Trade Liberalization in China and Brazil Essay Example for Free

Trade Liberalization in China and Brazil Essay Debt crises and financial stability problems had been the major causes why some countries resort into imposing new economic programs such as implementing free trade which is also called trade liberalization. To lessen the limitations of a country on trade industries they have established has been the main point of the process called trade liberalization (Biz/ed, 2007).   Through this process, tariffs or the fee that the government charges to every importer of foreign goods, as well as trade barriers are reduced in order to allow more foreign investments on a country’s economy.   Ã‚   Through this, the host country would have the privilege of acquiring imported products with a lower price.   However, domestic and national industries are also protected and looked after from competitors such as foreign producers through protectionism.   In this way, local industries are protected through tariffs, other non-tariff barriers and quotas. The price of imported goods is increased by tariffs, which make the entry of foreign business competitors a difficult and expensive task.   Aside from tariffs, governments have also devised other ways of protecting their local market, calling these methods as non-tariff barriers.   One kind of a non-tariff barrier are quotas.   These are restrictive and protective moves of nations or local governments against the entry of foreign goods into their local market (Biz/ed, 2007). It would be beneficial, for the academe and all the economy governing bodies in the world to know how a modern economic policy, more specifically the economic trade liberalization policy, affects a previously existing economic body.   Not only would it help the academe and the governing bodies understand the policy even more, but would also make them realize how these policies affect the economy in various levels, both in the macro and microeconomic level. This paper would focus in the trade liberalization policy and how it affects a particular country, or in this case would be called an economic body.   This paper would not be able to mention all the countries that are presently implementing the economic free trade policy, because of practical reasons, so the researcher had resorted into using two well-known countries from two different continents to show how the aforementioned economic policy affects different economic bodies in different geographical and cultural contexts. This paper would not focus on developed countries because it would just defeat the objective of knowing how this said policy would affect those countries that have implemented it because of their need to use it as a means of increasing their economic, and eventually their political power in the international arena.   The two countries to be used as points of comparison, would be China, which is found in East Asia, and Brazil, which is found in the continent of South America. China is one of the most well-known countries when it comes in business.   Historically, it has been one of the world’s greatest political powers, even before the time when the Europeans set out into the unknown.   It has been economically active by trading goods such as garments, oil, spices and jewelries with its Asian neighbors such as the Philippines, Japan, Malaysia, and other more, even before the age when the Europeans discovered the different lands in the region. In the recent past, China had become less economically active because of its experiences of that lead to the minimal decrease of its political power in the international arena.   But today, because of its social, political and economic policies, it is slowly rising back to the top of the list of political and economic powers.   In this country, retailing has grown and underwent rapid changes over the years. And this retail process has played an important role when it comes to food production and/ or selling of food in their culture. China, being the world’s most populated country, having more or less 1.3 billion in population, tried to utilize this kind of capital.   Because they have a very large pool where they can get manpower, they have used this to use labor to their advantage.   Because of the lesser need to use machinery, compared to other countries, they have succeeded in lowering the market prices of the goods they have produced in dramatic rates.   They also used their manpower as their source of political power. But then, people in China are more likely to be savers than spenders and so, their market is steered by the price of their goods.   The price of every local product is where the imported goods have a hard time competing with because the imported products are much expensive than the other (Moustakerski, 2002).   This is because the price of imported goods considers the price of tariffs paid. In addition, China has also signed significant trade treaties under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).   GATS is one of those contracts or agreements that include rules on investments in services and trade.   It covers services such as water delivery, health care, postal delivery, tourism, road building, municipal services, education and insurance.   The scope and range of GATS is broad and covers the regulation of government with regards to trade and services as well as government services in all levels (Glossary of International Trade Terms). These commitments include distribution services, tourism, telecommunications, banking, insurance, audiovisual and professional services.   Agreements regarding the distribution of goods and services are important, basically for merchandise trades since this kind of commitment would help prevent economic barriers from emerging through the control of distribution (Ianchovichina, Martin and Wood, 2000).   Also, with these, the process of trade becomes quite more complicated.   Again, these commitments entail changes and processes that may be difficult for some foreign country to get into another country and share their products to possible consumers. The commitments concerning the financial services modes may differ across countries and can also change over time.   These may include the following (Kono, et al., 1997): All measures on liberalization should be equal among World Trade Organization (WTO) members The members of WTO can not discriminate foreign and domestic firms, except when it is clearly said at the time by which it joined the GATS. Domestic policies must be available as well as unrestricted to everyone. Continuous process of liberalization or by which affiliated territories be in agreement enhancing the liberalized sectors and reduce exceptions within sectors in such a way that they commit to negotiating rounds in the future. Harmed countries can give authorization against the disturbing or violating country. Despite these, there are also important exceptions that should be taken note of: The different programs of the principal bank and / or other systems associated with the government that transmits money along with policies on convertibility that are not included in the GATS. Economical construct is also not liable to GATS and it is created for making sure governments of the host country may protect their local financial system as well as their participants through the application of prudential standards of the host country. The said measures do not necessarily comply with pledges of the right to use markets, national treatment as well as the preferred responsibility of a nation (Key, 2003). Other government relations that are not related to prudential measures are also exempted from GATS commitments except when they disobey necessary obligations (Kono, et al., 1997). Considering the different limitations, restrictions and qualifications on trading, selling and importing food made from foreign countries has been even more complicated.   