Yearly Personal Messages

2012 Message

“Love not only the people you know but also the ones you don’t.”

No matter where we are in the world, we are ALL children of God / Higher Intelligence / the Almighty—whatever name you choose to call it. Love everyone, because everyone deserves to be loved.

God’s love embraces all of humanity, and so should ours.

Be kind-hearted.

Forgive—as often as it takes—until you no longer feel the sting of betrayal.

Often, the wounds we carry were never intentionally inflicted in the first place.

Be compassionate and understanding.

Don’t judge. Until you have walked in another’s shoes,

lived their struggles, and felt their pain,

you cannot say how you would react in their place.

Step outside your comfort zone. Reach out to others in ways that may feel unfamiliar.

Make mistakes, but learn from them.

Apologize, even when you’re not wrong—because sometimes,

people just need to know they matter.

Most importantly, put God first—in your heart, mind, and life.

Life isn’t easy. At times, it’s beyond disheartening.

Loss is part of life. Mourn, and move forward.

The people still in your life need your love,

and the world still needs your potential.

We cannot bring back those we’ve lost,

but we can honor them by sharing love with others.

Your heart is a capsule of infinite love—let it expand.

Remember:

“This too shall pass.”

“It will get better.”

Life is a roller coaster. There will be ups and downs.

So sit back and be thankful that you are on the ride.

No matter how bad things seem,

they can always be worse.

Never take anything for granted.

May God bless you in this New Year and all the years to come. ♥

2013 Message

A new year begins, filled with hopes and expectations—

we wish for happiness, love, and success.

But we must also accept that this year, like all others,

will bring highs and lows and everything in between.

Last year, I challenged you to love without limitations.

This year, I challenge you to expand your mind.

Learn all that life has to offer.

Experience—but don’t be consumed by indulgence.

Step outside your comfort zone.

Let determination light your way.

Set your goals with conviction,

and trust that you have the strength to reach them.

Acceptance—accept what you cannot control,

without compromising your inner values.

Remember:

Life doesn’t have to fit into your ideals.

It’s okay to open your mind and heart

and accept that how others live their lives is not your decision.

Don’t obsess over what you cannot change.

You have the right to feel and think as you do,

but so does everyone else.

So this year, in addition to love and compassion,

let’s embrace diversity—with open arms.

Until we can do that,

we cannot fully embrace God’s love for humanity.

Peace & Love to all my beautiful, wonderful wisdom seekers out there!

2016 Message

Though late, I am grateful to witness another year unfolding.

In January 2012, I suffered my first incomplete spinal cord injury,

leading to surgery in December 2012 to decompress my spinal cord.

The herniated disc had become embedded in my spinal cord.

Thank you, VA Hospital, for such despicable care—

it really is not appreciated.

(Sorry, still working on forgiveness.)

Despite this, I still wrote my 2013 message.

Then, in 2014, another spinal cord injury—

this time, due to the collapse of the previous surgical equipment.

In April 2014, I underwent another cervical spine surgery,

hoping for relief.

But I was sadly mistaken.

In February 2015, simply turning over in bed,

I broke my neck—literally.

In April 2014, I had received a tri-level titanium cage system (C4–C7).

By February 2015, my C7 vertebra fractured on both sides,

unable to bear the weight of the cage system.

And once again, thanks to the VA,

the necessary surgery wasn’t performed until December 2015.

This time, a two-level rod and screws were added from C7 to T1,

but instead of operating from the front,

the surgeon went in through the back of my neck.

Despite the severity of my injuries,

the surgeon was impressed by my recovery so far.

Yet the damage to my central nervous system (CNS) was profound.

• My upper GI system frequently shuts down, causing severe vomiting.

• I have experienced seizures and double vision.

• I have woken up completely paralyzed in my arms and legs.

• My diaphragm has stopped working, nearly killing me.

And still, the VA made me wait months for treatment.

The medical field in Mississippi—especially the VA system—

is incompetent when it comes to spinal cord injuries.

I hope to affect change at the educational level,

so that primary care providers better understand these conditions.

Moving Forward

Right now, I am focused on recovery

and staying committed to my long-term goals.

I pray that by the end of 2016,

I will have begun my internship as a psychotherapist.

I am hopeful.

I am optimistic.

But most of all—

I am determined.

So my message this year is simple:

Take care of yourself.

And remember:

Self-knowledge is true wisdom.

Blessings to all.

