Documenting the Media Revolution Research Paper - 1

Documenting the Media Revolution - Research Paper Example However, the advent of the computer era and the development of various electronic based gadgets have allowed man to finally come up with an alternative to print media. I speak of the eBook readers that come bundled with most of our smartphones and tablet PC's. This paper will take a look into the history of the eBook, what gadgets existed prior to the advent of the modern day eBook reader, and how the technology has made reading a more interactive activity these days. eBooks first appeared on the market back in 1998. The precursor of today's readers were the Softbook and Gemstar Rocket eBook Reader. These particular readers did not easily catch on at the time since most people were still adapting to the internet and paperless era so very little attention if any were actually paid to the launch of these readers. However, the year 2000 launch of Stephen King's horror novel Ride the bullet in pure eBook format called attention to the up and coming technology. By 2003, eBooks and readers were still trying to break into the market as paper books still remain the traditional favorite. by July, Gemstar is merely a footnote in the history of the readers while Barnes and Noble pulls out eBooks from their stores. Critics then begin to predict the beginning of the end for the digital reader format. But the technology gains a new life with the advent of the Sony Librie which is a marked improvement upon its predecessors since it now uses electronic ink and has managed to reduce the backlight glare thus allowing the reader to show the same type of actual ink quality for the reader. By 2007, the Kindle is released and everyone now knows that the eBook reader is here to stay. From that point on other ebook reader devices such as the Nook come into market play. (Kozlowski, Michael â€Å"A Brief History of eBooks†). Even print book manufacturers cannot help but acknowledge that the eBook is fast edging out its physical format competitor in terms of book sales. According to research done by the Pew Research Center: The population of e-book readers is growing. In the past year, the number of those who read e-books increased from 16% of all Americans ages 16 and older to 23%. At the same time, the number of those who read printed books in the previous 12 months fell from 72% of the population ages 16 and older to 67%. (Rainie, Lee & Duggan Maeve â€Å"E-Book Reading Jumps; Print Book Reading Declines†) If one were to think about it, the rise of the eBook reader was actually something that was going to happen eventually. Our society is fast becoming a very tech savvy, gadget obsessed group that is constantly on the look out for the next big gadget that can make their lives easier. In this case, the eBook reader came across at just the right time. People were already conditioned to reading newspapers and other material via the internet and through their computer screens that using the eBook reader was not something that people feared anymore. The technology also found itself vastly improved thanks to the constantly evolving structure of the laptops as well. Newspapers and book publishers acknowledged the fact that there was more money for them to make through the electronic publication of their newspapers and books, so it is easy to surmise that the publishing sector also had a direct hand in the decision of their subscribers to switch to the eBook version of their reading material. (Fowler, Geoffrey & Baca, Marie â€Å"The ABC's of E-Reading). One reason that people are

Organizational Culture and Decision Making

Organizational Culture and Decision Making Introduction. Decision making is an important part to operator a company successfully, in the same time the organizational culture also can influence the company somehow, and the organizational culture can been considered as the centre theme of the whole company because of it describe and explain what the company is and what the company need to do. Decision making also can be influenced by the organizational culture. The concept of organizational culture To define organizational culture, people should understand what culture means in a society. In a broad sense, culture is the summation of spiritual values and material values which was recognized and formed in the historical activities of the society.In a narrow sense, culture is the ideology and the organization, rules which matched with it. But the organizational culture is different from the culture in traditional meaning, and it is the result of effect from serval elements such as the awareness, character, habit of the member in the organization and their scientific and cultural level(See Schien,1985).Organizational culture is the beliefs and values that are shared. As such, the culture prescribe what is true, and describe and, therefore, the goals one ought to pursue and how one should go about pursuing them.(Beyer,1981) And the organizational culture is based on the organization, and forming with the organization or dying with the organization, it exist no matter it has been pr esented.(Nystrom W. H. Starbuck) As a kind of culture which formed in a organization, organizational culture can be influenced by the managers, and that is why the organizational culture is a part of management. It is based on the organizational values, (Wikipedia, Organizational culture, 2010) and the organizational values is ruled and controlled by the manager-CEO(Chief Executive Officer). In the other words, the organizational culture is created by the CEO. There are several types of organizational culture, and they can be classified by several methods. According to Geert Hofstedes research on IBMs employees in different parts of the world. He identified four dimensions of culture. 