The country’s infrastructure and legal systems are underdeveloped and the law or enforcement is often inconsistent and biased.   Thus, corruption among the people and protectionism of the locals has remained to be problems (Moustakerski, 2002). China’s share on exports have consist goods in which the country did not like in relation to their advantage in production.   Hence, the producers of goods that are exported had no economic incentives in order to broaden their international sales.   Also, with that, the ability of China to invest on imports that may involve technology which could have contributed to the country’s economic expansion and growth productivity has been impaired (Lardy, 2003). Considering China’s integration in the global economy and its progressive recognition of the principles of marketing has been encouraged by the United States economic and political engagement.   These developments helped relations grew deeper between the two countries – United States and China.   But these two countries have also caused friction between their relationships. In any case, the relationship between the countries has become essential to the countries’ economy.   Thus, China’s economy has grown closely to investment regimes and open trades of the world’s major economies.   Also, the gross domestic product (GDP) of China accounts 40 percent of their exports and so, the country has depended on its export sector’s growth to stimulate their economy’s modernization as well as to support and improve their standards of living (U.S. China Trade and Relations. 2006). The gross domestic product or (GDP) is the annual total value of services and goods by a certain nation and does not include the net factor income from abroad (overseas investments and interest and / or profits and the wages of workers. GDP is also an indicator of the economy’s status and includes the government purchases as well as total value of the country’s export and investments in the United States.   As what was aforementioned in this paper, countries that undergo economic crises make some alternative ways of coping with their problem, such as what happened with most Latin American countries in the early 1980’s. Most Latin American countries had resorted into having economic changes after they had experienced such problems, but Brazil was one of the latest countries to join the trend of making its national market a free market.     Just like in the case of China and the other countries that are practicing free trade, Brazil has been experiencing many large scope changes since the first time it practiced the said trade policy. With the start of the late eighties to the early nineties, there arose some issues in the political and economic arena about the consequences of the new economic policy.   Trade liberalization had three major environmental effects on Brazil, and on the other countries as well, namely; the scale effect, the composition effect and the technological effect (Antweiller and Copeland, 1998). The first one, the scale effect according to Antweiler (1998), â€Å"measures the increase of pollution generated if the economy were simply scaled up, holding constant the mix of goods produced and the production techniques.†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This simply means that the increase or decrease of the amount of pollution produced by a certain economic body can be determined by the economy itself, depending on its course, whether it is scaling up or down. Just like in the case of Brazil, which is one large economic body that is in its course of upscaling its economy, it does not experience radical and abrupt changes in the rate of production of its goods and the techniques of production it has.   However, because of the fact that it had implemented free trade, its economy would be stronger than before, or in other terms scaled up, and also because of that, it would tend to be more polluted at the same time. The composition effect is another environmental effect that can be observed in Brazil.   This effect means that when the economic state of a certain country, as well as the emission intensities at a constant level, then that particular economy would tend to allocate more of its resources to the production of possible pollutants, consequently polluting the environment more. Brazil has an economy that is technically and relatively not scaling up, and the rate of the production of pollutants just stays the same.   Because of this, they are forced to allot more and more of their resources into producing more goods that they have to export like sugar.   This economic move thus increases the scale in which they have to produce the goods, which in turn increases the amount of pollutants produced by the manufacturing and the processing of these goods. And the last one is the technological effect, or what Antweiler (1998) calls the technique effect, claims that when everything else was held constant (emission intensity, mix of goods produced, production techniques, and the scale of economy), a possible increase in the intensity of the emissions would tend to heighten pollution levels.     In connection with the previous effects, and in connection with logic, the more pollutants an economic body produces, the more polluted it gets.   Because of free trade, more imported goods will come into the country.   Without even producing and manufacturing vehicles, one country can acquire a large quantity of those by free trade.   Also, they can acquire these vehicles even without increasing their economy.   And as everybody knows, vehicles that use gasoline and crude oil as their main fuel produce pollutants, because of this, it may become one way of increasing the pollution in that economic body. These three effects are good observations by Antweiler, because these seem to summarize, and in a way quantify some of the effects of the phenomenon of free trading, especially in those countries that had only resorted to the economic policy because of the immediate need to rise from their economic troubles.   Also, these effects can be used to describe and predict the possible effects of free trade policies on a particular economic body. It is known that Brazil is a major sugarcane producing country, having produced 1,324 million metric tons in 2004 (Earley and Earley, 2006).   It also came to a time that it dominated the sugar production in the world in 2004 and 2005.   It had also dominated in the exportation of these sugar products, even leading over the US, Australia and Thailand. According to one policy analyst, who focused on the liberalization of agriculture, the implementation of the trade liberalization as a structural adjustment program had been ideally conceptualized so the lives of the Brazilians would be improved both politically and economically.   But instead of doing what it was supposed to do, according to his analysis, the economic reform program had worsened the case, because not only did it make the poor poorer and the rich richer, it also â€Å"redressed† (according to the author) and widened the inequality between social groups (Cassel and Patel, 2003). Considering the Brazil’s relationship with other countries, it has established connection with that of the United States of America when it comes to ethanol production. The world’s production of ethanol has strongly grown because of the worldwide oil prices increase and thus, ethanol is being considered as one of the alternative fuels (Earley and Earley, 2006). As what was mentioned earlier in the paper, Brazil is among leading sugar producing countries in the world, mainly because it has acres of land area to use for planting sugarcane.   Ethanol can be made by using sugarcane juice, and then by fermentation, distillation, and dehydration of the end product, which is ethanol or E-85. A large number of vehicles in Brazil are now using ethanol as their main fuel.   