Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Major General Henry Knox in the American Revolution
Major General Henry Knox in the American Revolution A key figure in the American Revolution, Henry Knox was born in Boston on July 25, 1750. He was the seventh childà ofà William and Mary Knox, who had 10 children in total. When Henry was only 9 years old, his merchant captain father passed away after experiencing financial ruin. After only three years at the Boston Latin School, where Henry studied a mix of languages, history, and mathematics, the young Knox was forced to leave in order to support his mother and younger siblings. Fast Facts: Henry Knox Known For: Knox helped lead the Continental Army during the American Revolution and later served as the U.S. Secretary of War.Born: July 25, 1750 in Boston, British AmericaParents: William and Mary KnoxDied: October 25, 1806 in Thomaston, MassachusettsEducation: Boston Latin SchoolSpouse: Lucy Flucker (m. 1774ââ¬â1806)Children: 13 Early Life Knox apprenticed himself to a local bookbinder named Nicholas Bowes, who helped Knox learn the trade and encouraged his reading. Bowes permitted Knox to liberally borrow from the stores inventory, and in this manner Knox became proficient in French and effectively completed his education on his own. He remained an avid reader, eventually opening his own shop, the London Book Store, at the age of 21. Knox was especially fascinated by military topics, including artillery, and he read widely on the subject. March 5th, 1770: British soldiers open fire on a crowd of Bostonians, killing five people, in what became known as the Boston massacre. Hulton Archiveà / Stringer/à Getty Images The Revolution Nears A supporter of American colonial rights, Knox became involved in the Sons of Liberty and was present at the Boston Massacre in 1770. He later swore in anà affidavit that he had attempted to calm tensions that night by requesting that the British soldiers return to their quarters. Knox also testified at the trials of those involved in the incident. Two years later, he put his military studies to use by founding a militia unit called the Boston Grenadier Corps. Though he knew much about weaponry, Knox accidentally shot two fingers from his left hand while handling a shotgun in 1773. Marriage On June 16, 1774, Knox married Lucy Flucker, the daughter of the Royal Secretary of the Province of Massachusetts. The marriage was opposed by her parents, who disapproved of Knoxs revolutionary politics and attempted to entice him into joining the British Army. Knox remained a staunch patriot. Following the outbreak of the American Revolution,à he volunteered to serve with colonial forces and participated in theà Battle of Bunker Hillà on June 17, 1775. His in-lawsà fled the city after it fell to American forces in 1776. Fort Ticonderoga, New York. à Purestock/Getty Images Guns of Ticonderoga Knox served with Massachusetts forces in the states Army of Observation during the opening days of the Siege of Boston. He soon came to the attention of army commander General George Washington, who wasà inspecting fortifications designed by Knox near Roxbury. Washington was impressed, and the two men developed a friendly relationship. As the army desperately needed artillery, the commanding general consulted Knox for advice in November 1775. Knox proposed a plan to transport the cannon captured at Fort Ticonderogaà in New York to the siege lines around Boston. Washington was on board with the plan. After making Knox a colonel in the Continental Army, the general immediately sent him north, as winter was rapidly approaching. At Ticonderoga, Knox initially had difficulty acquiring sufficient men in the lightly populated Berkshire Mountains.