Custom «Models of Effective Helping» Essay Paper Sample

This paper aims to develop a personal model designed by the author that is effective in helping others with the various problems they may face. The model represents a creative ingenuity that expresses the designer’s profound knowledge of the diverse theories that are related to human actions such as behavioral concepts that will be implemented in the model to make it successful. The paper also aims to provide the reader with the author’s view of helping and with the way this particular view was acquired. The particular view that is given towards helping will influence the design of the model under research. The paper aims to explain how the particular model works through the use of various steps involved in its design and aims to show why the model is most likely achieve successful results wherever it is implemented. Once the model has been established, it is then put through careful scrutiny that examines the various parts of the model as well as other related factors, such as the population it is aimed at and the techniques that are involved in it. The paper aims to present its readers with a new but viable model of effective helping that can be implemented in practice.

Helping one another is one of the most essential characteristics that can be traced in human behavior. This feature distinguishes man from other animals. It is said that no man is an island and this is proven by the fact that human beings are social creatures and cannot survive without the interaction with others. This dependency on others is especially significant when people face problems that they may come across in their daily lives that may require the need of another individual’s assistance. The problems faced can be of both a physical as well as psychological nature. The latter prove to be the part where assistance, in most cases, is required in order to be successfully tackled. These view points on helping have been developed as a result of a close social interaction examination that takes place between individuals as well as the various problems that are faced by different people found within this society (Tucker et al, 1998).

Observation of these people has shown that people are able to solve a problem, which they may be facing, with the help of others better, than without it. The presence of a third party in situations have also proved to be beneficial in the aspect that it provides the individual, who receives assistance, with an external perspective to the problem that is detached from elements such as emotions that may affect proper judgment of the situation at hand. It is considered that issues, such as the stress that is caused by outer factors, hinder an individual to think clearly when trying to come up with solutions to the complications and a cooler head is able to better handle the situation, compared to the party that is directly affected by it. The use of outside help also enables individuals to deal with the challenge faster than they would on their own. Helping can be described as the assistance in providing solutions for a complication that has arisen in an individual’s life (Tucker et al, 1998).

For this to be successfully accomplished, both parties need to be involved. The helper and the one being helped must be willing participants. One can not successfully help an individual who does not want to be helped, and vice versa, as the absence of interest creates a new complication that can only be dealt with the particular party before they are able to carry on with the process. The relationship that exists between the participant and the clinician (i.e. the helper) should be built on a friendly basis to enable a comfortable environment. This is essential for one to be able to work without the presence of additional complications, such as unfamiliarity, which may set a strenuous mood to the surroundings as a result of the rising tension that is likely to be present in unfriendly occasions (Corey, 2009). Therefore, a more informal relationship between the clinician and the participant should be encouraged in order to bring about a friendly favorable environment. This can be achieved by setting up an earlier meeting between the two parties before the commencement of the process so as to familiarize the individuals with one another. The two are able to talk and get to know more about each other. This will aid in making them more comfortable with each other in the end. The more familiar the parties are with one another, the more chances problem solving activities have to succeed (Corey, 2009).

Approaches used to bring about change

The main aim of effective helping and problem solving is to bring about a change that is different from the initial circumstances that were previously faced in a positive direction. Change may occur within the individuals’ frame of thought or their environment where the problem was present, but it should be noted that unless this change is positive then it will not be considered as helping. One cannot claim to be helping if the situation is worsening compared to the former state. There are a number of approaches that one is able to take in order to achieve this (Corey 2009).

One of these approaches is the use of behavioral therapy, whereby the actions/behavior of the participant is the main element that is concentrated upon. The practices involved in this field of study concentrate on strengthening or weakening certain behaviors that may be the reason behind the participant’s problems. These behaviors are either encouraged or discouraged via a number of activities that are put in place to condition the individual so that the goal is successfully achieved. The basis of behavioral therapy is formed on two types of conditioning, namely:

Classical conditioning – this involves the developing of a relationship between one stimulus with another in order to bring about the desired results. The activities involved in this type of conditioning create a link between one item/object/subject with another so that whenever it is mentioned the individuals automatically reacts the same way to it as they would to the object of connection. This type of conditioning mainly concentrates on the psychology of the individuals as the relation of the stimuli involved occurs within the individuals’ thinking processes (Tucker et al, 1998).

Operant conditioning – This can be considered as a more direct approach towards problem solving and involves dealing with external factors such as the consequences that are accompanied by a particular behavior. These activities aim to associate behavior with a particular consequence, whether positive or negative, that will determine whether the participant will be encouraged or discouraged to repeat the action/behavior. This is done by repeating a consequence when a particular type of behavior occurs that will either encourage or discourage the individual from repeating it. The most common of such conditions is the use of rewards and punishment in the conditioning process. This is whereby an individual is continually rewarded for a particular action/behavior while those that would like to be discouraged are met with a type of punishment that has been put in place for whenever that action occurs. Pretty soon the individual is able to relate particular behavior with either reward or punishment and will be more inclined to side with the former as no one is excited over punishment (Corey, 2009).

