Peabloggy

Maury Nation, in the Department of Human and Organizational Development, conducts research on bullying and the prevention of school violence. It’s the kind of work you wish no one had to do. Following the mass shooting at Virginia Tech, I imagine we all would hope for that even more.

Maury’s been quoted a fair amount in the media since April 16 and done television interviews, as well. The latest mention is in USA Today:

Maury Nation, an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University who studies school violence, said there is “no way to predict absolutely” who will follow through on threats of violence. “It’s much better to overreact,” he said, than to assume such threats are bluffs.

This following a spate of threats in schools around the country.

This post is mostly for students that are either currently in the Human Development Counseling (HDC) program, students that thinking about applying for HDC, or students that are in another Counseling program and are going to go on to earn licensure in the state they are in.  Most states, including TN, require counselors to pass the NCE. 

This exam was created by The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), which is under the American Counseling Association (ACA).  The exam entails 200 multiple choice questions that are to be completed within four hours.  There are many study guides put out to help counselors study for this exam, because it covers a incredibly large amount of information. 

I completed the NCE on Saturday.  It took me 3 1/2 hours.  I began preparing for the exam a month in advance.  I used the Encyclopedia of Counseling by Rosenthal, as well as the $24.99 book with practice questions put out by the NBCC that you can order online.  Before taking the test, I felt that even if I had prepared for a year, I wouldn’t be ready for it.  However, after taking it, I believe I was ready.  Of course there were questions I was unsure about, but overall, I felt confident about my answers.

Peabody’s HDC program is CACREP accredited.  The NCE is based on CACREP areas.  I believe this program helped prepare me for this important exam by covering all the 8 CACREP required areas through out our coursework. 

I want to encourage those of you already in the program, to begin looking into the exam and preparing for it.  I also want to encourage those of you who are considering Vanderbilt’s Peabody HDC program, to set up a meeting with Gina Frieden, the director of the program.  Investigate the program and see if it is a good match for you.  I graduate in three weeks, and I am able to say that this program was a great match for me.  I am very glad I chose Vanderbilt.

 ps- I’ll keep you posted on how I did on the NCE.  I will not get my results back for another 6 weeks!

-Anna Oparah

Many people struggle with trust. This struggle could be having a hard time: trusting people to follow through with what they say they will do, trusting God to be who He says He is, trusting that your future holds good things for you, or trusting that you won’t have to struggle on your own.

There are various levels of trust. In relationships, people often ease into trust. They protect themselves and hide parts of themselves because it may be too risky to expose it. Fear is associated with mistrust. Fear of betrayal, rejection, disappointment, hurt and so on.

As I was driving on Interstate 65, on my way to class at Vanderbilt, I began thinking about trust. Driving on a highway requires very high levels of trust. I drive a huge heavy machine (my Jeep) at about 75 mph within feet of other people that are driving huge heavy machines at 75 mph. I am trusting that the people driving the cars next to me will stay within their lines. I am trusting that they will not crash into me, or break hard right in front of me. I am trusting Jeep manufacturers and mechanics that my car will work as it should. My life is on the line. Even people that say they have trouble trusting are required to trust when they are driving on the highway.

I am fascinated with this. Most people don’t think about the trust it requires to do simple things throughout the day. I just wanted to share my thoughts on trust.

-Anna Oparah

I am about to share with you an embarrasing moment that I experienced yesterday, however, I must first set up the story so that you can know the build up!

Within the HDC Master Program, we are required to either complete a Master Thesis or Comprehensive Exams. I chose Comprehensive Exams (a.k.a “Comps”). Comps are over a two day period. There is a written part and an oral part of comps. The oral part involves reading a case study depicting a client and then being questioned on this case for 30 minutes by two faculty members. The questions mostly focus on treatment planning and ethical issues. The written part is 4 hours and is composed of two essay questions. One is a “special topic” which is written by a faculty member with the student. My topic is “the impact of media on young women’s body image in relation to internalization of cultural appearance ideals.” The other essay question is “integrative,” which covers all of the major components of the program, such as multicultural issues, development, research, and theory.

Now that I have given background information on what “Comps” involve, I can talk about how much time and energy went into preparing for them. I have been working on preparing, researching, practicing writing, studying and so on. As Comps grew closer, everyone’s nerves grew as well!

This past Monday we completed the written part and this Tuesday we completed the oral part! Such a weight has been lifted. I am so glad they are over!