Personality Assessment Techniques

Personality Assessment Techniques

By Robbyn Raquel Wallace / RRW


Before personality is assessed, it should be understood. Personality could be viewed as patterns of implicit cognitions and explicit behaviors that are unique to each individual at any given time, yet can be manipulated and/or changed by internal processes and/or external variables—i.e. realization or having a baby. Personality is impacted by the dynamics of—and between such factors as—life-experiences, biological make-up and cultural identity; thus, the formation of coping strategies or lack there of. From many perspectives, personality is viewed as being manipulated by concepts such as self-esteem, self-concept, or self-image. From a Rogarian perspective, individuals are governed by an organismic valuing process throughout the lifespan defining the evaluation process of the individual by their subjective perception. Therefore, essentially if an individual has a low self-esteem it may cause that individual's perception of any given experience to have a more negative tone, which—when chronic—can lead to such problems as anti-social behavior or oppositional defiance disorder among others. On the other hand, the higher one's level of positive self-regard, it is more likely that individual received more positive regard from their parents or caregivers. Conceptually, these concepts can be intense manipulating forces throughout a lifespan, which would cause fluctuations with the individual's personality. The notion of coping is, generally speaking, the personality handling stress. In other words, coping is a strain on personality subsequently increasing potential of negative expression or dysfunction. An important aspect of personality dysfunction is the impairment of perception and subjective reasoning. (Panayiotou, Kokkinos, & Kapsou, 2014)

Techniques used to assess personality utilize either objective—structured instruments or assessments such as Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI)—or projective—such as when clients are asked “to describe, tell a story, or respond in some way to relatively unstructured stimuli” (Whiston, 2013, p. 207). Projective techniques are considered more ambiguous, whereas objective techniques are usually more obvious. Projective techniques are thought to provide an avenue to detect malingering or faking, to confirm or not a suspicion or doubt  of whether a client is being truthful. It is thought this allows client’s to project their personalities as they respond (Whiston, 2013). However, some instruments, such as the PAI, are gaining notoriety in specific scales ability to detect malingering or faking (Rios & Morey, 2013) making it clear that it is more about clinician preference and substitution—for various reasons the clinician uses formal assessment to either confirm or disapprove diagnosis and to inform treatment rather than rely solely on analysis of available client data and observation impressions. Formal assessments quickly elicit specific client information aimed at achieving quicker diagnosis and access to appropriate treatment plan. This rings especially true in the age of managed care, when everything has to be approved and to be approved the assessment must be essential to care. The most enduring and important way to understand a client’s personality is observation, as stated above. Yet, there are many clients who could benefit from formal assessment, which can inform clinical decisions—especially with children. Assessments can provide a shortcut to identification of client issues or problems (Whiston, 2013). Assessment also has value in many other fields such as academic, career or employment based, etc., and when reliable and valid can provide individual data that is valuable in making informed decisions in the respective fields—specifically value to clinical judgment. As new client information emerges through interaction and observation, but sometimes formal assessment is considered—such as needing to assess a client for post-traumatic stress disorder so that specific treatment interventions can be discussed and considered. It can provide an understanding of how the client differs across dimensions—such as how clients react, whether consciously or subconsciously, in different situations or does client have a set pattern of coping strategies—when responding to psychological distress. (Panayiotou, Kokkinos, & Kapsou, 2014)

In a rural area, community mental health clinicians generally use observation but only have access to resources according to budget and managed care approval. Projective techniques along with good observation and analytical skills, when used properly, can provide a wealth of information if the clinician has sufficient knowledge and specific direction. Also, simple verbal checklist may be useful as well. Information-gathering is an integral part of good treatment planning. Clinicians should take great care in not assuming based off limited information though, as people are multi-dimensional and complicated beings and some may be overly-sensitive with destructive insecurities in their subjective perception leading to anticipation of not being heard or understood—potentially triggered easily. Our calm presence can sometimes be the very thing that catapults positive growth in a client.


References:

Panayiotou, G., Kokkinos, C. M., & Kapsou, M. (2014). Indirect and direct associations between personality and psychological distress mediated by dispositional coping. Journal of Psychology, 148(5), 549-567. doi:10.1080/00223980.2013.817375

Rios, J., & Morey, L. C. (2013). Detecting feigned ADHD in later adolescence: An examination of three PAI–A negative distortion indicators. Journal of Personality Assessment, 95(6), 594-599. doi:10.1080/00223891.2013.821071

Whiston, S.C. (2013). Principals & applications of assessment in counseling. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.

The ABCDEF Model - Addressing Dysfunctional Beliefs

The ABCDEF Model - Addressing Dysfunctional Beliefs

By Robbyn Wallace (2006, edited 2023)

The ABCDEF Model, developed by Albert Ellis, is a six-step plan structured to identify, assess, dispute and modify beliefs. 