1.Power distance 2.Uncertainty avoidance 3.Individualism vs. Collectivism 4.Masculinity vs. Femininity.(Hofstede G. 1980). On the other hand, there are some elements of organizational culture People and empowerment focused Value creation through innovation and change Attention to the basics, hands-on management, Doing the right thing, Freedom to grow and to fail, Commitment and personal responsibility, Emphasis on the future. (Wikipedia,Organizational culture, 2010) All of these elements are important in the forming process of organizational culture, and they can not be copied so each organizational culture is unique and an organizational culture is improving all the time The effect of organizational culture on decision making Since the definition of organizational culture has been gave, it has become more easy to analysis the relationship between organizational culture and decision making. There is no doubt that the decisions were made by the empolyee in the organization, according to the definition of organizational culture, the organizational culture influence the member.Organizational culture can be divided into strong organizational cultures and weak organizational cultures. A strong organizational culture means the organizational culture can influence the organization more deeply than weak organizational culture. Whether organizational culture is strong or weak can be relate to the original culture, the scale of the organization, the liquidity of employees and the employee. As a result, a strong culture can decide how the staffs who have a unitive attitude respond to the stimulus, on the other hand,with a weak culture of the organization, staffs have different attitudes and responds. That means a same decision can make different effects in two organization if the organizational cultures are differentin the organization with a strong culture, the decision would be accepted easily,and in the organization with a weak culture, the staffs may doubt the decision and that make the decision implement hard. (CambellNash,1992) So, the organizational culture influences decisions by its members and the way in which it influences its members acceptance or rejection of the decision. That means when the manager making decision, he or she must consider more thing to ensure the decision can work out efficient. As a organization, especially a organization with a strong organizational culture, organizational culture can limit the managers choices to make decision to manage his or her management function. Because the organizational culture establish the regulations about what people should do or should not do. Although the regulations are not write down, even not explicit or people do not talk about, they are exist and influence people all the time. The first hypothesis is that different groups can be demonstrated to have different degrees of culture fragmentation, and that this will either reflect or be reflected in their general well-being and success in pursuit of their goals.(Lee Roy Beach 1998) Decision making in organizations is accomplished by application of both the compatibility test and the profitability test, in precisely the same way as for individual decision makers.(Lee Roy Beach, 1998) This is because the organizational culture, vision, and strategic plans are possessed by its members; there is no organizational mind that retains there images and makes decisions(Beach, 1990) There are many commons in individual decision making between organizational decision making. All of the two type of decision maker must consider about environment, the whole plan of the business, and the danger. But decision making in an organization can be more difficult, because the decision can bring changes, and members of this organization may have resist or welcome two completely different attitude. In turn to conservative, nostalgia, maintain organization, people always based on past the criterion for judging now decisions, always worried in change will lose what will occur, thus to dou bt and fear and changes of psychology and behavior; organ-tissues Conversely, in a pioneering, innovation atmosphere organization, people always with the development the judgement to analysis and decision of rationality, always hope in May produce change, so eager to get what changes, welcome change, support changes. Obviously, welcome change of organizational culture conducive to the implementation of the new decision, and resist change of organizational culture may give any new decision-making implementation disastrous effects. In the latter case, in order to effectively implement the new decision through a lot of work, must first change organization member attitudes, establishing a conducive to change of organizational culture. How an organizational culture enhance a company The organizational culture is core of a organization. For example, the worlds first brand-Coca-Cola Company. Its boss said: Even today all of my factory all destroyed, tomorrow I also can easily built a new one Coca-Cola. That is because the Coca-Colas organizational culture give him the confidence. The general organizational culture is creative and focus on