So, still curious about my “Embarrassing Moment”?

It has to do with the oral part of Comps. I walked into the room where two male faculty members were sitting. These are professors that I had during my very first semester in the program. The questioning went well. I was nervous, but felt able to defend my answers appropriately.

Here’s the good part…

At the end of the interview one of the professors leaned forward with his hand out. I recognized this as a gesture to shake my hand, so I placed my hand in his and shook it. This all seemed to happen in slow motion, though. As I was shaking his hand, I realized that his facial expression was one of confusion. I then realized that the hand shake felt very awkward and strange. After we were done shaking hands, I soon learned that he was not intending to shake my hand. He actually wanted the papers that were in my OTHER hand! I guess I misinterpreted his leaning over and reaching out his hand, since my nerves were so high from being in the spotlight and answering questions for the past 30 minutes.

I was immediately embarrassed. I think I even let out a strange nervous laugh. The wonderful thing about this experience is what happened next. The other professor noticed all that had just happened and said, “It’s OK, you can shake hands!” and he put his hand out for me to shake! He is such a sweet man! At this, I said thank you and left the room.

Comps are over and now I have an embarrassing story to tell. I hope you all enjoyed this. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE ONE OF YOUR EMBARRASSING MOMENTS IN A COMMENT! It always seems better when you can laugh about it with other people!

–Anna Oparah

Has anyone ever told you “Don’t expect anything and you’ll never be disappointed”?  I think many of us have at least heard someone say this phrase.  Some people really believe that following this suggestion will make their lives better.  It makes me wonder, is disappointment so bad? 

“Expectations are premeditated resentments”.  I’ve heard this one, too, most recently at an AA meeting.  My HDC Addictions course requires that we attend 4 AA meetings.  It is there where I began to ponder expectations.  I believe there is an important distinction between expectations and hope. Expectations are specific.  If you don’t get what you expect, you will be mad, disappointed, hurt, resentful, and so on.  Expectations are well defined.  Expectations involve maintaining control over your life, and often the lives around you.  Expectations, however, are rarely communicated.  Expectations are rarely met.  I suppose that is where the first phrase comes from. 

Hope is not specific.  It is broad.  It is outlook on life of looking forward to good things, but not defining exactly how those good things will come about, look like, taste like, etc.  Hope is choosing to believe that God is in control.  Hope is letting go.  For example, someone may hope to marry someday.  The alternative, to expect, would be to specify who, when, how, and where this marriage would occur.  And if it doesn’t happen exactly how you planned, then you are crushed and angry.   

Expectations don’t give much grace or wiggle room.  Hope does.  I have enjoyed the stimulation of thought that these AA meetings have spurred.  I encourage you to get online and find an open AA meeting.  Just go with an open mind and learn. 

-Anna Oparah

How do I make it through grad school? 

I ask myself this question sometimes, especially this month.  This is the hardest month so far.  I am working 20 plus hours at my internship site, 10 hours as a TA, full course load including a weekend class that is all stuffed in only February, job hunting, and trying to find time to study for comps which are in the beginning of March, and then the National Counselor Exam in April, AND as if that isn’t enough, I am also figuring out Ohio licensure laws because my husband and I think we are moving there after I graduate in May.  In summary, this is an extremely hard month that is potentially VERY stressful.  There is no doubt about it, it is stressful.  I say “potentially VERY stressful” because with the right stress management, hopefully it won’t cross over into “VERY”.  This is the goal. 

So what do I do to manage my stress? 

Anna’s helpful hints:

1.) Time Management- My daily planner is always with me.  With it, I know my responsibilities and deadlines for every day, week, and month.  I can plan out time to work on each thing according to my schedule.

2.) To-Do Lists- I create to-do lists every day and every week.  This helps me prioritize all of things I am responsible for.  It also ensures I meet deadlines every time.  I know what I have to get done and I know what I would like to get done.  I also know the difference between the two. 

3.) Relax- I set aside time each day to just relax.  Depending on the day this could be reading my Bible and journaling, taking a walk, reading for pleasure not for school, doing Pilates, doing Tae-Bo, cleaning, cooking, or many other things.  I need this time to be able to chill out.  Without it, I am not very productive during the times I set aside to do work. 

4.) Maintain Social Life- I need people.  If I went through life just doing the work I need to do to make it to graduation I would be crazy by the end of it.  Spending time with my husband and my friends is crucial for my sanity.  My daily planner and to-do lists help me stay on top of my work so that when a fun social thing comes up, I can do it.  This is my favorite part of time management.  I can’t do grad school on my own.  Social support is necessary. 