Ethanol has also become a major fuel in the said country, providing almost 18% of the total amount of vehicle fuel.   Because of this, they have become the world’s leading producer of ethanol producer back in 2005 (Ethanol Fuel, 2007). The policies as a result of both international and national efforts to prevent and reduce greenhouse gas emissions had also increased interest in using such fuel and so, authorization on the use of ethanol helps the industry of the country grow.   Also, because trade liberalization means more products would come in, which would also mean that products would need to be transported from one point to another by means of a particular kind of highly durable and highly powerful vehicles.   And because these vehicles need to have more power, they utilize fossil fuel products as their source of power, which would eventually add up to the pollution problem of the economic body. A study with regards to Brazil has found out that, the country’s trade liberalization had an effect on employment rates. It was noted that there has been a negative effect wherein there has been a decrease in employment in different capital-intensive industries as well as a decrease on the labor-intensive industries in the country. There are some who claim that the decrease in employment is not necessarily attributed to the country’s trade liberalization because the trade reforms has been passed and implemented on a macroeconomic environment which was characterized by recessionary conditions and high inflation rates (Mesquita Najberg, 2000). But looking back at the basics, employment can be and is directly affected by the particular economic body’s economic status at a given time.   Because of this, the aforementioned claim may not be telling what really is happening, but only what is ideally to happen. Considering the stated information above, it can be inferred that China and Brazil both differ in ways of how they manipulate their trade systems in order to increase their economy and be known to their respective fields of interest and products.   Simply, the two countries aim to improve their economy and be able to increase their economy’s status in such a way that they would be able to have connections or be in association with other countries. Also, it may be good to hypothesize that trade liberalization can help an economic body only in the macroeconomic level, but it can also negatively affect the economy in the microlevel in the same time.   It can also be hypothesized that economic trade liberalization policies only serve the benefit of those countries that already have the economic advantage at the first place, because they already have the means of being the first ones to do trade with the countries that implement the economic policy. And last, another hypothesis that can be drawn from the previous premises is that free trade can be one of the modern economic policies that may endanger the previously existing local industries in a country, because it only gives the people more choices in the market, which would mean, greater diffusion and lesser concentration of the choice of goods sold in the market. References Antweiller. W., Copeland. B.R.   and Taylor. M.S. (1998). â€Å"Is free trade good for the environment?†. NBER working paper. Biz/ed. (2007). Trade Liberalisation: A Means of Promoting Growth in Developing Countries? – Activity. Retrieved, July 17, 2007, from http://www.bized.co.uk/educators/16-19/economics/international/activity/liberalisation1.htm. Cassel, A and Patel, R. PhD.   (2003).   Agricultural Trade Liberalization and Brazil’s Rural Poor.   Institute for Food and Development Policy/Food First. Earley, J. and Earley, T.   (2006).   Specific Environmental Effectsof Trade Liberalization: Sugar.   International Policy Council. Ethanol Fuel (2007).   Wikipedia.   Retrieved july 19, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel#Production_Process. Glossary of International Trade Terms.   Retrieved July 18, 2007 from http://www.afsc.org/trade-matters/learn-about/glossary.htm#wto. Ianchovichina, E., Martin, W. and Wood, C. (2000). ‘Effects of the Vietnam- US bilateral trade agreement’, Mimeo, World Bank. Key, S. J., (2003), The Doha Round and Financial Services Negotiations, (Washington DC: The American Enterprise Institute Press). Kono, M. and L. Schuknecht, (2000), â€Å"How Does Financial Services Trade Affect Capital Flows and Financial Stability,† in Internationalization of Financial Services ed. by S. Claessens and M. Jansen, (London) Kluwer Law International, pp139-176. Lardy, N.   (2003). Trade Liberalization and Its Role in Chinese Economic Growth. Prepared for an International Monetary Fund and National Council of Applied Economic Research Conference A Tale of Two Giants: Indias and Chinas Experience with Reform and Growth. New Delhi. Mesquita, M. and Najberg, S. (2000). Trade Liberalization in Brazil: Creating or exporting jobs?. Journal of Development Studies. Moustakerski, P. (2002). The effect of trade liberalization on China’s retail sector. Retrieved, July 17, 2007, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3723/is_3_14/ai_84879835. Trade Liberalization and Employment (2001).   International Labor Office.   Geneva.   282nd Session. U.S.-China Trade Relations: Entering a New Phase of Greater Accountability and Enforcement. (2006). United States Trade Representative

Ernest Hemingways The Sun Also Rises - Lost Generation :: Hemingway Sun Also Rises Essays

THE SUN ALSO RISES - Lost Generation Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises (1926) has been considered the essential prose of the Lost Generation. Its theme of alienation and detachment reflected the attitudes of its time. In fact, the term "Lost Generation" was originally coined in a conversation by Gertrude Stein, a member of the expatriate circle in 1920's Paris. While spontaneous and meaningless when first spoken, the expression would unwittingly go on to become the label for the expatriates from the United States and England who had rejected traditional American and British conventions for the more appealing lifestyle of Left Bank, Paris. Congregating in cafés located along the Boulevard Montparnasse to drink, talk and watch the crowds pass by, the Lost Generation was comprised of exiles who had spurned the pre-war values of love, romanticism, optimism, prosperity and hope that they had grown up believing in, all shattered by the war. As well as the glitter and potential of the Great Boom of the 1920's, which they now saw as American and money-based, and therefore corrupt and insincere. Unable to reconcile themselves with their past beliefs, and unwilling to accept those of their present mainstream society, the Lost Generation was left morally bankrupt and spiritually sterile, with only the fleeting pleasures of alcohol and sexual promiscuity as comfort. Many Americans in Paris became bohemian writers and artists as a reactionary protest to the business- and consumer-based culture in the United States, their days spent lounging in cafés and their nights hopping from one meaningless relationship to the next. For the Lost Generation, love, hope and religion were foreign concepts after WWI, replaced by a world of sexual liberty and moral indifference. The lounging in the cafes and the promiscuity of the generation is very much connected with their traumas from the War. They are suffering from post-traumatic stress and are trying to deal with it. In 1926, Ernest Hemingway wrote The Sun Also Rises, a semi-autobiography based on his adventures in France and Spain in 1924-25. Despite having already received moderate critical acclaim for his prior works, it would be this novel that would gain him international success and make him the leader of the so-called Lost Generation.