There are also a number of theories that can be implemented in an individual’s life in the process of problem solving that can also be applied in order to come out with a positive result. Two such theories that can be utilized in a helping model include:

The gestalt theory – This theory states that “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts” (Corey, 2009). It means that a person is able to view an object in its entirety (i.e. as a whole) before breaking it into components that are used to make it. This means that one is able to look at a problem as a whole in general before splitting it into constituents that have led to its emergence. The splitting of these elements allows one a closer examination of the issues that have brought about the main crux.

The reality theory – This is a more straightforward type of therapy as it deals with the current actions of the individual and the problem that is being faced. The theory concentrates on the individual’s needs that may be lacking and, thus, result in the problem that is being faced. The aim of this therapy’s type is to help the participants discover what it is that they really desire and the behavior that they can implement in order to achieve this. That behavior is compared to the current one and the relevant changes are made in accordance with the individual’s objective (Glasser, 1981).

The Helping Model

The created model of helping has been developed to incorporate the use of all the approaches that have been mentioned above in a bid to integrate the practices to a successful structure that will provide efficient results in the shortest period of time available. The designed helping model consists of a number of stages that are followed step by step from start to finish, so as to attain a successful result in the end. These stages include:

1. Identifying the problem – one cannot solve a problem without identifying it first and, thus, this is the first step in any effective helping model.

2. Identifying causes – The causes, which bring about the problem, are examined at this point in a bid to better comprehend and determine the main elements that are being faced.

3. Provision and implementation of solutions – Once the problem and its causes have been positively identified, one can then proceed to come up with solutions to negate the abovementioned causes and put the final evolved plan into action.

4. Observation – Once the solutions have been implemented, the next and final step is observing the situation to determine whether they have been successful in their agenda. If not, then an individual will have to return to the 3^rd stage and come up with new solutions of dealing with the problem (Corey, 2009).

This model offers a quick and simple method of helping that is both methodic and flexible so as to deal with the various complications that may be faced by different individuals. The model is also simple enough to be implemented by individuals on their own, although this is not highly recommended, as the presence of an external party, whose emotions do not get in the way of practical thinking, allows the provision of a clearer perspective. The short length of the model ensures that it is not complicated and can be used and understood with relative ease.

The model has also been designed to handle a number of different problems that may vary from individual to individual. This flexibility has made it possible for one to apply it in different case scenarios that they may come across while helping others. The model is equipped to handle both practical problems, such as addictions to various elements like cigarettes, to more psychological based complications, that may be internally experienced by an individual and, thus, may be a bit more complicated as a result, for example,  bouts of depression that an individual may be going through. The flexibility of the model has made it possible to be implemented in more practical scenarios, such as business complications that an organization may come across, and is not limited to the psychology of an individual only (Corey, 2009).

The flexibility also ensures that there are not many multicultural issues that the model comes across. However, it should be noted that some cultural traditions, practices and beliefs may hinder the activities that are involved. For example, in some Oriental and African cultures some problems are meant to be experienced in private and the fact of revealing them to a third party may prove too embarrassing for those involved e.g. intimacy issues between a couple (Glasser, 1981).

Strengths of the model

There are a number of strengths that can be identified within this simple model, some of them include:

Simplicity – The simple design of the model ensures that it can be understood by everybody who wishes to implement it with one’s own problem and does not exactly require the need of a professional present in order to perform the various stages that make up the model. As mentioned earlier, the length of the model also contributes to the relative ease with which an individual is able to go through the stages (Corey, 2009).

Flexibility – The model is also highly flexible making it suitable for a various number of problems that individuals may be facing, from internal to external complications that they may be struggling with. The coming up with solutions involves the use of behavioral therapy according to the one that will more likely provide results as well as the use of a number of theories, thus, allowing a number of solutions that one is able to come up with (Corey, 2009).

Weaknesses of the Model

Like with any other technique or method, this very model also has a few weaknesses that are found within its structure. Some of its drawbacks are:

Requirement of prior knowledge – In order to successfully complete the solution identification and implementation stage, one requires to have a prior knowledge of the behavioral theories that are commonly utilized in such practice. Though solutions may still be able to be found without the knowledge of this subject, it is not exactly practical in some cases, such as those dealing with a psychological element, which requires the need of a particular conditioning, for example (Corey, 2009).

Time – Though the implementation of this model is fairly simple, it also requires a fair period of time in order to do it thoroughly. The clinician will need to spend enough time with the participant in order to positively identify the main crux and its causes, as well as successfully apply the solutions that are put in place to solve the issues. This may be inconvenient for individuals who lead a busy life and, thus, may not be able to afford a large amount of free time in order to deal with their problems (Corey, 2009).

In conclusion, the model of effective helping, which is provided in this paper, is a simple and straightforward method of dealing with the problems that may be faced by individuals. The stages are easy to apprehend and it is not difficult to effectively involve the participation of both parties from the beginning to the end ensuring that it is a socially interactive based model.