customer. All the decision making processes must focus on these two points. In China, Coca-Cola set up its brands such as Allen su and Qoo to pander to Chinese customer, even Coca-Cola has become the leader of the drink, but they still not give up creating. In 1995 German, the management of Coca-Cola decided to set up a new subsidiary corporation to produce a kind of new drink-koke light and diet koke. That was a result of the organizational culture influence,and the koke light has become the third drink brand in the world. Another example of Coca-Cola organizational culture is the found of Fanta. In World War II, a Coca-Cola fac tory in German insisted produced coke during the war, even the headquarter of Coca-Cola did not know they were still working. But because the shortage of raw materials, they decided to use other materials to produce another orange soda drink, and what make them surprise is the drink achieved a great success and earned a number of profits. This decision made Coca-Cola reborn in European, principals use of these funds, and assisted other European territory Coca-Cola drink plant rebuilding operation, for Coca-Cola postwar market solid foundation. While Fanta was also corporation acceptance, in the 1950s officially launched. (Wikipedia, Fanta, 2010) That is why the organizational culture makes Coca-Cola become the first drink brand whose share of market is 48% in the world. How the organizational culture can save a company Organizational culture not only can make Coca-Cola maintain its overlordship in the market but also can save a small company from the predicament of going bankrupt. In 1980s, Haier is a company which only had a little factory and a backward product line, even worse the small company had debt of over ÃÆ' ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ¥1.4 million. The Zhang Ruimin took over the company and pushed new management methods, put the attention on creativity. After years hard working, Zhang managed to create a new organizational culture, it made Haier refleash on the stage. As a result of focus on creativity, Haier produced more than 200 types including 13 areas. Now, Haier build more than 29 factory and 8 research centre. In 2008,Haier was appraised as the first brand of Chinese consumer electronics industry. Haier brand topped the top two consecutive years, reflect the Haiers international influence. (Jeannie Jinsheng Yi,Shawn Xian Ye, 2003) How can the organizational culture undermine decisionmaking On the other hand, an organizational culture not only can benefits a lot for a organization but also destroy an organization. Motorola, one of three world communication leaders, it can be recognized as the origin of the mobile phone and telecommunication. Almost all the modern communication technologies can refer to the contributions of Motorola, and Motorola had the largest share of market. But in recent years, the sale performance of Motorola keeps dropping, and the lack of creative lead to the product is repetitive and no advantage when compared with other same kind of products from other company. In an interview of Business Weekly, the CEO of Motorola-Greg Brow summarized the reasons. He said;Among the departments of lack of a free flowing communication. We need to quickly and no filtering the level of free flow of information flow, rather than information is divided into different levels. We should be in technology and products trends as soon as possible to face reality.Successf ul enterprise could hear sounds from both within and outside the enterprise. They are not only depending on technical level, level or search process, but different opinions, and seeking and user most close to the practical needs. They zhongsheng in observing the whole to the developing tendency of the market continuously, and examine the enterprise internal execution and resilience.(Business Weekly ,2009) From the interview, it is not hard to see the organizational culture made the negative effect on the decision making which lead Motrorla went downhill. The overconfidence and wrong forces on the requirement of customer results the share of market decreased from 100% to 4% in 1995 ,and in 1998, the Nokia announced they has become the biggest electric communication company in the world. The three examples of how the organizational culture affect on the decision making, all showed the organizational culture plays an important role in decision making. The managers should adjust the decision to blend in the organizational culture or make decision according to the organizational culture, only this way can make the decision work out more successfully and efficiently. Conclusion In this essay, it is not hard to understand the organizational culture is so important that it can influence the development of the company in the future. An organizational culture can be strong or weak, a weak organizational culture makes the cohesive force low in enterprises, and a strong organizational culture makes more influence than a weak organizational culture, but that does not mean the organizational culture is more stronger is better.The organizational culture affects the decision making in two ways, one way is the organizational culture influences the atmosphere in the organization or encourage the staffs and direct them how to achieve the goals. Another way is to establish the regulations, it may make employees act more carefully in the organization, but it also limits the vision of employees to make right decision.