Chronic Sorrow

Living with Chronic Sorrow The middle range theory of chronic sorrow theory was researched in the 1980’s validating parent’s feelings over the loss of not having the perfect child and having a child with a disability. Chronic sorrow provided a framework for understanding the reactions of individuals to various loss situations and offered a way to view the experience of bereavement. Involvement in an experience of a significant loss is the necessary antecedent to the development of chronic sorrow (Peterson & Bredow, 2009). The loss may affect individuals and family members at any time. Chronic sorrow may come to any of us during our lifetime. Chronic sorrow can best be described as a natural response to a tragic situation. Where life experiences cause deep distress, sadness, or regret especially for the loss of someone or something loved ( Gordon, 2009 ). Chronic sorrow is followed by a permanent loss of a personal attachment that may be ongoing with a sadness of such intensity that it recurs for the lifetime of the person. Mental pain, suffering and despair can all occur from chronic sorrow regardless if the loss is caused by injury, trauma or by death ( Alligood, & Tomey,(2010). Washington Irving says it best, â€Å"There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of over whelming grief and unspeakable love. † The rational for choosing the middle range theory of chronic sorrow was because this theory was easy to identify with. From losing a home to a natural disaster, a job, and even in death of family members, friends and numerous pets this theory really hit home from personnel experiences. Possible Antecedents, Defining Attributes and Consequences Let’s start but trying to understand the antecedents of chronic sorrow and how they relate to ach other and affect each of us as individuals. This may help to understand how strongly emotions control and play an important part in our everyday lives. The antecedents that go along with chronic sorrow are loss and grief. They are experienced periodically by individuals of all ages through their life time. Whether in the death of a family member, friend or pet, losing a home and all worldly possessions or losing a functioning body part. To be able to get through these powerful feelings and emotions can be very difficult and even more difficult for others to understand (Peterson & Bredow, 2009). People all over the world are forced to deal with this daily, but until it happens to you, do you truly begin to understand the impact this has on ones’ own life. Every one of us will have to deal with loss at some time in our life. A loss can be described as â€Å"a pervasive psychic pain and sadness, stimulated by certain trigger events, which follows loss of a relationship of an attachment† (Teel,1991, pg. 1316). Losses come in many forms both large and small, such as loss of a job, a home, a way of life, a relationship, or loss of a significant other, spouse, family member or even a pet. The perception of the event, the situational supports, and the coping mechanisms all influence return of equilibrium or homeostasis. A person either advances or regresses as a result of the crisis, depending upon how the person manages the crisis (Potter & Perry, 2009). Experiencing a loss can trigger the grief process. Everyone is different and comes to terms with loss in different ways, so it is difficult to say how long a person’s process may take. Losses that are smaller and have less of an impact on peoples’ lives will take a much shorter time to resolve emotionally than more significant losses (Foust, 2006). Some people deal with the loss a day at a time, yet for some people it may be an hour at a time. As long as the person is not denying the loss, they are working through it. Action oriented is an internal management for coping with a loss. This includes continuing to be involved in interests, hobbies, activities, talking with friends, professionals and even joining a support group (Peterson and Bredow,2009). Lost your job, your home, a loved one, or a beloved pet? There are many forms of loss, and all are felt individually on a very personal level (Foust, 2006). A loss is losing or being deprived of something you once had. Any loss can have a profound effect on your life. Loss can happen at any time day or night and does not need a reason. A consequence of a loss can stop you from socializing, cause you to have lack of interests, and take you emotionally away from those who love you. A loss can impact your job, your home, your finances, and your relationships. This is a real emotion that people around the world experience daily. Coping with loss and grief can be challenging in many ways (Teel. 1991). A loss may be felt physically and emotionally, like something is missing. A feeling of worry and emptiness may be felt deep inside. Two types of losses most relevant to depressive symptoms are related to self, goal attainment, and loss of financial resources (Van Horn & Mischel, 2008). One may begin to suffer physical symptoms such as headaches, gastrointestinal upset, anxiety, sleeplessness, or anorexia. Emotionally you may feel tired, lack the ability to care about what is going on around you, sleep too much or too little, over eat or under eat, and neglect yourself and those around you. These are all feelings and emotions a person may experience in grief. Loss is an experience caused by changes and recognizing these changes are important in dentify feelings and most importantly, by allowing individuals to feel and express themselves begins the healing process (Love, 2007). Grief comes in many shapes and sizes. There is no â€Å"one size fits all† for the grieving process. Grief is the series of emotions that a person goes through after a loss. Grief may involve feelings of sadness, anger, guilt, shame, relief, jealousy, hopelessness and powerlessness ( Love, 2007). Many people allow for grief after the passing of a loved one, but many of today’s views tend to ignore the grief that can follow other kinds of losses. As a result, people find themselves unexpectedly alone dealing with the sorrow, anger and other emotions associated with grief at various times in their life. Confused and even ashamed, they may attempt to hide or avoid these emotions, pushing them inward rather than letting them out. This may cause destructive and devastating repercussions which can follow. Yet all of this can be avoided, if people recognize that there are all kinds of grief (Castledine,2002). Learning to deal with the loss and cope with ones misfortunes is where grief comes in. So, how long is the grieving process? Basically, a person grieves as long as it takes to come to terms with their loss and the impact that it has had on their life (Foust, 2006). The obvious time for grieving is after the death of a loved one. Many people experience this first with grandparents and parents, as well as aunts, uncles and family pets. Some people may suffer the difficult loss of siblings or spouses and still others may experience the tragic loss of a child. There is no way to measure grief, and no instrument or scale to measure for sorrow. Each person grieves these losses uniquely and differently. When a death of a loved one occurs those left ehind are often allowed time and space for grieving and usually supported by family and friends (Burglass, 2010). But what happens when someone loses a beloved pet? Or when a family loses a home? Or better yet the loss of a functioning body part, example hearing, seeing or loss of limb? These too are times of great loss. Unfortunately, they are seldom recognized as suc h and because of this the grieving are left alone to work through emotions that are many times misunderstood by those around them (Castledine, 2002). Coworkers, friends or even spouses can find it hard to understand ones grief and even find it difficult to handle. A person must grieve in order to heal and move forward. The suffering of dazed confusion, distress and unrelenting despair will generally ease with time (Love, 2007). At home, whenever you are alone, don’t push or force yourself to do anything. Relax and do what comes naturally. Many cultures do not encourage people to grieve openly. Crying and other ways of expressing distress can be seen as signs of weakness. Crying can actually help relieve stress, so cry, take a bath or watch television (Gipson, 2009). Do whatever makes you feel comfortable and helps you relax. Management forms of grief can be in the form of faith, istractions, like work, hobbies, and honoring your loss through ritual is important in overcoming the loss. There are many ways to go through the grieving process, regardless of how one grieves, grief is critical in the healing process (Potter & Perry, pg. 496). Any loss can warrant grief. Grief is a normal reaction to loss and is not usually associated with lon g term negative consequences. Grief is a natural psychological and sometimes physical response to loss or change. Though death is most commonly associated with grieving, many other life changes can have the same result (911, Oklahoma City bombing). Losing a job (being laid off after working several years for the same company), losing a home (natural disaster, fire, tornado or even hurricane), having children leave home ( go away to college, military service, get married), retiring, divorce, declaring bankruptcy (loss of financial resources) a breakup, even moving can all create a sense of real loss and grief (Love, 2007). Grieving is a natural and healthy reaction to all losses. The five stages of grief denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance are all natural feelings when one experiences a significant loss. These can also be overlapped with shock, yearning and protest, despair, and recovery (Buglass, 2010). Grieving helps people understanding what has occurred and how to adapt to a new set of circumstances in their life. What makes the grieving process so challenging, is that many of the emotions we experience are painful and most people do not want to feel painful emotions. Another challenging piece is that many people are not prepared for the variety of emotions that occur. Most people expect to feel sad, but may not expect to feel angry, anxious, hopeless, terrified, confused, frustrated, lonely, and so on. The emotions felt do not occur in any predictable pattern and many people often tend to cycle through them throughout the grieving process (Drench, 2004). Grief is something that cannot be fixed and one cannot take a pill to make the grief go away. A person needs to experience the loss and all the negative emotions that result in order to accept the loss. Grief cannot be medicated with pills or alcohol. In fact, individuals that do attempt to take medication are using their own form of denial which usually lengthens the process and may even add a drug or alcohol addiction problem on top of their grief. The good news is that there are things that people can do to help cope and work through the grief process (Potter and Perry, pg. 496). These are a few examples people may use to help work through the grieving process. Take care of yourself by getting rest, eating regularly and maintain a regular routine. This can be challenging during the early process, but is essential with recovery (Potter & Perry, pg. 496). Support systems of family, friends and colleagues who will listen, offer advice and provide emotional support can benefit you. Talk about your loss helps get your thoughts and feelings ut. Journaling is also a helpful to get your thoughts out. In a private journal or diary people are able to express their emotions and vent their feelings honestly without hurting anyone or without concern for how they may appear to others (Potter & Perry, pg. 496). Time management techniques include developing a list of tasks that are felt to be important and need to be accomplished. Perform the tasks at the top of the list that require immediate attention, those that are not as important can be delayed (Potter & Perry, pg. 497). Guided imagery and visualization can help with relaxation. Gather pictures and other things that remind you of your loss, person, pet, house or phase of your life you have lost. Try talking with family and friends about your memories. Funniest, worst, happiest, anything you share will help with adjusting to the loss. Play music that reminds you of your loss. Music is a powerful memory that can make you feel good or is comforting to you (Potter & Perry, pg. 497). Progressive muscle relaxation may help with physiological tension. Exercise, fresh air, Sunshine, visiting with friends may all help. Deep breathing exercises may help reduce stress nd relax muscles (Potter & Perry, pg. 497). Have a friend share in an activity that may have been your activity with what or whom you lost. An example would be if you went to breakfast every morning at McDonalds, it can make you sad and upset to think about going back there. Sharing the activity with a friend will not replace your loss, but may help establish a new routine for you. That is what grieving i s about, facing and dealing with your new circumstances rather than avoiding them (Gipson, 2009). Many of these suggestions are easy things to do. What is not easy is managing negative motions. The grieving process does take time, but you can get through the loss and grief by dealing with your emotions one day at a time. None of these suggestions will take grief away, but may help to manage feelings and emotions that are experienced. Managing ones feelings can assist in feeling like the person is taking an active role again in their life. If the feelings a person experiences becomes overwhelming or significantly interferes with their life (can’t go to work, feeling suicidal, panic attacks, difficulty in carrying out every day routines, etc. ). This person ould likely benefit from seeing a therapist that can assist them with the grieving process and help them with acceptance and recovery (Buglass, 2010). Grieving can be difficult and a person does not have to go through this a lone (Gipson, 2009). Case Study Three young men, Brad, Tom and Mike return home from active military duty with the loss of a lower leg while fighting for our country. Each man experiences their loss differently and uniquely. The first, Brad, is supported by his wife, parents, two children and many other family members and friends. Brad’s leg has healed and a useful diverse type of prosthesis has been itted to his lower leg. After many months of rehabilitation Brad is able to walk again with the use of his new prosthesis. The prosthesis fits well with no skin irritations. Brad is able to enjoy many of the things he did prior to losing the leg (fishing, dancing, playing ball with his child). Brad is a very spiritual man and with the help of his wife, parents, family and friends he has been able to accept his loss and move forward. The quality of life Brad once new has slowly returned to an almost normal state. Although Brad does miss the loss of is leg he has adjusted to his ne w life and faces daily challenges as they come. The second, Tom, is also supported by his wife, parents, one child and many friends and family. The leg due to infection took longer than Tom expected to heal delaying his recovery time. Tom had a useful diverse type prosthesis fitted to his lower leg. Tom attended many more months of rehabilitation than Brad, do to skin integrity problems. Skin issues have disrupted the daily use of the prosthesis interfering with Tom’s independence and lifestyle. Tom has had difficulty at first adjusting to his new lifestyle. Everyday tasks have been very challenging for Tom at times. Toms’ wife, parents, family and friends have een very supportive to Tom every step of the way. A remote controlled wheel chair is available for Tom on the days he is unable to wear his prosthesis. Tom has learned to do many tricks with his wheel chair and has joined a wheel chair basketball team because he likes showing off. Toms’ acceptance and recovery was a lot slower, but