Healthcare Reform is working as planned, with good reason, as it will reduce the (slave/forced) labor force by 2.5 million

 Health Care Law Projected to Cut the Labor Force

WASHINGTON — A Congressional Budget Office analysis released Tuesday predicted that the Affordable Care Act would shrink the work force by the equivalent of more than two million full-time positions.   NY Times 

No, CBO did not say Obamacare will kill 2 million jobs

The Fact Checker had to repeatedly explain that the Congressional Budget Office never said that the Affordable Care Act “killed” 800,000 jobs by 2021. Now, the CBO has released an updated estimate, nearly the triple the size of the earlier one: 2.3 million in 2021.   The Washington Post. FACT CHECKER: The Truth Behind the Rhetoric

Healthcare Reform is working as planned and it's fantastic news for our country and our people.  The CBO (congressional budget office) projects that 2.5 million full-time positions in the next ten years.

Because workers will CHOOSE NOT TO WORK FULL-TIME.

In my educated opinion, this is a totally healthy choice from a mental health and self-care perspective.  So many people feel forced to get and keep jobs that they don't want, are bad for them, and don't even need to be full-time positions.  Probably a third of full-time job hours are spent by employees not working, simply because they have to be there, it's a stable job, and they can't afford to leave the job because they need health care and so do their children and/or spouses.

That's one of the purposes of this reform measure, to reform the system away from this quid-pro-quo situation that is simply taken for granted now.  FT work means benefits and a salary, and that also lots of times means working over-time for no extra pay.  We want people to HAVE more choice so that they AREN'T tied to their jobs because they need healthcare and insurance!

Corporations and the power-brokers in Washington want you to have less choice and to keep you as a slave to their needs.  Opponents of the ACA, who derisively call it Obamacare (namely GOP Republicans) will spin this as bad for "business" and the economy and for people in general.

But, it's fantastic for everyone - individuals, families, children, for the job market, especially job seekers, and anyone who values being able to have control over their own lives.  Congratulations, Americans, we are finally doing what's right and best for us.  Let's keep it up!

NPR: Gender Bias in Books -- Women, Men And Fiction

Women, Men And Fiction: 

Notes On How Not To Answer Hard Questions

Listen to the Story

Nothing is more vexing than a question where 10 percent of the public discussion is spent trying to answer it and 90 percent is spent arguing about whether it matters.

Such is the question of why, in many major publications, far more books by men are reviewed than books by women. Probably the best-known set of statistics comes from an organization called VIDA (Women in the Literary Arts), which has created a feature called "The Count." That feature consists of pie charts that track the number of women and men both doing the reviewing and being reviewed. For instance, in 2011, they found that The New York Review Of Books reviewed 71 female authors and 293 male authors. In The New York Times, it was 273 women and 520 men.

Those in power, sometimes unaware of their privilege, are the ones who question whether this list and these activities matter.  In our very gender-ed social culture, that's men.  

License Exam: Clinical Practice

Clinical Theories and Interventions

Links

• Diagnosis Can Miss ADHD in Girls
• 
  
• Clinical Theories and Interventions
• Crisis Counseling elements on Psychology.About.com

Theories

• Clinical Theories and Interventions
• http://www.socialworkexamhelp.com/theories.html
• Psychological Theories
  • Attachment theory‎
  • Learning theory
  • Motivational theories‎
  • Personality theories‎
  • Psychoanalytic theory‎
  • Social learning theory
  • Ego psychology

 

Therapy / Counseling

Clinical Theories and Interventions

http://www.socialworkexamhelp.com/counseling.html

 

Group Therapy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_psychotherapy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Group_dynamics

 

Behavioral Theory / Behaviorism (WATSON, SKINNER)

Behavioral Theory (Behaviorism) , Behaviorism , Behavior Therapy
We practice with human beings in their social environments, so this comment from one of the founding fathers of Behaviorism speaks volumes about the causes of human behavior, as well as methods we can employ to assist them in changing those very things that challenge them:

Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select -- doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors.         --John Watson, 1930

Behavioral theory is based on the belief  that our responses to environmental stimuli shapes our behaviors.  There are two major types of conditioning that produce behavior: Operant conditioning - a method of learning that occurs through rewards (reinforcements) and punishments for behavior, and Classical (Pavlovian or Respondent) Conditioning) where a stimulus is paired with a response to produce a behavior.  See also Behaviorism on Wikipedia. 
Major Thinkers in Behaviorism: Ivan Pavlov , B. F. Skinner , Edward Thorndike  John B. Watson , Clark Hull .
 

REBT / Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy  (ELLIS)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REBT
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Ellis_(psychologist)
 

Family Therapy

Family Therapy
The family is a psychological unit, in which changes in one member affect other members and the family's functioning.  Therapy usually focuses on present problems and their practical solutions, in the context of its cultural beliefs.  Family therapy is inappropriate in circumstances where destructive behavior or abuse is present.  See also Family Therapy on Wikipedia

Types of family therapy: Family Systems (Bowen) , Experiential (Satir, Whitaker) , Narrative (Epston, White), Strategic (Haley, Madanes), Structural (Minuchin), Solution-Focused (de Shazer) , Psychodynamic (Scharff), Communications Model (Jackson, Haley), Feminist (Bern)
 

Reality Therapy (GLASSER)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_therapy

 

Feminist Therapy (BEM, MILLER, BROWN, JORDAN)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_therapy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandra_Bem

License Exam: Assessment and Diagnosis - Treatment Planning (11%)