Discrimination Against The Elderly :: essays research papers fc

Discrimination against the Elderly American society has been described as maintaining a stereotypic and often negative perception of older adults. This negative and/or stereotypic perception of aging and aged individuals is apparent in such areas as language, media, and humor. For example, such commonly used phrases as over the hill and an old fart denote old age as a period of impotency and incompetence. The term used to describe this stereotypic and often negative bias against older adults is ageism. Ageism can be defined as "any attitude, action, or institutional structure, which subordinates a person or group because of age or any assignment of roles in society purely on the basis of age"(Webster 25). As an ism, ageism reflects a prejudice in society against older adults. The victims of bigotry and prejudice are generally referred to as minorities. This is not because they are necessarily fewer in number, but because they are deprived of the rights and privileges of the majority (the Aged 4). Ageism, however, is different from other isms (sexism, racism etc.), for primarily two reasons. First, age classification is not static. An individual's age classification changes as one progresses through life. Therefore, age classification is characterized by continual change, while the other classification systems traditionally used by society such as race and gender remain constant. From this we can conclude that denial of old age is a principal source of bigotry against those who are old now (the Aged 4). Second, no one is exempt from at some point achieving the status of old. Unless they die at an early age, they will experience ageism. The later is an important distinction as ageism can affect an individual on two levels. First, the individual may be ageist with respect to others. That is they may stereotype other people on the basis of age. Second, the individual may be ageist with respect to self so ageist attitudes may affect the self-concept. â€Å"We live in a culture that reveres youth. To be young is to be alive, sexy, and full of energy. To be old is to be "senile," "worthless," and having "one foot in the grave"†(Online 1). This is the attitude most often seen in modern society. In general there are at least nine known major stereotypes that reflect prejudice towards senior citizens. These include illness, impotency, ugliness, mental decline, mental illness, uselessness, isolation, poverty and depression(Ageism 20).

Ipremier and Denial of Service Attack †Case Study Essay

In a recent Information Management lecture we went through the case of iPremier (read the full case) which is a popular case study from Harvard Business School. It was a made up case but the recent high profile hacking stories (such as Gawker) show that companies are not taking security seriously. The background is that iPremier suffered a DOS attack in the middle of the night which caused chaos in the company. After an hour the attack stopped and the company went back to business as normal. Two weeks later another DOS attack was spawned from the company’s server directed at a competitor which proved that their server had been compromised. The FBI became involved, the competitor threatened to sue and the city analysts were thinking of downgrading the stock. Our role was to come up with recommendations as to how the processes and plans could be improved for the future. Keeping in mind that the security is about more than just technology we needed to brainstorm around people and processes as well. 1. People and processes Develop a business continuity plan (test it end to end including suppliers and keep it updated) Develop an IT governance framework that includes security in its remit Develop clear reporting lines Better training for emergencies Trust your technical leaders and make sure they have the resources to lead in a crisis Make security part of strategy Hire an independent audit team who report into the board Hire a security and risk expert Develop a better relationship with your hosting provider 2. Technology Avoid single points of failure. Separate the server stack so that database, web and file servers are not on the same network Use a reputable hosting provider with a world class infrastructure and support Make sure all your software is up to date Use a combination of hardware and or software firewalls Backup and redundancy planning and testing Active monitoring Strong one-way encryption of passwords Use open auth systems such as Facebook connect

Marriage and Family Therapy Essay