in the end he was abl e to adjust to his new lifestyle. The third, Mike, is supported by his wife, parents, family and friends. Mike was diagnosed with Diabetes after returning home from active duty. Mikes’ leg had a hard time healing due to infection and adjustment to having Diabetes. Mike did not like having Diabetes and would refuse to eat the right foods. Mikes’ blood sugar was out of control because of his refusal to take medication prescribed and frequently drinking. These actions were responsible for causing skin integrity problems. After a long, hard, trying year, the leg finally healed. Mike was fitted with a useful diverse type prosthesis. Skin issues continued to be a problem because of Mikes Diabetes and his refusal to eat healthy and take his medication properly. The prosthesis was painful and awkward for Mike to use. Just looking at the prosthesis filled Mike with such an incredible loss. Mike was angry with everyone that tried to help him. He sat day after day in a wheelchair drinking beer. Mike refused to take a bath, shave, eat, or go anywhere he might be seen by people that knew him. Mike would stay for days at a time in bed and refuse to get up. Counseling was verbally rejected every time counseling was brought up by anyone. Mikes’ doctor placed him on depression medication which he refused to take on a regular basis. Mikes friends stopped dropping by to see him. Mikes’ wife was having difficulties dealing with Mikes’ drinking and verbal abuse. She would argue with Mike till she cried and could no onger take Mikes’ drinking and feeling sorry for himself. His parents tried being very supportive, but also found Mike really difficult to deal with. Mike continued to drink and blamed everyone for the loss of his leg. Mike refused to accept the loss or move forward. Mikes’ wife finally after two years had all the verbal abuse she coul d handle and left him. Mike ended up moving back home and living with his parents. He still is unable to wear the prosthesis and to this day rarely leaves his parents’ home. As a nurse working with individuals, families and patients we need to be able to recognize hese individuals that are suffering. By listening to what the person is saying and their body language should be triggers for nurses if this is a person wanting, needing or requiring some kid of outside assistance. Chronic sorrow is characterized as pervasive, permanent, periodic sadness or other grief- related feelings associated with ongoing disparity resulting from a loss experience (Lindgren, Burke, Hainesworth, & Eakes,1992). The concept of chronic sorrow as you have read may go hand in hand with the antecedents grief and loss. For a person to experience one, they can experience the other. Even though the loss may have been for seen or was totally unexpected, a person does not always overcome the loss or grief over night. For some people this may take days, weeks or even years. Then for others like Mike, they may be so devastated over the loss with grief that the loss is unbearable. They never overcome the loss and live with chronic sorrow. Reference Alligood, M. R. , & Tomey, A. M. (2010). Nursing Theorists and Their Work (7th ed. ). Maryland Heights, Missouri: Mosby Elsevier Inc. Bickerstaff, K. A. , Grasser, C. M. , and McCabe, B. (2007). How elderly nursing home residents transcend losses of later life. Holistic Nursing Practice May/June 159-166 Bui, K. M. , Raugi, G. J. , Nguyen, V. Q. , & Reiher, G. E. , (2009). Skin problems in individuals with lower-limb loss: Literature review and proposed classification system. Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development 46(11)1085-1090 Retrieved September 22, 2011, from: http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? vid=12&hid=17&sid=fb4631bd-e30d-4d04-86b9-9daef0a7f731%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3 d#db=rzh&AN=2010582711 Castledine, G. ,(2002). Recognizing problems of loss in patients. Britsh Journal of Nursing Retrieved September 5, 2011, from: http://ezproxy. ardner webb. edu/login? url=http://search. ebscohost. com/login. aspx? direct=true&d b=c8h&AN=2009019179&site=ehost-live. Chan, C. , NG, S. , HO, R. , & Chow, A. , (2006). East meets West: applying Eastern spirituality in clinical practice. Journal of Clinical Nursing 15(7): 822-832 Retrieved September 18, 2011, from: http://ezproxy. snu. edu:2056/ehost/detail? vid =6&hid=8&sid=82932029-8cc8- 434b-afd5-63517ab0000e%40sessionmgr14&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ %3d%3 d#db=rzh&AN=2009258194 Clements, P. T , Benasutti, K. M. , & Carmone, A. , (2003). Support of Bereaved owners of pets. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care 39(2), 49-54 Retrieved September 18, 2011, from: http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? vid=20&hid=127&sid=1346ad7f-572a-4072-b160- a0ba9b0916e1%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db= rzh&AN=2003162539 Curtis, R. C. , (2010). Social worker practitioners and the human-companion animal bond: a national study. Social Work 55(1), 38-46 Retrieved September 18, 2011, from: http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? vid=19&hid=127&sid=1346ad7f-572a -4072-b160-a0ba9b0916e1%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ 3d%3d#db=rzh&AN=2010505488 Dickson, A. , Knussen, C. , & Flowers, P. (2007). â€Å"That was my old life; it’s almost like a past- life now†: Identity crisis, loss and adjustment amongst people living with chronic fatigue syndrome. Psychology and Health 23(4), 459-476. Dougherty, P. J. , McFarland, L. V. , Smith, D. G. , Esquenazi, A. , Blake, D. J. , & Reiber, G. E. (2010). Multiple traumatic limb loss: A comparison of Vietnam veterans to OIF/OEF service members. Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development 47(4), 333-348 Drench, M. E. (2004). Loss, grief, and adjustment: A primer for physical theraphy, part 1 Retrieved September 5, 2011, from: http://ezproxy. snu. edu:2056/ehost/detail? vid=18&hid= 126&sid=69ff5835-74c8-43e1-bffd-3252bfa3a859%40sessionmgr111&bdata=JnNp dGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=rzh&AN=2003126574 Durkin, A. , (2009). Loss of a companion animal understanding and helping bereaved. Retrieved September 5, 2011, from: http://ezproxy. snu. edu:2056/ehost/detail? vid= 22&hid=126&sid=69ff5835-74c8-43e1-bffd-3252bfa3a859%40sessionmgr111&bdata= JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=rzh&AN=2010347175 Dugan, B. ( 2007). Loss of identity in disaster: How do you say goodbye to home? Perspectives in Psychiatric Care . 43(1),41-46 Retrieved September 8, 2011, from: http://content. ebscohost. com/pdf18_21/pdf/2007/22L /01Feb07/23785080. pdf? T=P&P=AN&K=2009508445&S=R&D=rzh&Ebsco Ehrlich, M. , Harville, E. , Buekens, P. , Pridjan, G. , & Elkid-Hirsch, K. , (2010). Loss of resources and hurricane experience as predictors of post partum depression among women in southern Louisiana. Journal of Womens Health 19(5), 877-884 Epstein, R. A. , Heinemann, A. W. , and McFarland, L. V. ,(2010). Quality of life for veterans and servicemembers with major traumatic limb loss from Vietnam and OIF/OEF conflicts. Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development 47(4), 373-386. Retrieved September 18, 2011, from: http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? vid=22&hid=127&sid=1346ad7f-572a- 4072- b160-a0ba9b0916e1%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2 ZQ%3d%3d#d b=rzh&AN=2010714399 Foust, J. , (2006). Re: Grief sorrow loss and morning [Online forum comment]. Retrieved September 5, 2011, from: http://theraphyinphiladelphia. com/selfhelp/tips/C86/ Gailey, R. , McFarland, L. V. , Cooper, R. A. , Czerniecki, J. , Gambel, J. M. , Hubbard, S. , Maynard, C. , Smith, D. G. , Raya, M. , & Reiber, G. E. (2010). Unilateral lower-limb loss: Prosthetic device use and functional outcomes in servicemembers from Vietnam war and OIF/OEF conflicts. Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development 47(11) 317-332 Gipson, J. , (2009) Living with loss. Mental Health Practice 12(5), 22-24. Retrieved September 18, 2011, from: http://ezproxy. snu. edu:2056/ehost/detail? vid=7&hid=8&sid=82932029- 8cc8-434b-afd5-63517ab0000e%40sessionmgr14&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3Q tbGl2ZQ%3d %3d#db=rzh&AN=2010193668 Gordan, J. , (2009). An evidence-based approach for supporting parents experiencing chronic sorrow. Retrieved september 5, 2011, from: http://ezproxy. snu. edu:2056/ehost/pdfviewer /pdfviewer? sid=69ff5835-74c8-43e1-bffd-3252bfa3a859%40sessionmgr 111&vid=41&hid=126 Hamilton, M. , (2005). Grief and bereavement: coping with loss of a spouse. Journal of Nursing and Residential Care 7(5), 214-216 Retrieved September 22,2011, from: http://ezproxy. snu. edu:2056/ehost/detail? vid=6&hid=8&sid=82932029-8cc8-434b-afd5- 63517ab0000e%40sessionmgr14&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db =rzh&AN=2005101521 Kratza, A. , Williams, R. , Turner, A. , Raichle, K. , Smith, D. , & Ehde, D. (2010). To lump or to split? Comparing individuals with traumatic and nontraumatic limb loss in the first year after amputation. Rehabilitation Psychology 55(2), 126-138. Retrieved September 22,2011, from: http://web. bscohost. com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? sid=fb4631bd-e30d- 4d04-86b9- 9daef0a7f731%40sessionmgr104&vid=13&hid=17 Lees, J. , (2008). A spiritual perspective on loss and bereavement. International Journal for Human Caring 12(2), 90-94. Love, A. W. , (2007). Progress in understanding grief complicated grief, and caring for the bereaved, Contemporary Nurse 27, 73-83. Mak, M. K. Y. , Yang, F. , & Pai, Y. , (2011). Limb collapse, rather than in stability, causes failure in sit-to-stand performance among patients with Parkinson disease. American Physical Therapy Association 91(3), 381-391. Retrieved September 18, 2011, from: Peterson, S. J. & Bredow, T. S. ,( 2009). Middle Range Theories Application to Nursing Reasearch (2nd ed. ). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Wolters Kluwer Lippincott & Wilkins Potter, P. A. & Perry, A. G. , (2009). Fundamentals of Nursing (7th ed. ). St. Louis, Missouri: Mosby Elsevier Inc. Risley-Curtis, C. , (2010). Social work practitioners and the human-companion animal bond: a national study. Social Work 55(1), 38-48. Retrieved September 18, 2011, from: http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? sid=0d5bc274-2c67-4cb4-8eca- 959ee2d730dd%40sessionmgr12&vid=1&hid=17&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3 QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=rzh&AN=2010505488 Scaletti, R. , & Hocking, C. , (2010). Healing through story telling: an integrated approach for children experiencing grief and loss. New Zealand Journal of Occupational Therapy, 57(2), 66-71. Smallbone, C. , & Staniland, K. , (2011). Care in the community; what would happen if the lights went out? British Journal of Community Nursing 16 (7), 342-346. Teel, C. S. , (1991). Chronic sorrow: analysis of the concept, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 16, 1311-1329. Van Horn, E. & Mishel, M. , (2008). Loss of resources and depressive symptoms after traumatic injury. Southern Online Journal of Nursing Research 8(3), 15-37. Retrieved September 22, 2011, from: http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? vid=11&hid=17&sid=fb4631bd-e30d- 4d04-86b99daef0a7f731%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d% 3d#db =rzh&AN=2010058219 Wells, D. L. , (2009 ). Associations between pet ownership and self-reported health status in people suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, The Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine 15(4), 407-413. Retrieved September 18, 2011, from: http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/detail? vid=20&hid=127&sid=1346ad7f-572a- 4072-b160-a0ba9b0916e1%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ ]=%3d%3d#db=rzh&AN=2010261702 Wilson, H. S. , (1989). Research in Nursing (2nd ed. ). Redwood City, California. Addison Wesley

Open Possibilities - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 1972 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/02/05 Category Education Essay Level High school Tags: Teacher Essay Did you like this example? Setting Open Possibilities is an outpatient counseling center located in the city of Costa Mesa, California. In total, the center employs about 40 MFT Trainees from various graduate programs throughout California. Open Possibilities is a non-profit organization that operates to assist low income, struggling individuals and families at the clinic, while also maintaining contracts with multiple school districts and homeless shelters to provide counseling services at a low cost. Various elementary, middle, and high schools are contracted with Open Possibilities in Santa Ana, Ocean View (Huntington Beach), and Little Lake (Norwalk) unified school districts. A homeless shelter, called WISE Place for Women is also contracted with Open Possibilities to provide counseling services at a low cost. MFT Trainees may also see individual adult or child, couples, or family clients at the clinic on a sliding scale fee. The intake process involves a client calling the clinic to ask for services, which they will then be matched to an MFT Trainee based on availability of schedule, and then the MFT Trainee will give the client a call to schedule an intake session. Lastly, Open Possibilities also offers groups such as Teen Anger Management, Teen Substance Abuse, Adult Anger Management, and Parenting classes. Clients’ who attend these various groups may either be court mandated or voluntary. The intake process will be similar to individual counseling, but will be based on clients’ preference of which group (day/time) to join. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Open Possibilities" essay for you Create order Identifying Information The client is a 14-year old, heterosexual, Hispanic female. She’s currently in 7th grade and is not in a relationship, although she expresses a desire to be in one with a boy from her previous school. The client is the middle child of three. She has an older sister and a younger sister, ages 19 and 10. Both parents are married and living in the same house. About a month and a half ago, client’s grandparents and one of her aunts came from Mexico to live with her family and she complains of not having enough space in the house due to the amount of people living with them. The client was initially referred for counseling by her school guidance counselor dating back to November 2017, for fighting with another female student. The client stated that the reason for fighting was due to a female student spreading rumors about her regarding other male students. She reported not liking what she heard about what was being said, so when she went to confront this student, a physical altercation broke out. Another incident occurred this past February, where client was involved in mutual combat with another female student, after hearing rumors being spread about her and other boys. Presenting Complaints The client has difficulty expressing her emotions appropriately. She has a quiet and calm demeanor, but holds a lot of her anger internally. She lets her anger build up until it spills over and she will engage in destructive behaviors. The client was asked about her anger meter, a scale from 1-10; 1 representing no anger, and a 10 representing explosive anger. She stated that she was at a six or seven most days. This represents quite an elevated level of anger for normal functioning. The client also struggles with change. After the altercation with another student in March, she was given a new schedule of classes to avoid conflict with that particular student. She reported refusing to attend one of her classes and was often late to other classes. Back in October 2017, the client was kicked out of her previous school for fighting and has struggled to adjust to the new school. She complains of her peers being different from her previous school