à He finally assembled what he dubbed the noble train of artillery. Knox began moving 59 guns and mortars down Lake George and the Hudson River to Albany. It was a difficult trek, and several guns fell through the ice and had to be recovered. In Albany, the guns were transferred to ox-drawn sleds and pulled across Massachusetts. The 300-mile journey took Knox and his men 56 days to complete in the bitter winter weather. In Boston, Washington ordered the guns to be placed atop Dorchester Heights, overlooking the city and harbor. Rather than face bombardment, the British forces, led by General Sir William Howe, evacuated the city on March 17, 1776. New York and Philadelphia Campaigns Following the victory at Boston, Knox was sent to oversee the construction of fortifications inà Rhode Island and Connecticut. When he returned to the Continental Army, he became Washingtons chief of artillery. After the American defeats in New York that fall, Knox retreated across New Jersey with the remaining troops. As Washington devised his daring Christmas attack on Trenton, Knox was given the key role of overseeing the armys crossing of the Delaware River. With the assistance of Colonel John Glover, Knox succeeded in moving the attack force across the river in a timely fashion. He also directed the American withdrawal on December 26. For his service at Trenton, Knox was promoted to brigadier general. In early January, he saw further action at Assunpink Creek and Princeton before the army moved to winter quarters at Morristown, New Jersey. Taking advantage of this break from campaigning, Knox returned to Massachusetts with the goal of improving weapons production. He traveled to Springfield and established the Springfield Armory, which operated for the rest of the war and became a key producer of American weapons for almost two centuries. After he rejoined the army, Knox took part in the American defeats at Brandywine (September 11, 1777) and Germantown (October 4, 1777). At the latter, he made the ill-fated suggestion to Washington that they should capture the British-occupied home of Germantown resident Benjamin Chew, rather than bypass it. The delay gave the British badly needed time to re-establish their lines, and this contributed to the American loss. Valley Forge to Yorktown During the winter at Valley Forge, Knox helped secure needed supplies and assisted Baron von Steuben in drilling the troops. Later, the army pursued the British, who were evacuating Philadelphia, and fought them at the Battle of Monmouth on June 28, 1778. In the wake of the fighting, the army moved north to take up positions around New York. Over the next two years, Knox was sent north to help obtain supplies for the army and, in 1780, served on the court-martial of British spy Major John Andre. In late 1781, Washington withdrew the majority of the army from New York to attack General Lord Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia. Knoxs guns played a key role in the siege that ensued. Following the victory, Knox was promoted to major general and assigned to command American forces at West Point. During this time, he formed the Society of the Cincinnati, a fraternal organization consisting of officers who had served in the war. At the wars conclusion in 1783, Knox led his troops into New York City to take possession from the departing British. Later Life On December 23, 1783, following Washingtons resignation, Knox became the senior officer of the Continental Army. He remained so until retiring in June 1784. Knoxs retirement proved short-lived, however, as he was soon appointed Secretary of War by the Continental Congress on March 8, 1785. A staunch supporter of the new Constitution, Knoxà remained in his post until becoming Secretary of War as part of George Washingtons first cabinet in 1789. As secretary, he oversaw the creation of a permanent navy, a national militia, and coastal fortifications. Knox served as Secretary of War until January 2, 1795, when he resigned to care for his family and business interests. He died on October 25, 1806, of peritonitis, three days after accidentally swallowing a chicken bone.