This paper will also evaluate five major themes relevant to Marriage and Family Therapy which include: ethical dilemmas in marriage and family counseling, premarital counseling qualifications of marriage and family therapists including licensure and certification. The biblical insight related to marriage and family therapy will also be explored as well as my personal reflections about this topic. History and Development of Marriage Counseling Marriage counseling was established in the early 1930’s. Counselors recognized the advantages and effectiveness of treating married couples in joined sessions. This growing appreciation for patterns of relationships in families led to numerous studies on marital conflict and dynamics and the effects on children’s development. In 1932, there were three marital clinics said to open. They worked with individuals and their difficulties adhering to traditional gender role expectations. Developed and founded in the late 1970’s was the Marriage and Family Therapy’s code of ethics which is called The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). The organization’s philosophy was that marriage and family therapy were two separate areas, each with their own histories, concepts and differing practices. (AAMFT, 2012) Introduction of Marriage and Family Counseling Counseling is to help persons understand and clarify their views of their life space, and to learn to reach their self-determined goals through meaningful, well-informed choices and through resolution or problems of an emotional or interpersonal nature. (Burks and Steffire, 1979 . Focusing on a broader field in counseling, What is Marriage and Family Counseling? Marriage and family counselors work with couples and families on a wide range of clinical problems including, but not limited to, depression, marital strife, communication, and anxiety and child-parent problems. Marriage and family counseling is not just for unhappy or struggling couples, couple’s therapy can be used proactively to strengthen bonds and to gain a better understanding of one other. In addition, before a marriage begins pre-marital counseling can help couples achieve a deeper understanding of each other and iron out differences before their wedding day. They also help families learn to solve their problems by managing their relationships effectively. Family therapists often work with individuals, the couple and parents and children to get a better perspective of patterns that affect the entire system to develop strategies for modification. (Corey, Corey ;amp; Callanan p. 450 2011). Family Counseling is important to the counseling field this therapy can help people within the family to resolve their disputes and quarrels through effective communication. Proper communication with the help of a therapist or a counselor can help family members discuss their problems and issues with each other. The importance of the family in our development as whole and healthy individuals is recognized as a basic truth by. In most cases, however, a disturbed and distressed client will have some difficult, challenging relationships within his/her family and these will need to be explored and addressed if the client is to discover and create relief and resolution of their problem. Biblical Insights related to Marriage and Family Therapy In the book, Competent Christian Counseling it states that â€Å"To understand the individual, the one must see the individual in the context of his or her system of relationships† This implies that the quality of a individual is much more than one person, the person is a part of a social system that begins with family. (Clinton ;amp; Ohlsclager p. 518 2002). From a biblical aspect Family is described as a social system that progressed by forming a set of rules, roles, power structure. Forms of communication and way to solve problems. There are four key principles that a Christian counselors point out when approaching any family. The first one is â€Å"The family, in is social dimensions, reflects God†. Meaning that The Father, Son and Holy Spirit all have unique distinctiveness however they are â€Å"one† as God; this is compared to the Family. A family can consist of a mother, father and children or a mother and husband. If thought they are their own persons, they are considered â€Å"one†. The second key principle that is describe is â€Å"Family health, individual health, and maturity are inseparably entwined†. This key principle entails that the powers of family identity and socialization is significant for growth and development among each family member, which can ultimately lead to healthy family living. â€Å"The Family is also like the church is that next basic principle, meaning that a family has functions like the church. Finally, the last key principle describes states that â€Å"Trouble is reproduced, but can also be stopped, in families and in generations of families†. This key principle indicates that there is a psychosocial and spiritual relation among family reproduction pertaining to alcoholism and other issues as describes in Competent Christian Counseling as â€Å"generational curses†. Christians believe that these issues within families from generation to generation can be transformed through Christ. A example is that of Abraham found in Genesis 20. Abrahams family was said to show favoritism to certain children, which continued for three generations. When it comes to marriage counseling, Christian counselors believe marriage counseling helps couples to understand God’s pattern for husband-wife relationships, diagnoses unbiblical patterns and their root causes, and prescribes God’s solutions for soul change that leads to relational growth. Biblical marriage counseling should result in enhanced relationship: closeness with Christ, intimacy with your spouse, and a sense of greater peace. Biblical insights involving to family counseling, the focus is solutions, not simply external solutions. Your counselor will help you to understand God’s design for healthy family living, will assist you to assess unhealthy and unbiblical ways of relating as parents and