Kesan Terapi Al-Quran Terhadap Konflik Warga Emas: Satu Kajian Kes

The purpose of this study is to identify the real issues, causes and investigate the effective actions in helping the subject to move on. The subject experienced changes in behavior, emotions and thoughts after her eldest daughter had a stroke and unable to take care of herself. Now the subject has been abandoned by family members and the community of her residential area. She was considered an insane person as a result of her changes. This is qualitative study using Quranic therapy. Among the Al-Quran therapies that the subject undergoes are zikir munajat, recitation of Surah Yaasin and tahlil arwah. Subjects also read passages from surahs in the Qur'an such as Surah Al Baqarah by talaqi with the researcher. Psychodrama therapy was also administered. Findings showed that subjects acted positively when informed that authorities such as hospitals or the Social Welfare Department will take her to the care center for elderly and separated from being with her children. The subject’s aggressive level is more controlled after practising Quran and zikir munajat. The conclusion of the study found that the subject's level of thinking and emotions can be controlled and helped with appropriate therapy by an experienced therapist. Abstrak Tujuan kajian ini dijalankan adalah untuk mengesan isu sebenar yang dihadapi oleh subjek, mengenal punca dan seterusnya mengenal pasti tindakan yang berkesan dalam membantu subjek keluar dari persoalan yang sedang dihadapinya. Subjek dikatakan mengalami perubahan tingkahlaku, emosi dan fikiran selepas anak sulungnya diserang sakit stroke hingga tidak boleh mengurus diri. Kini subjek sudah diketepikan oleh ahli keluarga dan masyarakat kawasan perumahan. Beliau dianggap sebagai seorang yang tidak waras kesan perubahan tingkahlaku, pemikiran dan emosi yang ditunjukkan. Kajian ini adalah kajian kualitatif melalui pendekatan temubual. Lima sesi kaunseling menggunakan terapi Al-Quran telah dijalankan terhadap subjek. Antara terapi Al-Quran yang subjek jalani ialah zikir munajat, bacaan Surah Yaasin serta tahlil arwah. Subjek juga membaca petikan surah dalam Al-Quran seperti Surah Al Baqarah secara talaqi dengan pengkaji. Terapi psikodrama juga dijalankan kepada subjek kajian. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan subjek lebih kerap bertindak positif jika dimaklumkan pihak berkuasa seperti hospital atau Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (JKM) akan bertindak membawanya ke pusat jagaan orang tua tanpa bersama dengan anak-anak OKU. Tahap agresif subjek juga semakin terkawal apabila dipandu membacakan ayat-ayat suci Al Quran dan zikir munajat. Kesimpulan kajian mendapati tahap pemikiran serta emosi subjek masih waras, boleh dikawal dan dibantu pulih jika mendapat terapi yang sesuai oleh terapis berpengalaman.

reliability of the scapular posture and scapular dyskinesis tests in rugby union players

OBJECTIVES: To determine the reliability of static scapular posture (SP), clavicular tilt angle (CTA) and the scapular dyskinesis (SD) assessments by expert and student therapists. DESIGN: inter-rater and intra-rater reliability study. SETTING: University level male rugby union club PARTICIPANTS: Four sport rehabilitation students and one experienced physiotherapist evaluated the position of the scapular and clavicle of male university-level rugby union players (inter-rater participants: session 1: n=17, session 2: n=12 and session 3: n=16; intra–rater participants: n = 12). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURESː Participants attended 3 testing sessions, each 1 week apart. Scapular orientation and motion were assessed in five planes of movement and using the Scapular Dyskinesis Test (SDT) respectively. RESULTSː Kappa coefficient values and percentage agreement ratings for students compared to the experienced therapist were: SP=poor to fair (-0.01-0.33), (27% - 94%); SDT=slight (0.16) (41%); CTA=fair (0.21) (59%). Test-retest (intra-rater) agreement was fair to moderate (0.22 – 0.44) (69% -95%), slight (0.12) (47%), and fair (0.39) (77%) for the SP, SDT, and CTA, respectively. CONCLUSIONSː Static and dynamic evaluation of the shoulder by students and an experienced therapist has poor to moderate reliability and should not be used to make clinical decisions based on observation alone.