Saturday, November 23, 2019
Nicaragua Geography, History, Climate Facts
Nicaragua Geography, History, Climate Facts Population: 5,891,199 (July 2010 estimate)Capital: ManaguaBordering Countries: Costa Rica and HondurasLand Area: 50,336 square miles (130,370 sq km)Coastline: 565 miles (910 km)Highest Point: Mogoton at 7,998 feet (2,438 m) Nicaragua is a country located in Central America to the south of Honduras and to the north of Costa Rica. It is the largest country by area in Central America and its capital and largest city is Managua. One-quarter of the countrys population lives in the city. Like many other countries in Central America, Nicaragua is known for its high levels of biodiversity and unique ecosystems. History of Nicaragua Nicaraguas name comes from its native peoples that lived there in the late 1400s and early 1500s. Their chief was named Nicarao. Europeans did not arrive in Nicaragua until 1524 when Hernandez de Cordoba founded Spanish settlements there. In 1821, Nicaragua gained its independence from Spain. Following its independence, Nicaragua underwent frequent civil wars as rival political groups struggled for power. In 1909, the United States intervened in the country after hostilities grew between Conservatives and Liberals due to plans to build a trans-isthmian canal. From 1912 to 1933, the U.S. had troops in the country to prevent hostile actions towards Americans working on the canal there. In 1933, U.S. troops left Nicaragua and Nation Guard Commander Anastasio Somoza Garcia became president in 1936. He attempted to keep strong ties with the U.S. and his two sons succeeded him in office. In 1979, there was an uprising by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) and the Somoza familys time in office ended. Shortly thereafter, the FSLN formed a dictatorship under leader Daniel Ortega. The actions of Ortega and his dictatorship ended friendly relations with the U.S. and in 1981, the U.S. suspended all foreign aid to Nicaragua. In 1985, an embargo was also placed on trade between the two countries. In 1990 due to pressure from within and outside of Nicaragua, Ortegas regime agreed to hold elections in February of that year. Violeta Barrios de Chamorro won the election. During Chamorros time in office, Nicaragua moved toward creating a more democratic government, stabilizing the economy and improving human rights issues that had occurred during Ortegas time in office. In 1996, there was another election and the former mayor of Managua, Arnoldo Aleman won the presidency. Alemans presidency, however, had severe issues with corruption and in 2001, Nicaragua again held presidential elections. This time, Enrique Bolanos won the presidency and his campaign pledged to improve the economy, build jobs and end government corruption. Despite these goals,à however, subsequent Nicaraguan elections have been marred with corruption and in 2006 Daniel Ortega ââ¬â¹Saavdra, an FSLN candidate, was elected. Government of Nicaragua Today Nicaraguas government is considered a republic. It has an executive branch made up of a chief of state and a head of government, both of which are filled by the president and a legislative branch comprised of a unicameral National Assembly. Nicaraguas judicial branch consists of a Supreme Court. Nicaragua is divided into 15 departments and two autonomous regions for local administration. Economics and Land Use in Nicaragua Nicaragua is considered the poorest country in Central America and as such, it has very high unemployment and poverty. Its economy is based mainly on agriculture and industry, with its top industrial products being food processing, chemicals, machinery and metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear,à and wood. Nicaraguas main crops are coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton, rice, corn, tobacco, sesame, soya, and beans. Beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy products, shrimp,à and lobster are also large industries in Nicaragua.ââ¬â¹ Geography, Climate,à and Biodiversity of Nicaragua Nicaragua is a large country located in Central America between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Its terrain is mostly coastal plains that eventually rise up to interior mountains. On the Pacific side of the country, there is a narrow coastal plain that is dotted with volcanoes. The climate of Nicaragua is considered tropical in its lowlands with cool temperatures at its higher elevations. Nicaraguas capital, Managua, has warm temperatures year-round that hover around 88ÃÅ¡F (31ÃÅ¡C). Nicaragua is known for its biodiversity because rainforest covers 7,722 square miles (20,000 sq km) of the countrys Caribbean lowlands. As such, Nicaragua is home to large cats like the jaguar and cougar, as well as primates, insects and a plethora of different plants. More Facts About Nicaragua Nicaraguas life expectancy is 71.5 years Nicaraguas Independence Day is September 15 Spanish is the official language of Nicaragua but English and other native languages are also spoken Sources: Central Intelligence Agency. CIA - The World Factbook - Nicaragua.à https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/nu.htmlInfoplease.com. (n.d.). Nicaragua: History, Geography, Government, and Culture- Infoplease.com.à infoplease.com/ipa/A0107839.htmlUnited States Department of State. Nicaragua.à state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1850.htmWikipedia.com.à à Nicaragua - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia.à à http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicaragua.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Mark Rothko - Contradiction between flatness and depth Research Paper
Mark Rothko - Contradiction between flatness and depth - Research Paper Example The essay "Mark Rothko - Contradiction between flatness and depth" discusses the art of Mark Rothko. In 1923, he went to visit one of his friends at the Art studentsââ¬â¢ league in New York where he got the opportunity to see students sketching. This really impressed him and later he decided to enroll in a school of design. One of the instructors that he met was artist Arshile Gorky. Out of the passion he had for art, he undertook other classes at the Art Students League. At the time, painters in New York were having many shows to display their artistic expressions and this largely helped Rothko as an artist. Rothko had his first art gallery show in the contemporary art gallery in New York. He displayed fifteen paintings that were mostly portraits and some drawings that were all oil based paintings. ââ¬Å"The tenâ⬠was a group that was formed by some artists including Mark Rothko during the late 1935. Their main mission was to object the alleged equivalence of literal painti ng and American painting. At this time his art started to evolve and he came to the conclusion that his paintings will be influenced by symbols and mythological fables and it became more evident in his later works. This made him gain a reputation amongst people his age and also those who had an eye for art in terms of painting. He then later on changed his works from mythological forms and representations to the use of rectangular smooth fields of light and color. From 1946, Mark Rothko came up with a number of artistic expressions.