children, and will equip you to reconcile and grow in your family relationships. Counselor Identity, Functions and Ethics of Marriage and Family Counseling The practice of Marriage and Family counseling rest on the foundation of systems theory, which views psychological problems as arising from within the person’s present environment and intergenerational family system. Corey, Corey, Callanan p. 449 2011). The systems theory is very similar to the views on Christian Counselors as stated earlier; â€Å"Trouble is reproduced, but can also be stopped, in families and in generations of families†. Marriage and Family therapists follow a specific code of ethics know as The American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). Founded in 1942 as the American Association of Marriage Counselors, the A AMFT has been involved with the problems, needs and changing patterns of couples and family relationships. The association focuses on increasing understanding, research and education in the field of marriage and family therapy, and ensuring the quality training of marriage and family therapists. AAMFT members meet standards for education and training and are held to the ethical standards of the profession. (AAMFT, 2011) AAMFT ethics are broken down in eight core areas. The first area is the responsibility to Clients. Marriage and family therapist have a responsibility to the welfare of both the family and individuals in the family. Therapists are to make reasonable efforts to guarantee their services are used properly and accordingly. Confidentiality is the next core area, which applies to all code of ethics pertaining to the counseling field. Confidentially in Marriage and Family is distinctive because the therapist is dealing with a group of people. However, the AAMFT insist on therapists to respect the confidentiality of each individual client. Although, confidentiality is essential, there are some exceptions. Those exceptions include, mandates by the law pertaining to cases of child and elderly abuse, incest, or abuse to persons with disabilities. A therapist has an exemption from confidentially when it is necessary to protect clients from hurting themselves and others (AAMFT, 2011). When working with a family, all family members must agree concerning the release of any information. Some therapists, in fact, arrange for sessions with individual family members to actively encourage the sharing of â€Å"secrets† to better understand what is occurring in the family. The therapist then may work with the individual client in the hope of enabling that person to disclose the same information in the family session. Marriage and family therapists are to maintain high standards if professional competence and integrity. Therapists must remain current on any developments and advances relevant to their field of practice. They can do this by continuing education, training, workshops and interacting with other professionals in the marriage and family therapy field. (Corey, Corey ;amp; Callanan p. 452 2011). Therapists also have a responsibility to students and supervisees. They are not to manipulate the trust and dependency of the students and supervisees in which there are working with. Responsibility to the profession is the next core is in the AAMFT code of ethics. This includes reporting people practicing without a license and contributing to community service for advancement of the society. The next core area is financial arrangements. Marriage and family therapists are not to misuse clients financially for services. Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions states that clients are to be â€Å"truthful in representing facts to clients and to third parties regarding any services rendered†. The last core area in the ethical standards of Marriage and family therapy is advertising. Therapists are able to truthfully represent their competence, education, training and experience in marriage and family therapy. Nevertheless, they should not advertise themselves as specialists with show evidence and supporting this assertion. The therapist’s primary responsibilities are to protect the rights and to promote the welfare of his or her clients. The dilemma with multiple clients is that in some situations an intervention that serves one person’s best interests may be conflicting to another. Indeed, the very reason that families tend to seek therapy is because they have conflicting goals and interests. The family therapist must insure that improvement in the status of one family member does not Occur at the expense of another family member. Other therapists implement the policy of not keeping secrets from other family members. They clearly discourage the sharing of any information that might lead to a special alliance with one individual and that excludes the remaining uninformed family members. The impact of the therapist’s values, unavoidable in any counseling process, can play a particularly role in marriage and family therapies. Issues discussed in family therapy elicit very important personal, familial, and societal values regarding preservation of the family system, extramarital relationships, and sex roles. Dealing with these values is not easy, particularly when the therapist confronts a conflict in values among different family members and is inclined to reinforce the beliefs and attitudes of