Perceptions of students’ counselling experience with intern counsellors within a tertiary education setting: A thematic analysis.

Mental health decline and psychological distress is rising among tertiary students’ worldwide andis now recognised internationally as an important public health issue.There is a growing demand for campus-based counselling services as evidence suggests that providing on-campus counselling support can significantly support student mental health and wellbeing. In addition, there is a symbiotic demand for counselling students to have the opportunity to integrate their skills through practice with clients. With the increasing demand for universities and tertiary institutes to provide counselling support, the use of graduate level trainees to deliver counselling services could provide an innovative and effective model to cope with high demand in a cost-efficient way. This qualitative research explores the perceptions of students who have sought counselling, delivered by trainee counsellors within a tertiary education setting. A thematic analysis was used to interpret the data from anonymous, semi-structured survey questions. Three predominate themes were identified; 1) positive experiences of counselling were connected directly to the relationship and positive regard that the counsellor fostered; 2) the counselling process supported the clients’ autonomy, self-determination and resilience and 3) despite nervousness, clients were surprised by the perceived positive benefits of counselling. A fourth theme identified that a minority of clients need a more experienced therapist to support their needs. This study demonstrated that counselling services delivered by trainee counsellors was perceived as helpful by the majority of students and has implications for improving practice and service availability through the use of trainees within university counselling services.

Development of an Imaging Evaluation System for Low Back Pain

Purpose To design a low back pain (LBP) imaging evaluation system for non-professional operators, quantifying risk of LBP in patients and asymptomatic individuals. Methods Twenty-one previously asymptomatic subjects and five LBP patients diagnosed by a physician performed a series of test movements under a fixed camera, including hip abduction test, forward bending test, side bending test, double legs lowering test (DLLT), and modified Thomas test. The video clips were analyzed by a system program interface and were classified into a score from 1 to 4. The average total scores of the two groups were compared. Five intact subjects were retested to verify reliability. Twelve intact subjects and three patients’ clips were viewed by an experienced therapist to verify system validity. Results The average total scores of two groups were significantly different (p = 0.0004). The results of hip abduction test, forward bending test, side bending test and DLLT showed significant differences between the two groups. The total score of two trials in the retest experiment exhibited a similar result (p = 0.058), with good linear correlation (r = 0.98). The total scores of the evaluations by the experienced therapist and the system program interface agreed with each other (p = 0.141; linear correlation r = 0.90). Conclusion The evaluation system showed potential utility in screening LBP risk, with acceptable test–retest reliability and expert validity.

Towards psychedelic apprenticeship: Developing a gentle touch for the mediation and validation of psychedelic-induced insights and revelations

A striking feature of psychedelics is their ability to increase attribution of truth and meaningfulness to specific contents and ideas experienced, which may persist long after psychedelic effects have subsided. We propose that processes underlying conferral of meaning and truth in psychedelic experiences may act as a double-edged sword: while these may drive important therapeutic benefits, they also raise important considerations regarding the validation and mediation of knowledge gained during these experiences. Specifically, the ability of psychedelics to induce noetic feelings of revelation may enhance the significance and attribution of reality of specific beliefs, worldviews, and apparent memories which might exacerbate the risk of iatrogenic complications that other psychotherapeutic approaches have historically faced, such as false memory syndrome. These considerations are timely, as the use of psychedelics is becoming increasingly mainstream, in an environment marked by the emergence of strong commercial interest for psychedelic therapy. We elaborate on these ethical challenges via three examples illustrating issues of validation and mediation in therapeutic, neo-shamanic and research contexts involving psychedelic use. Finally, we propose a pragmatic framework to attend to these challenges based on an ethical approach which considers the embeddedness of psychedelic experiences within larger historical and cultural contexts, their intersubjective character and the use of practices which we conceptualise here as forms of psychedelic apprenticeship. This notion of apprenticeship goes beyond current approaches of preparation and integration by stressing the central importance of validation practices based on empathic resonance by an experienced therapist or guide.