Assessment and Diagnosis, Treatment Planning (11%)

Diagnosis Can Miss ADHD in Girls

 http://bpd.about.com/od/glossary/g/DSM.htm
http://bipolar.about.com/cs/faqs/f/faq_dsm.htm

MULTIAXIAL DIAGNOSIS

In the DSM-IV-TR system, an individual is diagnosed on five different domains, or "axes."  The multi-axial system in DSM-IV-TR was developed in part in order to capture more of the complexity surrounding psychiatric conditions.
Axis I: Clinical Disorders: Major psychiatric disorders are diagnosed on Axis I. For example, major depressive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder disorders of learning, and developmental disabilities.   Axis I tends to be reserved for major disorders that are thought to be somewhat episodic
Axis II: Personality Disorders or Mental Retardation: these are thought to be longer-standing conditions of thinking and behavior that are typically present before age 18.  For example, personality disorders and Mental retardation (or MR).  These are chronic conditions separated from Axis I conditions in order to allow them to be highlighted
Axis III: Medical or Physical Conditions: Axis III is reserved for medical or physical conditions that may affect or be affected by mental health issues.  For example, if someone has cancer, and their illness and treatment are affecting their mental health, that would be important information to be conveyed in the diagnosis.
Axis IV: Contributing Environmental or Psychosocial Factors: Often, a psychiatric diagnosis happens in the context of major environmental or social stressors. For example, job loss, divorce, financial problems, or homelessness.
Axis V: Global Assessment of Functioning: The GAF is a number between 0 and 100 which is meant to indicate level of functioning, or a person's ability to engage in adaptive daily living.  Lower scores indicate lower functioning. 

Click here for the Expanded text on Multiaxial Diagnosis

 Axis I is reserved for clinical disorders and developmental and learning disorders. Disorders that may be present on Axis I include:

• Panic Disorder
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder
• Social Phobia
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
• Specific Phobia

Axis II is for personality disorders or mental retardation. Disorders that may appear on Axis II include:

• Borderline Personality Disorder
• Histrionic Personality Disorder
• Dependent Personality Disorder
• Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder

Axis III is for medical and/or physical conditions or disorders. For example:

• Hyperthyroidism
• Mitral Valve Prolapse (MVP)

Axis IV indicates factors contributing to, or affecting, the current psychiatric disorder and treatment outcomes. These include:

• Lack of an adequate support system
• Social issues
• Educational problems
• Problems with work
• Financial difficulties
• Legal problems
• Other psychosocial and environmental problems

Axis V is for the GAF or global assessment functioning. This is a 100-point scale that the mental health professional uses to describe the patient’s overall level of performance in usual daily activities and social, occupational, academic and interpersonal functioning.

_Source:

American Psychiatric Association. "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed., text revision" 2000 Washington, DC: Author.  

DSM Decision Trees for Differential Diagnosis

The purpose of these decision trees is to aid the clinician in understanding the organization and hierarchical structure of the DSM-IV Classification. Each decision tree starts with a set of clinical features. When one of these features is a prominent part of the presenting clinical picture, the clinician can follow the series of questions to rule in or rule out various disorders.
I. Differential Diagnosis of Mental Disorders Due to a General Medical Condition
II. Differential Diagnosis of Substance-Induced Disorders
III. Differential Diagnosis of Psychotic Disorders
IV. Differential Diagnosis of Mood Disorders
V. Differential Diagnosis of Anxiety Disorders
VI. Differential Diagnosis of Somatoform Disorders
Click here for expanded text on Differential Diagnosis

Mental/Behavioral Health DISORDERS

Mood and Anxiety Disorders

 http://ptsd.about.com/od/ptsdbasics/a/PTSDoverview.htm

http://depression.about.com/od/whatisdepression/tp/facts.htm

Personality Disorders

http://bpd.about.com/od/relatedconditions/a/Personality-Disorders.htm

The DSM-IV-TR states that Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is an Axis II disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self-image, and emotions/affects. The diagnostic criteria for BPD is that it is manifested by 5 or more symptoms, such as inappropriate, intense anger, fear of abandonment, impulsive self-damaging behaviors, suicidal threats and gestures, and chronic feelings of emptiness. People with BPD may have a tendency to themselves and others as all good or all bad, with no grey areas; this is termed “splitting.”

http://bpd.about.com/od/relatedconditions/a/Narcissistic-Personality-Disorder.htm


AUTISM
http://autism.about.com/od/whatisautism/a/symptoms.htm

Test-taking strategies and tips

• If you have a disability (physical, mental or attention challenges?), you may be able to request extra time in which to finish the exam.
• Use the Code of Ethics as a lens through which you view the questions.
• Look at the situation presented in each question as part of the Social Work Intervention Model / Problem-Solving Method, deciding which tasks must happen before others in the process.
• Answer all questions.  Leave none blank.
• Practice breathing exercises to reduce anxiety
• Flag questions to review later, but do it judiciously; save time at the end of the test period to go back..
• Take breaks to clear your mind, refocus, get some exercise, and reduce anxiety
• Positive Thoughts - see it in your mind's eye - FTW!
• Read one social worker's experience of taking the exam and passing it
• If by some chance you do not pass the first time, make sure to get a copy of the diagnostic information from the failed test, which will outline the areas on which an exam review should focus.
• Notes from the author of www.socialworkexamhelp.com/study-tips.html
• take your time, use all the time allowed
• decide who the client is and consider what's in the client's best interest
• what's the process in social work? use this as the main lens!
• More study tips from the LCSW Study Group