Question

Discuss the role of the counselor in preventing disabilities through the levels of prevention with relevant examples of each level.

Answer 1

THERE ARE THREE MAIN CATEGORIES OF DISABILITIES : COMMUNICATIVE , MENTAL , AND PHYSICAL

• COMMUNICATIVE DISABILITIES INCLUDE PEOPLE WITH BLINDNESS OR DIFFICULTY SEEING ,DEAFNESS OR DIFFICULTY HEARING AND SPEECH DIFFICULTIES
• MENTAL DISABILITIES INCLUDE LEARNING , INTELLECTUAL , AND DEVELOPMENT DISABILITIES
• PHYSICAL DISABILITIES ARE PEOPLE WHO NEED A WALKER ,WHEELCHAIR,CANE,CRUTCHES,ORPROSTHETIC.

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ARE THE NATION'S LARGEST MINORITY GROUP.

SOCIAL JUSTICE / CLASS COSIDERATIONS

• PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES FACE DISCRIMINATION IN EDUCATIONAL AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES RESULTING IN LIMITED INCOME AND SOCIAL CLASS STATUS.

CULTURAL VALUES

DISABILITY CULTURE : DISABILITY CULTURE IS PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES RECOGNIZING THEY SHARE A SIMILAR , BUT UNIQUE HISTORY BASED ON COMMON PERCEPTIONS ABOUT DISABILITY . " PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES HAVE FORGED A GROUP IDENTITY . WE SHARE A COMMON HISTORY OF OPPRESSION AND A COMMON BOND OF RESILENCE.WE GENERATE ART ,MUSIC , LITERATURE , AND OTHER EXPRESSIONS OF OUR LIVES , OUR CULTURE , INFUSED FROM OUR EXPERIANCE OF DISABILITY .MOST IMPORTANTLY , WE ARE PROUD OF OURSELVES AS PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES .WE CLAIM OUR DISABILITIES WITH PRIDE AS PART OF OUR IDENTITY .WE ARE WHO WE ARE : WE ARE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES"

EXPLANATION OF A COUNSELING / CLINICAL SKILL WE SHOULD USE TO BE SUCCESSFUL PREVENTING DISABILITIES

COUNSELING CLIENTS WITH A HUMANISTIC APPROACH PROVIDES THEM WITH AN OPPURTUNITY TO EXPLORE CREATIVITY , PERSONAL GROWTH AND SELF - DEVELOPMENT , AS WELL AS ACKNOWLEDGING A VARIETY OF CHOICES, COUNSELORS MUST BE NON JUDGEMENTAL ,SUPPORTIVE ,UNDERSTANDING AND SHOW EMPATHY.

ONE TYPE OF HUMANISTIC COUNSELING IS THE GESTALT APPROACH .THIS IS A DIRECT AND PERSON CENTERED APPROACH THAT ALLOWS THE INDIVIDUAL TO EXPLORE THEIR OWN THOUGHTS AND FEELING ,AND THEN PROCESS THEM.THIS ALLOWS THE INDIVIDUAL TO BECOME MORE AWARE OF THEIR MIND ,BODY AND SPIRIT.BY WORKING THROUGH THEIR FEELING ,THE CLIENT CAN HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR PERSONAL EXPERIANCES.

THE COUNSELOR WILL PROVIDE SUPPORT AND HELP THE CLIENT TO BECOME MORE SELF AWARE.WORKING WITH THE CLIENT , THIS CAN HELP TO INCREASE SELF-DEVELOPMENT AND SELF KNOWLEDGE .GESTALT THERAPY CAN BE ROUGHLY TRANSALATED TO WHOLE AND FOCUSES ON THE WHOLE OF AN INDIVIDUAL'S EXPERIANCE,INCLUDING THEIR THOUGHTS ,FEELING AND ACTIONS. GAINING SELF - AWARENESS IN THE HERE AND NOW IS A KEY ASPECT OF GESTALT THERAPY.

PERSON-CENTERED APPROACH, ALSO CALLED CLIENT-CENTERED APPROACH.

PERSON-CENTERED THERAPY FOCUSES ON AN INDIVIDUAL SELF WORTH AND VALUES.BEING VALUED AS A PERSON ,WITHOUT BEING JUDGED,CAN HELP AN INDIVIDUAL TO ACCEPT WHO THEY ARE , AND RECONNECT WITH THEMSELVES.