one family member over another (Hines & Hare p. 65 1978). Premarital Counseling Couples now face more demands and have fewer supports than ever before. The typical complex marriage includes managing two careers while rearing children – really requires that couples have very strong, well-established abilities to communicate, resolve issues, maintain support and set goals. Without this foundation, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by stress and time pressures . Problems can intrude much more easily than most couples realize. Therefore, premarital counseling is recommended for couples looking to eventually get married. Research shows that premarital counseling reduces the risk of divorce by up to 30% . Premarital counseling is a type of therapy that helps couples prepare for marriage. Premarital counseling can help ensure that you and your partner have a strong, healthy relationship, giving you a better chance for a stable and satisfying marriage. Premarital counseling can also help you identify weaknesses that could become bigger problems during marriage. There are a variety of formats of counseling through local psychology and counseling centers, including individual counseling, small group counseling and interactive seminars where couples participate with a large number of other couples. (Wright p. 65 1992) Characteristics and Qualifications of Marriage and Family Therapists To be qualified as a marriage and family therapist requires not just that you get the right degree, pass the right tests and meet the licensing requirements, but that you possess qualities that prove you to be both sensitive and firm. Corey, Corey and Callanan in Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions identifies personal characteristics for effective marriage and family therapists as being assertive, confident, accepting, appreciating the influence of diversity to just name a few. Self knowledge is predominantly vital for marriage and family therapists because when working with a family, their reactions and perceptions are influenced by their own regard to family of origin issues. Marriage and Family Therapists must be sensitive to dealing with people’s most personal and graphic secrets, shame, guilt and rage. A Marriage and Family therapist should be embarrassed to hear about these things or make distasteful comments about a chosen lifestyle or action, otherwise she risks shutting out the patient. An effective marriage and family therapists must listen to stories that are painful to hear but should remember that those stories are always more painful for the teller than the listener. An important quality in an marriage and family therapists is recognizing the difference between judging and advising. A good marriage and family therapist will help the patient with insights into sensible decisions that lead to greater personal happiness and responsibility but will not tell the patient what choice to make or ask the patient to adhere to the therapist’s own likes and dislikes. An marriage and family therapist should distinguish between dysfunctional qualities in a patient and those that are simply non-normative. Marriage and family therapists may hear confessions of illegal activity or hear from the victims of crimes, and legal codes dictate what they have to report. A therapist’s job is not just to listen but to encourage the patient to take action in his life to get the patient to see their actions in a clear light and make good decisions in turn. Marriage and family therapist can become eligible for state certification, or licensure, upon completion of their internship. First, candidates must register with the Association of Marital and Therapy Regulatory Boards. The Regulatory board will examine the applicant’s credentials, education and experience to establish competency before the applicant can qualify for testing. State certification costs vary from state to state. Each state has different rules regarding retesting if the candidate does not pass the test on his or her first attempt. Upon completion of the test, scores are validated and mailed to the candidate. A candidate who has passed the state exam is called a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and is free to practice in a private or clinical setting. The educational requirements to become a Marriage and Family Therapist are regulated by each state and thus may vary; however, most will require a master’s degree or higher in Marriage and Family Therapy or a related field from an accredited institution. It is essential for students to gain experience in working with a selection of families from different ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. A program that offers a all-inclusive course work and clinical supervision provides the ideal learning situation. Corey, Corey & Callanan p. 457 2011) Ethical Dilemmas is Marriage and Family Counseling Couples counselors and family and marriage therapists are likely to encounter many ethical dilemmas throughout their careers. Because of the nature of couple’s therapy, issues pertaining to informed consent, confidentiality, multiple relationships, and value systems can have a damaging effect of the counselor-client relationship if they aren’t handled appropriately and dis cussed by both parties at the beginning of the counseling relationship. Informed consent