age, the older you are, the longer it will be.

4. In Part B remember to integrate at least 2 concepts or illustrations from two different class materials or research from Module/Week 3, and reference/cite them according to APA format.

5. You may incorporate outside materials as well; be sure to properly cite and reference.

6. This paper may be written in first-person point-of-view since you are reflecting on your own life and experiences.

Quick Submission Checklist:

* Title Page

* Part A (1-3 pages)

· Summarize each 10 year period of your life, integrating Erikson’s stages

· End with a summary of the journal article or book chapter you researched

* Part B (3-5 pages)

· Reflect on your most influential transitions in life.

· Integrate and cite 2 sources from your class materials for this week

· End with a discussion of your strengths and weaknesses

* Reference page (for references cited)

* Paper should be:

· Double spaced

· Spell checked

· Written in APA format

· Include citations from your class materials (when integrated into the papers)

· Written in first-person format

· Submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of Module/Week 3

· 4-8 pages in length (depending on your age, the older you are, the longer it will be)

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