Security and Safety of Health Care and Community Service Workers - Essay Example

Counselling Research Proposal Masters Level 'Do Counsellors Perceive There Counselling Training Equips Them to Deal with Violent and Aggressive Clients' Background/Introduction The reason I took up this topic is that during my professional life as a health practitioner, I have realized that the risk of an attack by a client is very real and could happen with anyone in any kind of circumstances and thus, one should duly be aware of this threat and take all possible measures to prevent such a situation and if does occur, take steps to minimize damage, both physical and otherwise. Personally, I have encountered such a situation. Once when I was conducting a counselling session with a physically well - built man whose height was approximately 6 feet 6 inches, he suddenly got to his feet and said, "That's what makes me so angry I just can't control my temper." In the process of explaining this, he had to be prevented by five other men to keep from attacking another man. During this time, I was thinking of a physical and emotional exit for myself and that surely wrought negative effects on my performance and efficiency as a counsellor. This particular incident made me feel very susceptible at this point and realized my lack of defences. It also needs to be realized that counsellors are not equipped, in most situations, to effectively handle these kinds of clients and unpleasant situations that could arise when dealing them. I am very fortunate and lucky in this regard to be blessed with the proper kind of training that effectively deal with hostile situations and clients, I was interested in finding out how other counsellors, most of whom are unequipped, deal with such situations and their problems and expectations. Another reason for working on this topic is the lack of previous research and literature on this particular that further translates into problems for counsellors. Statement of Purpose or Aims and Objectives The objective of drawing up this report was to gather the observations and impressions of other counsellors about the physical harassment they face at the hands of violent clients and how do they feel and manage or handle such hostile situations. I also had to find out, through this research, whether they were provided proper on and off-the-job training by their organizations to deal with this kind of condition and was such training provided to them when they were training to become qualified counsellors and therapists. Also, if such a situation arises, does it affect their performance as an effective counsellor What kind of effects such clients have on their ability to successfully counsel and console them Does such a situation restrict them [the counsellors] from efficiently challenging a client if the situation demands them to do so I also had to collect their views regarding the fact that do they think proper training during the course of their studies and later, during their professional lives would have helped them to control such hostile clients and circumstances with positive effects. Brief Review of Relevant Literature (Key References or Proposed Searches) As there has been little research conducted on this particular topic in the past, there is a serious and disappointing lack of literature available on this exact topic. However, there are a few books, journal articles, magazine articles and other types of research material accessible on this topic. These include: 1. McMahon, G. (1994) Setting up your own private practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy. Cambridge: National Extension College Ltd 2. HUDSON-ALLEZ, G. The prevalence of stalking of psychological therapists (2002) working in primary care by current or former clients. 3. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research. Health & safety Health and Safety. Executive (2004) 4.McLEAN, S. & the contribution of therapist beliefs to Psychological WADE, T. (2003) Distress in Therapist. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy. 5. SUTTON, J & STEWART, W. (2000) Learning to Counsel Oxford: How To Books 6.WHEELER, S. (1996) Training Counsellors: The Assessment of Competence. London: Cassell. Design of Study (Type and Genre) - Quantitative or Qualitative As part of research, I plan to do a quantitative sample of counsellors to collect and gather the information about their experiences, their responses and feelings when encountered with such a set of antagonistic clients and circumstances. This quantitative questionnaire would be mailed to approximately 10 organizations that specialize in providing counselling and therapeutic services be it of any nature, such as educational, professional, marital, and family-related and so on. My research would cover around 10 counsellors counselling in assorted areas. This would provide us with a comprehensive and detailed picture of the problems faced by counsellors operating in all kind of areas and they way they shape up their responses to them. I will also be conducting a semi-structured qualitative interview to locate and search for the difference in cognitive behavioural counsellors and integrative counsellors in terms of experiences, responses, raining and effects on quality as counsellors again covering around 10 counsellors. The number is also reliant on the return of quantitative data. This information would help us assess the differences between these two types of counsellors in all the different areas of counselling and then reach at conclusions based on the data found. I also plan to carry out surveys of a rare few centres and organizations where training to deal with aggressive clients and unfriendly situations is imparted. We also plan to interview the managers, administrators, trainers and students [would-be counsellors] at such centres. These interviews would be both of a qualitative and quantitative variety and would be conducted in formal, semi-formal and informal surroundings. The surveys would be conducted based on a representative sample. These surveys and interviews will look into the teaching methods employed at such centres, their effectiveness and practicality and also whether they are equipping potential counsellors to deal with real-life situations that they would face in the course of their career. Also, these surveys would be used to gauge the satisfaction level of the students getting trained at these organizations and training centres. This kind of study would prove useful in many ways and aid us with our findings. Research Sample, Data Collection and Analysis - Rationale for Inclusion or Exclusion The reason we have employed the above-mentioned methods is their effectiveness, in terms of cost and otherwise, and their ability to produce relevant data. For example, the use of quantitative sample to gather the impressions of counsellors will help us in calculating and finding out what the counsellors themselves think about their experiences and thus, would enable us to find appropriate results based on that. Surveys and interviews in organizations and professional centres that impart training to professional and potential counsellors would give us an academic side of the story and would also prove useful. Therefore, we would utilize all the above-mentioned research methods so that we can reach at useful conclusions and get pertinent and useful results and data, based on which we could carry out a meaningful research. Potential Pilot Study-What We Need To Find Out from The Research I plan on doing a study of 10 counsellors of various and differing orientations and inclinations including cognitive, behavioural and integrative counsellors to gauge their varying responses to the quantitative questionnaire before we embark on the questionnaire with a larger representative sample. This would also help me, as a researcher, to gain insights into the qualitative interviews that I would be conducting as part of the greater research that would be carried out on a larger scale. I would be making use of the same approach with the structured samples and interviews that I would be conducting in the centres and organizations that provide training. I would be doing this exercise so as to test whether the questionnaires and samples are easily understandable to the interviewees and the people answering the survey. It would check the effectiveness of these research methods in terms of proper feedback and relevance. We would also determine whether the answers and opinions provided will fulfil the purpose of our research and whether they will conform to the aims, objectives and purposes of the research study. Ethical Issues- Including Who Needs To Be Consulted [Individuals and Organizations] We would need to contact the managers of organizations on whom we would be conducting our research and carrying out interviews. This would be done by formal letters asking for their consent and availability and face-to-face meetings that I would be conducting with them. We would be seeking permission with counsellors to ask for confidentiality with which we would be conducting qualitative interviews. Special permission needs to be taken from the administrators and managers of organizations and professional centres with whom we would be collaborating on samples and qualitative/quantitative research. The main issue that we would encounter here is that of confidentiality and permission. Proposed Timetable Pilot study starts end September / collated and finish middle of October. Main quantitative questionnaire start middle of October / collated and finished end of November. Main qualitative interview start end of November / collated and finished end of December. First draft completed for end of January. Final draft of dissertation for the 12th March. References Guidelines For Security and Safety Of Health Care And Community Service Workers http://www.dir.ca.gov/DOSH/dosh_publications/hcworker.html Accessed September 2, 2006 Not Available http://www.primepsychology.com/documents/BullyingintheWorkplaceFeb06_000.pdf Accessed September 2, 2006 Sutton, J & Stewart, W. (2000) Learning to Counsel, Oxford: How to Books Read More