in that they tend to spread rumors when fe male students have male friends. The client also struggles with trust, so this had a compounding effect, in that she struggles making new friends because everyone at the school is â€Å"shady† and cannot be trusted. Behavioral Observations The client is very consistent in attending session every week. She tends to wear a black or grey hoodie with black or grey pants. She has long black hair, stands at about 5’3† in height, and has a slender build. She often comes into session wearing her backpack while sitting down. Her posture is often relaxed and will lean back in her chair. The client appears to be healthy and doesn’t show any signs of cognitive or intellectual irregularities. She is oriented x3 and shows good insight and focus to stay on topic. The client more often than not appears sleepy when first coming into session and will often avoid eye contact when speaking. She presents with a very quiet and calm demeanor and often looks well composed. During the first session, the client appeared guarded, but has since opened up about her personal life. During the fifth session, the client broke down crying when speaking about all the challenges she’s experiencing in life. The client does not e xpress any homicidal or suicidal ideation nor does she present with any hallucinations or delusions. Precipitating Factors and History of the Problem The client has struggled making friends dating back to elementary school. This is due to a combination of inadequate social skills and an irrational belief that other people are untrustworthy. In the 4th grade, client reported self-harming behavior for the first time due to the fact that she had no friends and felt alone. In the 6th grade, client’s uncle passed away due to alcoholism and drug use, which led client to engage in self-harming behavior for the second time. The client reported being close to her uncle and trusting of him and misses him today. She reports of never receiving prior counseling or referral to a support group. Personal matters were dealt within her immediate family. The client did express a need to have a place to express her feelings and emotions outside the family system. Developmental and Historical Information The client was born without complications, a normal, healthy, baby girl. She was the second born out of three sisters. Growing up, the client reports that her parents were often out working and did not spend much time with her even though she would make attempts to try to spend time with them. At the same time, the client reports not being close to her sisters, especially her older sister. There’s a six year age difference between the client and her older sister, and because of that she reports her older sister always being out doing her own thing with her friends instead of spending time with the client. Today, the client reports having an â€Å"okay† relationship with her older sister. They spend some time together going to the mall or getting food to eat, which the client describes as a â€Å"good time.† On the other hand, there are also times where her relationship with her older sister is strained because as the client describes, â€Å"the things my sister says to me makes me feel worthless.† She’s referencing the times where she misbehaves at school; getting into fights, cutting class, receiving excessive tardiness letters, and getting caught holding marijuana for a friend. There’s periods of times where the client has a good relationship with her older sister, but also periods of times where the relationship is strained. In the 4th grade, the client reported not having any friends and feeling alone and isolated, which led her to her first instance of self-harming behavior. She attributed the reason for the lack of friendships as not being able to trust any of her peers because all they did was gossip. In the 6th grade, the client lost her uncle to alcoholism and drug abuse, which led to the second instance of self-harming behavior. The client reported being r eally close to her uncle and was very trusting of him. He was someone she was able to talk to and confide with. She took the loss really hard, which brought back feelings of isolation, causing her to self-harm. The client speaks of being very fond of her cousins and feels comfortable speaking with them about personal matters. She finds comfort and safety when in their presence. Since the 6th grade, the client reports not having made another attempt at self-harm or ideation. Since elementary school, the client reports being an â€Å"okay† student academically. She puts effort into her classes, but not as much as she could. She also does not do all her homework. She reports enjoying social science, but dislikes math and language arts. The client transferred from another middle school back in October 2017, after attending the school from 6th grade up until the first few months of 7th grade. The reason for the transfer was because the client got kicked out of the school for fighting with other students. Not even a month attending the client’s current school, and she gets into a fight with a female student. She was suspended for two days. The cause of this fight was because of the female student spreading rumors about the client and a male friend. This past February, the client was suspended again after being caught with marijuana in her backpack. She was suspended for two days and was required to attend a two day drug program at the school. The client reported that she was only holding the marijuana for a friend. When confronted by her parents about the incident, the client reported running away from home because she did not want to deal with her parents. According to the client, she has never tried drugs or alcohol, but is curious. Asides from her uncle, the rest of her family does not have a history of alcoholism or substance abuse. The client reports being healthy, eating a normal diet, but has not had a medical check-up in a few years. In March, the client was again involved in a fight with a female student due to the spread of rumors via social media. She was suspended for three days. At the present moment, the client reports being single and is not interested in dating anyone at the school. She does have a tendency of b ringing up a former love interest at her old school, whom she had a previous short term relationship with, as a person of interest. This person has hurt her in the past, as she found out that he had a girlfriend at the same time they were together. The client feels very conflicted about her feelings for this person. Social and Cultural Information The client’s presenting problem or current difficulties stem from a number of social and cultural factors including SES, Hispanic culture, and peer pressure from being a teenager. A person’s SES can have a major influence on their psychological and physical well-being (Decarlo, Wadsworth, Stump, 2011). The client has both parents in the home, whom work, but is providing for three children. She reports being low SES, in the working class. There is a link between low SES and negative psychological health outcomes (Decarlo, Wadsworth, Stump, 2011). They are associated with higher levels of emotional and behavioral difficulties, including social problems such as delinquent behavior and ADHD. Higher rates of aggression, depression, anxiety, attempted suicide, and drug and alcohol dependence is also seen. Low SES is linked to poor academic success due to having less available resources. Children are often at a disadvantage when starting Kindergarten because they have less verbal and literacy skills than those from high SES families. Adolescent’s entering high school have literacy skills about five years behind those from high income families (Sheridan McLaughlin, 2016). These kids tend to be more absent from school throughout their educational experience. And the dropout rate has steadily increase for those living in poverty. Low income students fail to graduate about five times the rate of middle income families.