Luce Irigaray

Luce Irigaray is the Director of Research in Philosophy at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique de Paris. A doctor in linguistics and philosophy, a leading cultural theorist, an experienced therapist and author of more than 30 books on a range of subjects, Luce Irigaray truly is an interdisciplinary thinker. Thanks to support from the French Embassy in London, the Institute of Advanced Study, the Centre for the Study of Women and Gender, the Society for Women in Philosophy (SWIP), and the Departments of English and History, she visited the University of Warwick on 7 June 2013. A lecture and roundtable discussion was attended by students and academics from many different departments, forming questions and ideas across and beyond disciplines. The day concluded with a reception and animated conversations that carried on until late in the evening. Before leaving Warwick, Luce Irigaray kindly agreed to give an exclusive interview to ‘Exchanges’, some of which is included in this discussion of her ideas.

Intraobserver and Interobserver Reliability of a Method to Measure Ankle Plantar-Flexion Range of Motion in the Hook-Lying Position

Context: Physical therapists often have to measure ankle range of motion (ROM) to decide on intervention and investigate improvements. The most common method of measurement is goniometry, but it has been questioned due to its unsatisfactory levels of reliability. Objective: To investigate the intraobserver and interobserver reliability of a new method of measuring plantar-flexion ROM. Design: Prospective and descriptive. Setting: Laboratory. Participants: 20 healthy participants (12 women and 8 men). Main Outcome Measurements: Ankle plantar flexion was measured by 3 observers (A, B, and C) with 3 methods (goniometry, measurement in hook-lying position [MHP], and static-image analysis [SIA]). Observer A was the most experienced therapist, and C, the least. MHP was performed with the participant in the supine position, knees flexed, and first and fifth metatarsals in contact with the treatment table. SIA was recorded and analyzed in the same position. Goniometry was performed with participant seated, lower legs unsupported, and axis positioned on the lateral malleolus. Results: For the interobserver analysis, the ICC2,1 was high for the MHP (.88), high for SIA (.87), and moderate for goniometry (.57). For the intraobserver analysis, the ICC2,1 was high or very high for MHP (.91-.92), high for SIA (.79-.83), and low to moderate for goniometry (.18-.60). Conclusion: MHP is inexpensive, fast, and more reliable than goniometry for measuring plantar-flexion ROM.

EFFECTIVE BEHAVIOR THERAPY IN A MEDICAL CRISIS: A CASE REPORT

This is report of the successful use of behavioral treatment in a medical crisis. The intubation process inadvertently punctured a patient's throat during the application of general anesthesia while having a routine arthroscopy. This resulted in a rapidly spreading infection, spiking temperature and dehydration. To locate the puncture, a barium swallow x-ray was necessary, but the patient's weakened condition made standing impossible. A friend and experienced therapist accompanying the patient helped him stand for the several minutes necessary to complete the barium swallow by countering the hypotensive state with angry imagery to stimulate an adrenalin surge. Several principles of effective therapeutic practice were demonstrated by this case, including the importance of the alliance, of technical eclecticism, of engaging the patient in the treatment process, and therapist experience.

Family Therapy with Elderly Suicidal Patients: Communication and Crisis Aspects

This article discusses the role of the family in the origins of a suicidal state, and its role in resolving the suicidal crisis, especially when family therapy is available. Death wishes, homicidal ideation, and suicide pact-and-suicide-murder ideation, are present far more frequently than is commonly realized. They all contain a constructive potential in the presence of a competent and experienced therapist. Success in therapy includes a knowledge of how to deal with the communication of suicidal impulses by the suicidal person, the family's communication of feeling burdened and fed up, and the venting of rage. Treatment is based upon the understanding that suicide is a process that is frequently handed down from one generation to the next, and includes several generations at one time. These considerations are illustrated by case examples, mostly from the experiences of the writer, demonstrating how destructive interactions can be transformed into life affirming ones.