Identification and description of the activating event is the first step, A, in the model. 

This is the experience that first initiates negative thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. An example experience is someone stating “my professor took off a point on my paper.” 

The second step, B, is someone’s perception or belief, be it negative, positive, or neutral, to the experience or activating event. 

A further example, including the second step, is “my professor should acknowledge my talent and is a mean person for not giving me more credit. It’s a shame I worked so hard on it, just for him to grade me so harshly.” 

Even though a person may not have control over an event or experience, they do have a choice in how they perceive the event or experience, be it rational or irrational.

The next step is C, which stands for consequences of the belief. The belief can determine the consequence. 

Irrational beliefs can lead to self-destructive or inappropriate emotions such as rage, anxiety, or depression. They can also lead to self-destructive or inappropriate behaviors such as excessive use of alcohol or drugs, blaming of self and others, or withdrawal. 

On the other hand, rational beliefs can lead to more appropriate emotions, such as disappointment or annoyance, and appropriate behaviors, such as attempting to change the situation or distracting their self in productive ways.

D, dispute, is the next step in the model, which can also be referred to as debate. To determine whether the belief is rational or irrational it is necessary to explore both the belief and the consequence. 

There are four questions that can be used to determine if the belief is irrational. 

By using logic: “Where is the logic that this should not have happened to me?” 

Next is empirical evidence: “Where is the evidence that this should not have happened to me?” 

The third is pragmatic or functional: “How will holding this belief help me achieve my goals?” 

Finally, there is constructing an alternative rational belief: “What is an alternative belief that would better help me achieve my goals?” 

The belief in the example discussed earlier is disputed in this step by the above questions.

Describing the desired outcome of the debate is the fifth step, E, which stands for effective. 

By disputing the beliefs in the example a more rational belief was formed such as: “Although I am disappointed that I received a “B” on my paper, it won’t kill me. I will try harder on my next paper and hopefully get an “A.” 

The final step, F, represents the new feelings and behaviors resulting from the effective rational beliefs. 

Expanding on the previous examples the following emotions and behaviors were reported: “I am still feeling disappointed with my grade, but it no longer makes me angry and resentful. I am confident that my next paper will receive an “A.” I will meet with my professor and verify the standards and format for an “A” paper.” 

This process is much more complicated than it may appear. It is a complex process and a challenge to change an irrational belief to a rational one. It is requires effort and practice.

