Reaching Your Potential in Uneasy Times
By Laurie Adachi and Ramona Hall, Educational Psychologists
What has been holding you back from the career of your dreams? Are you unsure that you have the skills, the talent, or the tenacity? Do you need additional education but lack the confidence to go back to school? The current economic tide has forced many adults into considering their options in order to cope with the changes looming over them. Unfortunately, few know where to turn for help.
Vocational counseling and consultation can assist in identifying ways to manage your time, organize your work environment, and improve your performance. Time is money and in this economy those that are not as efficient in their job performance as their colleagues are at risk of job loss. Small performance changes can make a large impact in the work place. Or maybe it’s time for you to look for a new career. Vocational testing can take your interests and identify the careers most suited to you.
Vocational and psychoeducational assessment is not just for grade school students. Testing can help adults identify their abilities, strengths and weaknesses. Learning styles and performance challenges can be identified. Most importantly, alternative methods of performance can be learned to allow you to overcome your weaknesses. If college is in your future, assistance may be available for you if you have a learning disability that interferes with your achievement.
If you are nervous in the uncertainty of this economy, take control. This is the perfect time to determine what has been holding you back from attaining the career of your dreams.
Laurie Adachi and Ramona Hall are Licensed Educational Psychologists who have been in private practice in Santa Clarita for more than 13 years. They provide assessment, counseling, and consultation services to children and adults.
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Self Esteem - by Ramona Hall, MA
www.ramonahalleducationalpsychology.com
first published in the Magazine of Santa Clarita
Self-esteem has become the catch word of the decade. We often make judgments about how parents and teachers should treat children based upon whether the interaction will help or hinder the child’s self-esteem. As adults, we sometimes think of self-esteem as an internal edifice, subject to damage and erosion. We assume that negative feelings, unhappy events, or unpleasant relationships will gradually chip away at the façade, leaving behind a broken shell. In reality, self-esteem is more like a trip than a destination. It is a lifelong process that is inextricably connected to our relationships across the life span and to our personal accomplishments.
Our relationships with our families, friends, and co-workers all affect the way we view ourselves in the world. This self view evolves over time and changes with our life experiences. If we have mostly positive, affirming relationships with others, we tend to see ourselves more positively in terms of how we operate in society. In contrast, if we have many noxious relationships, we may develop less positive feelings about ourselves. But rarely does one event suffice to change one’s self perception and affect overall self-esteem. Rather, it is the cumulative effects of many interactions which shape our feelings about ourselves.
A sense of personal accomplishment is also necessary to the development of high self-esteem. Each time we learn a new skill, overcome an obstacle, or reach a goal, we grow more certain of our ability to effect change. In turn, this feeling of self efficacy translates into a willingness to set higher goals and risk potential failure in the future. The ability to take appropriate personal risks is highly correlated with self-esteem as both a predictor and an outcome. Success builds upon success and predisposes us to make future attempts. By the same token, when we seldom or never succeed, we are much less likely to strive for the same goal in the future.
As parents and teachers, we can contribute enormously to children’s growing self-esteem in several ways. Adults can provide good role models by respecting and accepting themselves and others. They can allow children opportunities to achieve success early so that they develop a sense of mastery and self efficacy. With trust and encouragement, adults can help children to set and reach realistic goals. Children can be taught that errors and failures are experienced by everyone and that they are a natural part of any learning process. And, finally, adults can provide living and learning environments that promote affirming, positive relationships.
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Competent Children
By Ramona Hall, MA
First published in the Magazine of Santa Clarita
As summer closes, parents begin to prepare children for their return to school. Even when children attend year-round sites, Fall is usually perceived to be a time when families change routines and activities. The days grow shorter and family life becomes more centered on school. In the process, school issues such as homework and grades take on new prominence. During this time it is wise to reflect upon the importance of valuing the whole child, not just the school achiever. It is possible to focus narrowly upon the intellectual child to the detriment of the social, spiritual, and artistic parts of the youngster. This is particularly true when a child has a learning problem.
Children who have achievement delays frequently make comparisons between themselves and other students. No matter how diligently the adult focuses on the positive, the struggling student invariably weighs her own progress and skills against the productions of others in her class. In doing so, she may develop an “I can’t.” self-image. This is typically the case when there are also siblings in her family who are more successful learners. For such a child, it is critical that caring adults help the youngster identify a strength, skill, or competency in some area of life so that balance and a sense of mastery are maintained.
The child who feels competent in at least some areas of life is much less likely to give up when faced with challenges. As a student, learning and performing in class involves the ability to risk. In learning new information one often risks failure and embarrassment. It is frequently difficult for a child to raise a hand to express confusion. It is difficult to be singled out for help. It is embarrassing to be behind other classmates in understanding or accomplishment. In order to risk trying, a child must have some inner sense of self-confidence which allows her to acknowledge the initial confusion when learning a new concept, but maintain faith that mastery will come with work.
Confidence comes when one is successful in at least some area of one’s life. Often, this success is derived from participation in affirming activities outside of the school setting. Whether it is sports, art, drama, social skills, church, cookery, gardening, volunteer work, each of us has some skill which can be encouraged and celebrated. In his book, “The Self-Esteem Teacher”, Dr. Robert Brooks calls this, “the search for islands of competency.” He is referring to educational competencies but it applies to all areas of a child’s development.
A competent child takes risks, tries new activities, accepts reasonable challenges, enjoys overcoming obstacles, and performs age appropriate responsibilities. As adults, it is important for us to help the children we know to recognize their unique gifts and talents (especially when there are academic problems). We can help develop them and celebrate them so that they become a sound foundation for educational endeavors. It is important to support education, buy new notebooks, review homework, and attend Back-to-School Night. It is also important to search for the “islands of competency” and in so doing, nurture the ‘whole’ child. In doing this we help prepare each one to become competent, responsible adults.