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Recording music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Recording music - Essay Example Technology has today simplified the work in the music industry. It is easier for a producer to produce high-quality music without the use of instruments. Music producers in most cases are competent composers or songwriters who can constantly inject new ideas into a project (Landy, 2013). He or she will often select and suggest to the mixing engineer what to record, edits and modifies the songs with software tools. This creates a stereo of all the artistsââ¬â¢ voices and instruments to produce a high-quality soundtrack. The composers must be, therefore, communicative and meaningful in their music. She talked about Nymanââ¬â¢s process music, an audible or concealed process to the listeners. This is a very dynamic and highly complex process that involves audible structures in musical performance. The chance determination limits the composerââ¬â¢s powers in determining the materiality. This means that one can take an idea, put it through the process and wait for the outcome, which the ideas will generate by itself (Nyman, 2000). The process gives the performers a chance to move through the suggested or given material at their speed, useful for the in-depth understanding of the whole idea.It also helps in the detailed understanding of what was not understood during the first listening thus making recording more relevant. The presenter also encouraged the use of technology to capture or record musical ideas with an aim of repeated listening to manipulate, recreate, recycle and cannibalize these ideas in order to produce quality stereo.
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Virtue and Happiness Essay Example for Free
Virtue and Happiness Essay There are so many different circumstances under which someone will perform an action that it can be confusing when to determine if an action is virtuous. There can be factors of ignorance or factors of pressure to do certain actions. Pressure, ignorance, or reward can have a various affects on a personââ¬â¢s choices about virtuous acts but when it causes his or her moral actions to be compromised, then only certain situations can pressure or ignorance be an excuse. Courage is a virtue that can be determined by choices that a person can make. A person that only does an act because he sees some personal gain from the act such as saving a child from a fire may not have committed a virtuous act because of the motive behind it such as fame or honor. However, a person who has done a virtuous act can still be honored and glorified with the act still being virtuous. If that person were held at gunpoint and told to save the child, if he performed the act it would be hard to determine if it was truly virtuous. It does not mean that it was not a virtuous act, but it would be hard to tell what the motive was behind the action. Near the end of Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle talks about the range of peoples characteristics. Aristotle states that the: ââ¬Å"â⬠¦of the moral states to be avoided there are three kinds-vice, incontinence, brutishness. â⬠(Aristotle. Page 157.) Aristotle states that there are the opposites of these which are virtue, continence, and the super-virtue. Vice would mean the person knows what they are doing is wrong but does it regardless. Incontinence would mean that a person has an incorrect moral that they act on, causing them to act in a manner that was not virtuous. And brutishness would be a person acting purely on urge and having no emotional or rational or even irrational thought behind what they are doing. It would be primarily animalistic in nature. Looking at Aristotleââ¬â¢s view on ââ¬Å"the best lifeâ⬠or a ââ¬Å"happy life,â⬠it can be seen that virtue is what he really believes will lead to a ââ¬Å"goodâ⬠life. The fact that there are many different ways in which someone may be virtuous or not shows that acting on desire can be right as well as wrong. And many different situations can determine this right or wrong act. Aristotle states that one must fulfill the desire for happiness by virtuous means and that our rational mind can lead us away from the correct way of fulfilling our ultimate desire.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Huckleberry Finn Learns He Must Grow Up Fast If He Wants To Survive Li :: essays research papers
