Cultural Considerations

As a mental health worker in a large city, you have been asked to work with refugee children who have been relocated from central Nigeria to live with foster families in your city. The children are between the ages of 9 and 13, boys and girls. They were rescued from a refugee camp in Nigeria where conditions were very poor. People were cramped and slept in rudimentary shelters. Food was scarce, and disease was rampant. Prior to arriving in the camp, the children were exposed to brutal violence. They saw their families murdered, houses burned, and witnessed or experienced sexual assault. Some were also injured in the attacks on their villages.

Utilize the Ethics and Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct (2010), and your readings to write a paper addressing the following:

• Describe the psychological effects of violence that the children from Nigeria might be experiencing? Be sure to consider issues such as gender and age.
• Design an intervention program to address the children’s exposure to violence. Remember to consider individual, family, and community needs.
• Describe the elements you would incorporate into a prevention program designed to foster resilience in the children from Nigeria, as well as break the cycle of violence that we learned can occur for children exposed to violence. You may research existing programs that utilize best practices as we have learned in this course, or design your own program.
• Reflect on the debate between “cultural universality” and “cultural specificity”. How would you reconcile this debate within the context of the ethics code for psychologists?
• Discuss why it is important to take into consideration cultural traditions when designing an intervention program. Describe at least two specific Nigerian cultural traditions and how you would use this knowledge in designing your intervention program.
• Briefly describe at least 2 ethical considerations that one would need to take into account when intervening with children as victims of violence in general, as well as pertaining to cultural issues specifically

By the due date assigned, format your paper in APA style, using research gathered from the sources above (i.e., module readings, websites such as https://www.commisceo-global.com/resources/country-guides/nigeria-guide, and the ethics code) to support your response. Your paper should be between 4 and 5 pages in length and include a cover page, abstract, and reference list.Submit your assignment to the Submissions Area.

Assignment 1 Grading Criteria

Maximum Points

Describe the psychological effects of violence that the children from Nigeria might be experiencing. Be sure to consider issues such as gender and age.

44

Design an intervention program to address the children’s exposure to violence. Consider individual, family, and community needs.

44

Describe the elements that would be incorporated into a prevention program designed to foster resilience in the children from Nigeria, as well as break the cycle of violence that we learned can occur for children exposed to violence.

44

Reflect on the debate between “cultural universality” and “cultural specificity”. Discuss how to reconcile this debate within the context of the ethics code for psychologists.

44

Discuss the importance of cultural traditions when designing an intervention program. Describe at least two specific Nigerian cultural traditions and how this knowledge would be used in designing an intervention program

40

Briefly describe at least 2 ethical considerations that one would need to take into account when intervening with children as victims of violence in general, as well as pertaining to cultural issues specifically

20

Style: Tone, audience, and word choice

Organization: Introduction, transitions, and conclusion

Usage and Mechanics: Grammar, spelling, and sentence structure

APA Elements: In text citations and references, paraphrasing, and appropriate use of quotations and other elements of style

Week 3 – Assignment

Case Analysis – Collaborating with Outside Providers

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, read the PSY650 Week Three Treatment Plan  and Case 9: Bulimia Nervosa in Gorenstein and Comer (2014). Please also read the Waller, Gray, Hinrichsen, Mounford, Lawson, and Patient (2014) “Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Bulimia Nervosa and Atypical Bulimic Nervosa: Effectiveness in Clinical Settings,”Halmi (2013) “Perplexities of Treatment Resistance in Eating Disorders,” and DeJesse and Zelman (2013) “Promoting Optimal Collaboration Between Mental Health Providers and Nutritionists in the Treatment of Eating Disorders” articles.

Assess the evidence-based practices implemented in this case study. In your paper, please include the following.

• Explain the connection between each theoretical orientation used by Dr. Heston and the treatment intervention plans utilized in the case.
• Describe the cognitive-behavioral model of the maintenance of bulimia nervosa.
• Explain why Rita was reluctant to participate in Dr. Heston’s request for her to keep a record of her eating behaviors. Use information from the Halmi (2013) article “Perplexities of Treatment Resistance in Eating Disorders” to help support your statements.
• Recommend outside providers (psychiatrists, medical doctors, nutritionists, social workers, holistic practitioners, etc.) to the assist Rita in achieving her treatment goals. Use information from the DeJesse and Zelman (2013) “Promoting Optimal Collaboration between Mental Health Providers and Nutritionists in the Treatment of Eating Disorders” article to help support your recommendations.
• Describe some of the challenges and ethical issues that Dr. Heston may encounter when working collaboratively with the professionals that you recommended.  Apply ethical principles and standards of psychology relevant to your description of Dr. Heston’s potential collaboration with outside providers.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment interventions implemented by Dr. Heston, supporting your statements with information from the case and two to three peer-reviewed articles from the Ashford University Library.
• Recommend three additional treatment interventions that would be appropriate in this case. The recommended articles for this week may be useful in generating your response to this criterion. Justify your selections with information from the case.

The Case Analysis – Collaborating with Outside Providers

• Must be 4 to 5 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must use at least two peer-reviewed sources from in the Ashford University Library.
• Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Create a 10- to 15-slide Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation lecture for your class in which you address the following:

• Describe the history of cognitive psychology.
• Explain how and why psychometric studies are used to study cognitive psychology.
• Discuss the benefits of research in psychometrics.

Include at least two scholarly articles.

Include speaker notes with your presentation.

Format your presentation consistent with APA guidelines.

Submit your assignment.

Assignment 2: Comparison of Theories on Anxiety Disorders

There are numerous theories that attempt to explain the development and manifestation of psychological disorders. Some researchers hold that certain disorders result from learned behaviors (behavioral theory), while other researchers believe that there is a genetic or biological basis to psychological disorders (medical model), while still others hold that psychological disorders stem from unresolved unconscious conflict (psychoanalytic theory). How would each of these theoretical viewpoints explain anxiety disorders? Does one explain the development and manifestation of anxiety disorders better than the others?

For each of the following life events, rate yourself on the following scale: Very Stressed; A Little Stressed; Not Stressed:

1. You just remembered that you have a big projec

2. You are driving to work or school and you are running a bit late.  The car in front of you is driving 5 mph under the speed limit and you are having trouble getting around him.

3. You just found out that you are going to be a parent.

4. You accidently dropped your cell phone in the toilet, and it is out of commission for at least a day or two, maybe longer.

Now, get with 4 other people and have them participate in the same activity while you log the results.

In the Discussion, tell about your findings.  Did you find that some people are stressed in a situation that others are not stressed in?  Did you discover that some people are more stressed than others in general, or that some are stressed in some situations but not in others?  What do you think the purpose of this activity is?  How do your findings relate to what you learned about in this module?  What is the most valuable lesson you learned in this module?