You are a staff member for a state legislator. Many issues in your state have recently become a hot topic. The legislator has formed a committee to address some of the issues brought to them by staff. The legislator’s intention is to hear policy briefs and then implement action to begin solving some of the hot topic issues in the state. You have decided to present a policy brief on an issue that you are passionate about. You will need to prepare a short presentation to present your brief to the committee. Do the following:

Review the following to help you structure your policy brief correctly:

https://www.governor.wa.gov/tags/policy-brief

https://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/Council/Issues/RegulatingShortTermRentals/Regulating-Short-Term-Rentals—Policy-Brief.pdf

Part I:

Write a 500-750 word policy brief that analyzes the problem you chose specifically for your state. The policy should be concise and follow the general structure of such a policy brief. At a minimum, your policy brief should contain the following:

A title

A summary of the problem

At least 3 possible solutions

Statement and explanation of the recommended solution with rationale

The implications and benefits of the recommended policy

Brief conclusion

At least 3 sources used to support claims

Graphics and/or other visual elements so it reflects the formatting of a professional policy brief

Part II:

Create a presentation that briefly outlines the policy. Include your decision making process for presenting the information contained in the policy.

Use two to three scholarly resources to support your decision making process, some of the sources may be the same as sources used to support your recommendations in the policy brief.

You will turn in both your policy brief and presentation. See the document “submitting multiple attachments” for assistance in attaching multiple documents to the assignment dropbox.

Your presentation will require an outline of your presentation speech or speaker notes depending on the format chosen for the presentation. For PowerPoint, 8-12 slides are required with speaker notes of 50-75 words for each slide. Reference information must be provided at the end of the presentation. Reference and title slides do not count as part of the slide count.

Human communication, in essence, is about how humans interact and relay information to one another. It involves a wide variety of verbal and nonverbal methods and operates at the conscious and unconscious levels. The ways in which individuals communicate depend on many different variables, including age, social status, relationship (e.g., close friend versus new acquaintance), and culture. Psychological research on communication has also documented differences in communication based on gender.

These observed gender-based communication differences begin in childhood, with children often preferring same-sex play groups and demonstrating preferences for gender-typical styles of play. Differences continue through adulthood with variations in interaction style, language usage, leadership approaches, expression of emotion, and nonverbal behaviors (e.g., eye contact or touch). A great difficulty lies, however, in attempting to explain why gender-based communication differences exist. Is it possible to extricate sex and gender from the other aforementioned influences on communication? Research continues to search for trends in communication behavior to support theoretical explanations for gender differences.

For this Discussion, you will conduct your own observation of communication behaviors. You will analyze the behaviors for adherence to or difference from gender-typical behaviors in your culture and provide a theoretical argument for their potential causes.

To prepare

• In a public place, such as a sporting event, the grocery store, the mall, a coffee shop, a park, or public transportation, conduct a 10- to 15-minute observation of the communication behaviors taking place around you. Write down your observations.
• Consider the behaviors you observed that may be categorized as gender typical or atypical.

By Day 4

Post a summary of the gender typical and atypical behaviors you observed. What other factors (e.g., age differences, power differences, cultural context) might have influenced the individuals to display those behaviors? Provide a theoretical base to support your explanation of these behaviors.

Readings for this week:

Helgeson, V. S. (2017). Psychology of gender (5th ed.). New York, NY: Taylor and Francis.
Chapter 7, “Communication” (pp. 278–321)

Chaplin, T. M., & Aldao, A. (2012). Gender differences in emotion expression in children: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 139(4), 735–765. doi:10.1037/a0030737.
Note: You will access this article from the Walden Library databases.

Khazan , O. (2014, May). Vocal fry may hurt women‘s job prospects. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/05/employers-look-down-on-women-with-vocal-fry/371811/

Unit 3 Discussion 1 & 2? $30.00 Due (Sunday) 7/22/2018.

Unit 3 Discussion 1

Alternatives to Pregroup Interviews

According to the Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW), ethical practice entails conducting a pregroup interview with each prospective member for purposes of screening, orientation, and selection. If you found it was highly impractical or impossible to interview people individually, what alternatives might you consider? Incorporate the assigned readings and relevant literature to substantiate alternatives to individual pregroup interviews.

Unit 3 Discussion 2

Theoretical Application in Groups

This discussion is based on the article you selected from the provided readings addressing the application of therapeutic perspectives in counseling groups. Describe how the specific counseling theory is applied in a group setting to guide interventions. What evidence is provided in the article to support the effectiveness of the approach for the selected population and focus of the group?

Resources

· Discussion Participation Scoring Guide.

· Association for Specialists in Group WorkAccording to the Association for Specialists in Group Work (ASGW), ethical practice entails conducting a pregroup interview with each prospective member for purposes of screening, orientation, and selection. If you found it was highly impractical or impossible to interview people individually, what alternatives might you consider? Incorporate the assigned readings and relevant literature to substantiate alternatives to individual pregroup interviews

Please no plagiarism and make sure you are able to access all resource on your own before you bid. One of the references must come from Corey, M. S., Corey, G., & Corey, C. (2018). You are expected to include at least one scholarly and peer-reviewed resource outside of those provided in the readings for each discussion post. I need this completed by 07/18/18 at 6pm.

By Day 3

· Explain how you will terminate your group. Be specific in describing the strategies you would use.

· Provide at least 2 supports or resources that you would offer members in need of help outside the group.