Huckleberry Finn Learns He Must Grow Up Fast If He Wants to Survive Life à à à à à Huckleberry Finn, the main character, learns he must grow up fast if he wants to survive life. Huck Finn has a drunkard as a father, a hogshead as a home, and a mother (dead ) of which he never knew. He is a congenital liar, a thief, and someone who has no respect for the rules of society. He will use every technicality to get off with doing something completely wrong, but is ok by him. Huck is not all evil as one would think by this introduction. He in fact believes in personal freedom, something which he never really has had. à à à à à Jim, a supporting character, also has to deal with many problems of society. The greatest one in fact is, the fact that he is a slave. Jim is a very modest person, he will sacrifice anything to help his fellow man. Huck sees this and begins to think of Jim as a human being also, and will ââ¬Å"go to hell â⬠for Jim. Although Jim is a slave, he does not think of people based on their skin color, but in fact believes that everyone is equal regardless of skin, and even age. One may ever say that Jim is Huck's true father. à à à à à Both Jim and Huck have experienced life at a tedious level. They have their highs and lows, but mainly life is not all it is cracked up to be. For Huck, he must experience having a horrendous father who beats Huck to a pulp any time he is sober. And for Jim, the fact that his family is not considered human by society but rather chattel that can be bought, sold or even traded at the slightest whim. Together Huck and Jim must work together to escape the society which has allowed them to live the vile life they had, and move to a place where society will let them start a brand new life. When Pap , was not around, Huck felt better about himself. He enjoyed life a little more, did not have to worry about coming home on time, only to get beat up by his own pap. He kept me with him all the time, and I never got a chance to run off. We lived in that old cabin, and he always locked the door and put the key under his head nights. He had a gun which he had stole, I reckon, and we fished and hunter, and that was what we lived on
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
BACP Ethical Framework Focus Essay
Considering a way to ethically monitor what I do with clients is a really interesting area for me. I said to my supervisor very early on in our working relationship that there was no way for her to know if any work was actually taking place in the room, because there was no practical way to observe my practice. Although this was part in jest, I am genuinely intrigued that there is so much work going on around individualsââ¬â¢ welfare, with no real way of ensuring it is healthy, productive, professional and appropriate. My supervisor told me that, if work was not occurring, then this would be clear in supervision, and my retention of clients. I have kept this in mind if my thoughts have ever wandered since. I think, for me, there is a level of confidence, I can only hope this comes as a result of a level of competence. Within OnTrak it has been mentioned by my supervisor and senior staff that I am successful at retaining what can often be a very sporadic client group. I think that the young people I work with must be getting something from the process, or they simply would not return! OnTrak work to ensure clients are aware of the Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy from their initial assessment. It is covered (along with the agencies specific policies) during a clientââ¬â¢s assessment with a senior practitioner. The core components are then covered by myself at the first session and then covered as and when necessary. An example of this would be a client who missed a session and, at the next session, told me he had done so because he was not entirely sure of the confidentiality boundaries around criminal activity. He had missed the session because he ââ¬Ëknew I would make him talk about itââ¬â¢, after subsequent discussion we worked to clarify this to mean he would want to talk about it on some level, and knew I would encourage this as an empathic result. By restating the confidentiality conditions I was able to reas sure the client, and positive work continued. I think, like any profession, there will be bad counsellors in operation, I believe that the reasons for (and importance of) working within an ethical framework ensure that clients can, at the very minimum, be met by an individual who will do no harm, even if they are not able to help the individual progress with their issues. In order to ensure that my relationships with clients are bounded by this professional framework they are invited to discuss the ethical guidelines throughout theà sessions, and encouraged to research any areas they are unsure of on the BACP website. When we did an exercise in class around the contracting and boundary setting that takes place in our own sessions some class members thought mine was a bit lengthy. In my experience my initial contracting would have been fairly focussed but, with experiences of subsequent clients, I have found it necessary to include more areas for the client to