5.) Maintain The Right Perspective- I also remind myself that this is temporary.  It is an amazing opportunity and it goes by quickly.  I try to soak it all in and feel lucky, rather than hate the stress and feel miserable.  I remember that this is a stepping stone to build off of.  This education will open doors for me in my future to help me get where I want to be.   

This is it for now, folks.  Anyone have any other helpful hints they use?  Please feel free to post them as comments.  We can start a collection of hints that we can turn to when it gets tough this semester, because we can’t do it alone!   

-Anna Oparah

I am taking a course on addictions HDC3480.  Jon Butler is the professor.  He is an M.D. and he also went through the HDC program to earn his M.Ed.  It is cool to know that this professor really knows what he is talking about.  He has worked with addiction clients both medically and psychologically. 

One of our assignments is to keep a daily journal recording our thoughts, feelings, attitudes, etc.  as we alter an aspect of our daily life for the next 30 days.  The purpose of the assignment is for us to gain an understanding of what it is like for someone to change their daily life in a significant way.  When working with clients with addiction, they are asked to give up the use of the substance or behavior they are addicted to.  Giving up something or adding something to your daily life can make a big impact on someone. 

I have thought a lot about this assignment and how I am going to alter my daily life for the next 30 days.  I have decided to add consistent exercise 5 times a week.  This could be pilates, tae-bo, lifting weights, body resistance work, or some other kind of cardio.  Barriers that will make this difficult to carry out: grad school, internship, teacher assistantship, sleep, and laziness.  I think it will be a good learning experience to record how this decision will impact me overall. 

I’ll give you an idea of what some other people were talking about doing: only checking their email once a day, giving up myspace, giving up sugar, giving up Red Bull, adding a certain amount of water each day, adding yoga, and so on. 

 I like that not all assignments in grad school are research papers (just a lot of them are!).  This should be interesting!

-Anna Oparah

I have been doing research within my graduate program, Human Developmental Counseling. I am looking into media’s impact on women’s body image and to tell you the truth the literature is disturbing! Article after article describing studies and results that show that after viewing media — magazines, TV, movies, advertisments, etc. — women’s self-esteem and body image actually decrease.

Why? Unrealistic thin ideals…everywhere in the media! Pick up a magazine. Do you see a woman with a pant size bigger than 2? No…unless its a “plus size” model, which actually means she is probably a size 10. What is plus about that!? Our culture is so heavily influenced by the media. “We” value appearance and thinness over character and integrity. “Happiness” is being thin and pretty. It is so harmful to girls, teens, and women on so many levels.

Let me share a little of my personal life with you. I am an attractive, normal weight, relatively fit and confident woman. However, I have battled over the years buying into what media tells me. I’ve struggled with self-esteem and body image issues, deep down inside, even though intellectually and logically I knew it wasn’t true. And I came from a good, whole, healthy home with a wonderful Dad! Media is powerful. I think it impacts all kinds of women you wouldn’t suspect. Body image has very little to do with body size and how attractive you are; it is very much a psychological thing.

Media is such a liar. Women are sooo much more than their appearance. Women are women– unique, beautiful, individuals. If all these articles tell us what is going on, what a negative impact media is having, why aren’t changes happening? Why not use a size 8 for a non-plus-size ad?

So…women out there that are reading… would you be willing to comment? How has our culture and media impacted you? Do you have a story to tell?

-posted by Anna Oparah

With postmodernism and relativism leaking its way into politics, school systems, and so on…Truth is becoming more and more important to search for. It used to be common to study for Truth–however, now it is almost laughed at. Everyone just needs to find “what is ‘right’ for them”. “There is no truth.” That is what they say. But, to be honest–that statement is structured in such a way to imply that it is true that there is no truth–it defeats its own argument.

When did people stop thinking critically? When did it become the norm to be so lazy in thought, that when someone who is more “qualified” than you speaks, then you just eat it up as if it’s fact- without learning where they got their information from. I wish more people looked deeper into things. It’s almost as if people are afraid to search for Truth, or references, to back up their beliefs- afraid they won’t find them?

I don’t have much of a point I want to make, just striking up conversation. Anyone relate to what I’m thinking about? Anyone dislike what I wrote? Give me some feedback, if you’d like to.

-Anna Oparah