INDIGENOUS TREATMENT METHODS

COUNSELORS MUST BE SENSITIVE TO INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES REGARDING CULTURE EXPERIANCES,NEED AND VALUES.EACH CLIENT IS UNIQUE.

1. ​​​​​​​AWARENESS OF ONE'S ATTITUDE TOWARD DISABILITIES
2. AWARENESS OF SOCIETY'S ATTITUDE TOWARD THOSE WITH DISABILITIES
3. KNOWLEDGE OF LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF THOSE WITH DISABILITIES
4. AWARENESS OF BARRIERS AND OBSTACLES OF THOSE WITH DISABILITIES
5. KNOWLEDGE OF DISABILITY MODELS
6. KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS FOR TREATING THOSE WITH DISABILITIES.

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TREATMENT IMPLICATIONS AND COUNSELING ISSUES

COUNSELING ISSUES

• WORK: MANY INDIVIDUALS WITH A DISABILITY WANT TO WORK BUT ARE UNEMPLOYED DUE TO DISCRIMINATION OR LACK OF TRANSPORTATION.
• FAMILY : FAMILY MEMBERS GO THROUGH THREE PHASES WHEN DEALING WITH A FAMILY MEMBER WITH A DISABILITY.

1. ​​​​​​​CRISIS PHASE - THIS PHASE DEALS WITH THE DIAGNOSIS ISSUES INCLUDE MANGING CHANGE FOR BOTH THE FAMILY AND THE INDIVIDUAL.
2. CHRONIC PHASE- DAY TO DAY COPING
3. TERMINAL PHASE - THIS PHASE DEALS WITH EMOTIONS .THE ISSUES INVOLVED INCLUDE, PRE-TERMINAL PREPARATION, DEATH ,AND GRIEF.

• ​​​​​​​SPIRITUALITY: MANY INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITY WILL SOMETIMES DISCONNECT FROM THEIR SPIRITUALITY.COUNSELORS SHOULD TRY TO RECONNECT THESE INDIVIDUALS WITH THEIR SPIRITUALITY.
• ABUSE : COUNSELORS SHOULD LEARN AND WATCH FOR THE SIGNS OF PHYSICAL AND SEXUAL ABUSE.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​COUNSELING TIPS

• BEING MINDFUL THAT THE EXPRESSED NEGATIVE EXPERIANCES RELATED TO DISABILITY ARE REAL
• CONSIDERING THE EFFECTS THAT LABELS MAY HAVE ON YOUR CLIENTS
• TREATING PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES AS HUMAN BEING RATHER THAN AS THEIR DISABILITY
• BUILDING AWARENESS OF YOUR OWN ATTITUDE AND BIASES WHICH MAY AFFECT THE COUNSELLING RELATIONSHIP
• BEING AWARE OF HOW PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES DESCRIBE THEMSELVES.
• RESPECTING THE FACT THE PERSON WITH DISABILITIES KNOWN THEIR OWN BODIES AND EXPERIANCES
• GETTING NECESSARY TRAINING AND SUPERVISION NEEDED TO EFFECTIVELY COUNSELED PERSON WITH DISABILITIES
• PAYING ATTENTION TO THE ABILITIES AND STRENGTHS OF PERSON WITH DISABILITIES AND INCORPORATING THEM INTO THE COUNSELING RELATIONSHIP
• RECOGNISING THAT MOST PRSONS WITH DISABILITIES DO NOT LIVE THEIR LIFE - FOCUSING ON THEIR DISABILITY AND LIMITATIONS
• IDENTIFYING COUNSELING TOPICS WHICH MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE.SO YOU CAN ADDRESS THESE AND BEING WILLING TO HAVE AN OPEN MIND TO THE SHARED EXPERIANCES WITHIN THE COUNSELING RELATIONSHIP.

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IMPLICATIONS

PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES MAY BE DEALING WITH, ANGER, FEELING OF ABANDONMENT AND ISOLATION

A FINAL AREA THAT IS ESSENTIAL IS THE GENERAL COUNSELING TIPS THAT ALL PROFESSIONALS WHO COUNSEL PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES SHOULD KEEP IN MIND AND PRACTICE.COUNSELORS WHO ARE MINDFUL OF THESE TIPS WILL INCREASE THEIR CHANCES OF DEVELOPING AN EFFECTIVE THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP AND UNDERSTANDING OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. MANY OF THESE TIPS ARE SIMPLY BASED ON COMMON SENSE AND RELATED TO THE ART OF TREATING PERSONS WITH RESPECT AND AS HUMAN BEING THE SAME AS ANYONE ELSE.