refers to the process of informing clients about the therapeutic process. Issues such as fees and payment schedules, appointment cancellation policy, theoretical framework that the counselor employs in his practice, approaches and techniques the counselor intends to use with clients and the limits of confidentiality should all be discussed. In addition to discussing verbal consultation, clients also should be given an informed consent package detailing all the information discussed in session. Clients should be asked to sign an informed consent document for both the client and counselor’s records. In couple’s counseling, informed consent prevents misunderstandings, disagreements and hostility between the counselor and the client. (AAMFT, 2011) One of the biggest ethical dilemmas in any kind of counseling is confidentiality. This is particularly complicated when it comes to couples counseling in which couples receive both individual and couple counseling. It is important for the counselor to determine early on in the counseling process whether information disclosed in individual counseling sessions will be kept confidential or if both individuals will sign waivers allowing what’s discussed in private sessions to be brought up in couples counseling. According to the AAMFT Code of Ethics, counselors must discuss the limits of confidentiality with their clients and make sure clients understand these limits. Article 2. of the AAMFT Code of Ethics states that â€Å"marriage and family therapists do not disclose client confidences except by written authorization or waiver, or where mandated or permitted by law. Verbal authorization will not be sufficient except in emergency situations, unless prohibited by law. When providing couple, family or group treatment, the therapist does not disclose information outside the treatment context without a written authorization from each individual competent to execute a waiver. In the context of couple, family or group treatment, the therapist may not reveal any individual’s confidences to others in the client unit without the prior written permission of that individual. † (AAMFT, 2011) In counseling, multiple relationships refer to a situation when the counselor and client are engaged in a sexual or nonsexual relationship outside the counseling relationship. Multiple relationships are often unavoidable, especially in small towns; as a counselor, you may attend the same church as your clients, your children might be on the same soccer team or you may serve on the same board or council. However, multiple relationships should always be avoided when possible. In couples counseling, multiple relationships can further complicate the counseling relationship if the counselor is involved in a multiple relationship with one client but not the other. The client that is not involved in the multiple relationships may feel that the counselor is taking sides or treating her unfairly. (Corey, Corey ;amp; Callanan 2011) At some point in their careers, counselors are likely to encounter couples with a value and belief system that differs significantly from their own. Within the counseling relationship, the counselor has a position of authority; the counselor must not take advantage of this position by trying to impose his values on the client or clients. Counselors must understand that individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities and religions than their own may have different value systems. It is not the counselor’s job to change his client’s value system; it is only the counselor’s job to help clients become comfortable with the decisions they make within their personal value systems. Article 1. of the AAMFT Code of ethics states that â€Å"marriage and family counselors respect the rights of clients to make decisions and help them to understand the consequences of these decisions. (AAMFT, 2011). Personal Reflections In today’s world more and more people are experiencing life struggles when it comes to family. These issues can range from problems in a marriage, how to deal with your children issues and understand yourself and how to deal with your family and certain issues. The area of marriage and family counseling/therapy has had an outbreak over the past decade. The counselors are expected to work effectively with families experiencing a variety of issues and problems. In marriage and family therapy/counseling there are so many different types of techniques that are out there but should be used and looked upon not a cure, but a method to help mobilize the family. Choosing this topic wasn’t hard for me because of the love I have my family and evaluating what I believe needs to be repaired and what I believe stands strong for us. I believe in saving marriages and families, I think it is really important. Having strong family and a stable marriage plays such a major part in kids lives today, they need a solid foundation in order to have a healthy life. Watching so many young couples get divorce after less than two years of marriage and seeing how the kids suffer really from the break up of the family. I believe that if younger therapist/counselors were out there and start getting involved in the community, church and conducting seminars relating to marriage and families this could be the beginning of change. This is why I chose this topic to research.