be aware of, which lengthens this initial exchange. As an example of this, I was approached in a bar by one clientââ¬â¢s friends who asked about our counselling relationship. The client has obviously pointed me out, and this led to the encounter. I politely declined talking about any client issues, using client confidentiality as the reason, and have been really clear with subsequent clients what expectations we have if contact outside of the counselling room occurs. Considering the values covered in the Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy, I think three stand out for me: Ensuring the integrity of practitio ner-client relationships. This is key to me due to my professional background alongside these studies. I work at a local school and the pastoral role I have means there are frequent occasions where young people can be in a state of incongruence and display a lack of consequential thinking. This means it is crucial to be empathetic, but also aware of self-preservation too, both emotionally (to avoid transference) and also professionally (to avoid any questioning of professionalism or allegations of inappropriateness. I have found this lends itself really well to my counselling practice as I am hyperaware of any situations that could be misconstrued, and believe I can interpret clients struggling with boundaries in their own awareness. One female client was displaying inappropriate sexual overtones, so this was discussed with my supervisor and addressed within subsequent sessions. Fostering a sense of self that is meaningful to the person(s) concerned. With the clients at OnTrak, so m any of their presenting issues can be attributed, at least in part, to an unawareness of self. Often exacerbated by a need to be what others (parents, teachers etc) believe they should be. For me, the real turning point is when these young people find their own voice, as I have managed to do myself, then they also begin to see that they can create their own sanctuary. Striving for the fair and adequate provision of counselling and psychotherapy services. This one represents somewhat of a challenge for me,à personally. Within OnTrak we are a self-referral only agency. A group I struggle with, due to my own beliefs, is the client base with OnTrak who simply donââ¬â¢t want to be there. Although self-referral suggests clients have made the autonomous decision to enter therapy, we have a number of clients who feel coerced to attend, this can be through pressure from parents, or heavy suggestion from GP and/or school. Due to my own reticence to access personal therapy, and feeling obligated to attend sessions. I can relate to clients who are in therapy against their will, I empathise with them (perhaps there is an element of envy as well!) and encourage clients to move on if they are not in a place to access therapy positively. Therefore, whilst I feel 100% that we have adequate facilitation of a therapeutic practice, I do sometimes question how ââ¬Ëfairââ¬â¢ it is, from the perspective of clients who would rather be somewhere e lse. Something I have struggled with in many jobs since I returned from my time living and working overseas in the idea of professional standards. I am very reluctant to do anything which stops me from expressing my of creativity and style but, as this usually does not represent a very ââ¬Ëcorporateââ¬â¢ outlook, I understand there are some parts of my external appearance that clients may struggle with, particularly my tattoos and piercings. I resolved from fairly early on that it would be inappropriate to have my larger tattoos on show; I have experienced how judgemental people can be and did not want to risk the client-counsellor relationship to take on any negative connotations due to transference. There was one occasion that this potentially represented an issue, my supervision overran one week and, although I had allowed myself time to get changed, it meant that I would potentially be meeting a client in a top that revealed my chest tattoo. This offered several interesting areas of focus, my supervisor offered to give me a lift to my home to get changed (I saw this as blurred lines, so politely declined), the supervisor was the one who initially highlighted there may be an issue (which raised the familiar sense of being judged) and it meant the client session would start a little later on this occasion, which could impact the client and myself. I think there is a definite expectation of clients (particularly being young at OnTrak) and I do not necessarily embody that. Clients have mentioned on several occasions that I am not what they expected, and I think sometimes I struggle with the behaviour, dress, and communication with professional peers due to my issueà with supervi sion and being submissive. I believe I have competence