· Explain how you would evaluate the group experience. (This can be a more subjective gauge of group satisfaction.)

· Explain how you would measure progress toward group goals. (This should be an objective measure of group outcomes, such as a rating scale, standardized instrument, or a questionnaire.)

Here is an example of a post that a classmate completed from my group. We are doing a group for Domestic Violence Survivors:

The group that has been established is a group of Domestic Violence survivors.  With this particular group it is important to not wait until the final session to prepare the participants for the end.  As the initial stage of a group is critical to the groups functioning preparing members for the end of the group is equally imperative.  Since dealing with a group that can be an emotionally charged group, to end the group I would educate the group about what to expect during the final stages.  For instance, about two to three sessions prior to the final stage, I will remind members that the group will end and the importance of making the most of the group time; as well as helping them comprehend the benefits of being involved in the group before it ends. According to Corey, Corey, and Corey (2018) termination can begin on the first day of the group so leaders should prepare members throughout their interactions for the ending of the group.  During the video Dr. Corey (Haynes, 2014) emphasize reminding members of the ending and always preparing the for termination.  With a group like Domestic Violence survivors it can be most helpful to let them know what can be expected in an attempt to ease tension of the unknown since they come from situations that can often times be unpredictable.

Resources after Group

Even though the group sessions have been terminated it is still important to offer group members resources that they can take with them when the weekly group experience is no longer available to them.  Two resources or supports I would offer group members after the sessions have ended include a follow-up session and the option of linking with a group member.  One objective of the follow-up session would be for the member to realize how he or she is utilizing the tools learned in group in their everyday life. Dr. Corey detailed the importance of follow-up groups and how they allow members to explore what they have achieved while in the group outside of the group (Haynes, 2014).  Like the follow-up sessions, linking with a former group member will give the member support as well as an accountability partner.  These resources can give members a reference when the group is no longer available for support and help members identify things that they have or wish to accomplished.

Evaluations

After the group experience has ended a tool that can be used to evaluate the group experience is a questionnaire.  According to Corey (et. al 2018) questionnaires encourage members to again reflect and one more time put into words the meaning of their experiences in the group.  Questionnaire also give the group leader a tool to measure how well the group benefitted the members and gives the leaders an opportunity to make constructive changes.  Another way to evaluate the group experience is to check in with the members during the final meeting to hear what different members have to report about their experiences of the group (Haynes, 2014).  This dialogue could help the members and leaders to gauge the mindsets of the members from the first session to the last sessions.  In other words, it will allow all involved to witness that the feelings and attitudes may have changed since the initial session.  Evaluations are helpful to the group experience since it can benefit both members and leaders.

References

Corey, M. S., Corey, G., & Corey, C. (2018). Groups: Process and practice (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage.

Haynes, R. (2014). Groups in action: Evolution and challenges [Video file]. Borderline Productions.

400 Words Well-Written (No Introduction)    Due 7/18/2018   

Topic—  Bullying             Topic— Bullying

                          Prior to beginning work on this discussion, read Chapters 1 and 2 of the Hesse-Biber e-book, Mixed Methods Research: Merging Theory with Practice, and the two required articles for this week. Mixed methods is a current popular methodology. While this type of methodology is useful for some studies, because of its dual nature as both quantitative and qualitative, it is not effective or appropriate for all research.

For this discussion, you will consider the use of mixed methods for the topic, (BULLYING), you have chosen for your Research Proposal. In your initial post, apply the scientific method to your research topic by defining your research question and determining the method(s) necessary to answer that question. Compare the characteristics and appropriate uses of the different methods and explain if your research question could best be answered through qualitative or quantitative methods, or a mix of both. Identify the dominant method (quantitative or qualitative) for your proposed study. Explain whether or not a mixed methods approach is the best way to study the topic, demonstrating that the second method is not added as an afterthought or merely to impress journal editors who favor mixed methods. If you have decided not to use mixed methods, explain why the study is best completed with either a quantitative or qualitative focus. Justify your design choice and support your position with scholarly sources. Include a discussion explaining how you would apply ethical principles to your design to address concerns which may impact your research.

E-Book

Hesse-Biber, S. N. (2010). Mixed methods research: Merging theory with practice. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

• Chapter 1: Introduction to Mixed Methods Research
• Chapter 2: Formulating Questions, Conducting a Literature Review, Sampling Design, and the Centrality of Ethics in Mixed Methods Research
• The full-text version of this e-book is available through the ebrary database in the Ashford University Library. The database that houses this resource allows for online reading. Please be aware that checking this item out of the library may prevent other users from accessing it.

Articles

Bryman, A. (2006). Integrating quantitative and qualitative research: How is it done? Qualitative Research, 6(1), 97-113. doi:10.1177/1468794106058877

• The full-text version of this article can be accessed through the Sage Journals database in the Ashford University Library. The author of this article presents a variety of mixed methods research designs, which are classified according to the answers to five questions.

Fetters, M. D., Curry, L. A., & Creswell, J. W. (2013). Achieving integration in mixed methods designs – principles and practices. Health Services Research, 48(6), 2134-2156. doi:10.1111/1475-6773.12117

• The full-text version of this article can be accessed through the EBSCOhost database in the Ashford University Library. Integration of qualitative and quantitative methods within a study can occur at one or more of three levels (design, methods, and interpretation/reporting). The authors of this article discuss how integration is achieved in several different mixed methods research designs.