and integrity when it comes to my clientsââ¬â¢ wellbeing, but this sometimes goes missing when dealing with colleagues. I have the same perspective to my counselling as I do in my role at the school, to use the Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapyââ¬â¢s ideas of ethical principles I put great value in beneficence and justice. The clients (or, in my professional capacity, the students) are key, and thus they occupy most of my concern. This can put me out of sync with colleagues and classmates as I struggle to see the link between peer feedback & guidance, and professional progression. I am working to build bridges with colleagues, my supervisor and classmates, but I think there is a definite desire to relate to the clients, not the ââ¬Ëexpertsââ¬â¢. Although I have been at the agency for three years, I already have quite a varied anecdotal base of experience to draw from. Specific training at the agency allowed me to look at areas that may be accessed (consciously or unconsciously) while dealing with this client type, this fosters a sense of competence, but also resilience to the issues these clients may be bringing. There have been cases where I have had to consider my limits as a trainee, particularly a client who brought legal issues to our sessions. After disclosing her experience of sexual abuse from a sibling during one of our sessions I signposted a client to the local sexual assault centre. This was done after discussion with my supervisor and senior staff at the agency, and involved one of the senior staff joining us for part of a session. I initiated that, as I wanted to ensure the clientââ¬â¢s needs were being met, but accepted that I may not be best placed to do so at the time. Another client believed her cousin w as having inappropriate relationships with minors. Again, this was explored away from the sessions to help me see where I was struggling, and how much of my ââ¬Ëselfââ¬â¢ was potentially playing out in the sessions. The outcome of this was that a youth worker at the youth club where this boy was meeting young girls was made aware of his activity (with the clientââ¬â¢s permission, and direction) and acted according. One of the things my supervisor and senior staff at the agency acknowledge is my ability to recognise my responsibility to clients. When I started at the agency I had my probationary period extended by six months. This was not dueà to my inability to work with clients (which was made clear to me), but a result of my poor administration. Initially this was a struggle, I was working well with clients, having positive outcomes and keeping clients engaged, but I have since realised there is a responsibility I have to the wider profession. With CORE forms and client notes (for the agency, not myself) there was an initial distrust as I felt they were just box ticking exercises (in truth, a part of me still believes this!), but I now realise they are necessary parts of the process, to ensure the continuation of the agency, and the appropriate records are kept for clients. There is still a sense that I am a child in an adult world for me. Not just in my studies, but in life as a whole. Thi s means I can sometimes struggle with expectations of my own conduct within my training group and in the agency setting. As I have said, I believe my time with clients is appropriate, positive and productive, but there is a definite need to be seen as a team player and contributor, which I have often struggled with. There are times I will say things in class, or to colleagues in the agency that represent me as an individual, rather than as a professional. I think the gap between these two ââ¬Ësidesââ¬â¢ is getting smaller as a result of my personal therapy, and just getting older, but there are still times when I feel the need to censor my views. Unfortunately, this is often retrospectively! I believe I can competently demonstrate professional standards in my therapeutic work, but there is still a side of me that can cause issues for me when it comes to peer relationships. However, the solace from this is something I feel within the counselling relationships I have. There is something about being in emotional contact with someone at that level that just unlocks empathy, sincerity, respect and humility in me that I struggle to access away from those sessions. I find that as a client as well, not just a practitioner. I agree that the challenge of working ethically means that I will inevitabl y encounter situations where I have competing obligations and perceptions. I believe that I have the courage to seek support and advice, to ensure that there are no ââ¬Ëheroicââ¬â¢ actions I take in haste, which may result in dangerous decisions and consequences for my clients, or myself.
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