Seek & Expand with RRW

Personality Changes Over A Lifespan

Personality Changes over the Lifespan

 By

 Robbyn Raquel Wallace


 Aging equates change in the form of mentally, physically and emotionally, and with such change comes the underlying questions of determining human behavior. Many variables contribute to change within a person, from genetics, family and cultural to environmental or situational triggers. What inspires or empowers, or perhaps, what tears down or demeans a person, these can be very important in truly understanding or approaching a life issue. As a person ages, growth happens. Personality can be viewed as patterns of implicit attitudes and explicit behaviors unique to each individual at any given time, but can be manipulated and/or changed by internal processes and/or external variables. There is no single perspective that can adequately explain personality over the lifespan. In developmental terms one can integrate the multilevel processes or systems of contextual influences or variables to determine not only design but the evolution of such influences. Personality is impacted by the dynamics of and between such factors as experiences, biological and cultural. From many perspectives, personality is viewed as being manipulated by concepts such as self-esteem, self-concept, or self-image. Explained from a Rogarian perspective, individuals are governed by an organismic valuing process throughout the lifespan defining the evaluation process of the individual by their subjective perception. Therefore, essentially if an individual has a low self-esteem it may cause that individual's perception of any given experience to have a more negative tone, which can lead to such problems as anti-social behavior or oppositional defiance disorder among others. On the other hand, the higher one's level of positive self-regard, it is more likely that individual received more positive regard from their parents or caregivers. Conceptually, this concept can be an intense manipulating force throughout a lifespan, which would cause fluctuations with the individual's personality. In Schultz and Schultz (2009), it is stated that Erik Erikson, developer of psychosocial model, "believed that all aspects of personality could be explained in terms of turning points, or crises, we must meet and resolve at each developmental stage (pg. 205)." Through the lens of psychosocial development model, the personality is built upon, and evolves through the life stages, with success or failure to achieve each stage of development throughout the lifespan.These stages offer an opportunity for the individual to adapt and strengthen their coping skills, or can leave the individual with stigma(s) from any stage not successfully achieved. Erikson (Schultz & Schultz, 2009) believed, "We are not victims of biological forces or childhood experiences and are influenced more by learning and social interactions than by heredity (pg. 236)." This view seems complimentary to Bandura's modeling theory (Schultz & Schultz, 2009), which emphasizes the importance of learned behaviors and the role they play in the development of personality. Behaviors of an individual may be concluded to have resulted from reinforcement over time, and, from a behavorial perspective, can be manipulated through reinforcement in effort of eliciting specific behaviors. If an individual can learn to self-reinforce specific behaviors, the individual will be more likely to successfully manipulate or change undesired behaviors into more suitable ones. An individual's self-efficacy, which is the belief in one's own abilities, is instrumental from this perspective because it establishes how and to what level the individual is motivated to fulfill their potential. As stated by Schultz and Schultz (2009), "Self-efficacy is the crucial factor in determining success or failure throughout the entire lifespan (pg. 413)." There are certain underlined qualities or traits a person may carry throughout their lifespan, though it may be displayed differently at different interjections of their life. Through the lens of trait theorist, an individual is equip with basic traits that, even though may be projected differently throughout the individual's lifespan, remain constant within the individual. Personality can be understood from multiply perspectives; however, personality is essentially the internal framework which interacts with environment to create one's behavior. Therefore, from a behavioral approach one might perceive the patterns of behavior as key indicators of personality, and will from that determine how to elicit change through reinforcement ending in behavioral modification. However, from a humanistic approach one may contend that a personality is tangible and is based on one's internal environment, and can be altered through unconditional positive regard, empathy and empowerment. Each stage of life deserves it's own emphasis of importance; therefore, it is essential that a counselor be prepared to approach and empower any individual, at any age, with any life issue. Counselors must remain an open-minded vessel of compassion and empathy, and able to attribute true positive regard. When it comes to elderly, there are many successful tools a counselor may need when interacting with this population. Realization, that they are people who have lived a life full of experiences and have been shaped by many forces or variables. Understanding, that each one has unique needs, desires, and/or problems. Empathizing, that you can truly put yourself in their shoes and understand from their perspective. Empowering, find what makes each individual feel adequate, in control and safe so that they can maintain some sense of independence. Sometimes understanding and validation go a long way. When working with the elderly population it becomes essential to be an advocate, making it a point to know all the resources in the surrounding area that can provide services to fulfill the individual's needs. "In this last phase of life, psychological functioning may be characterized by aspects of change and constellations of factors that are quite distinct from the causal and processual network that is operative at earlier phases of life (Baltes & Smith, 2004)." At-home-care has been a rising star for several years now, out-poring hope to not only this generation of elderly but the ones to come as well. Having worked with this population in an at-home-care outreach along with the many disciplines that unite to create an environment that empowers elderly to continue living independently, or at least in their own home, for much much longer leaves me with an embedded appreciation for all who work with this population. Each situation is so unique that one can not begin to generalize a single approach. It is crucial that assessments be made on an individual basis with the involvement of family or caregivers. Reiterating Patty Shirmbeck in the podcast interview (2006), today's elders are much more educated that yesterday's elders, leading to a new dawn in how they approach this stage of life. As stated, depression seems more pronounced as ever before, but what happened was that being more educated gave way to this population feeling less ashamed about depression and such. This generation has learned the value of the helping profession and the relief that can bring to their livelihood. Such programs as the Gatekeeper Program (Shirmbeck, 2006) provide training to individuals working in the community in professions most likely to interact with the elderly population and is a defining force of what community is capable of creating when people work together for common good. "Chronological age may provide some limited orienting information about general expectations, but at an individual level, the therapist needs to retain a data gathering perspective to understand what are the true variables (Laidlaw & Pachana, 2009)." As a counselor working with this population, it would be necessary to understanding the specific issues faced. It is important to not only be educated in technique and style but education focused on resources leading to empowerment and some depth of independence is essential in working with the elderly population. Equally important is the dynamics of gains and loses in the individual's lifespan.(Baltes & Smith, 2004) Information gathering is critical regardless of age, but when dealing with elderly one must realize the most prominent details are likely to be dealing with family dynamics, health, and finances. CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy) can be beneficial in cognitive reconstruction of negative internal scripts resulting in unhealthy behaviors or attitudes. Transitioning into elderlihood can sometimes cause the individual to have identity confusion, therefore, having to rediscover them self. (Laidlaw & Pachana, 2009) I believe every counselor would greatly benefit from I believe every counselor would greatly benefit from personal therapy. Not only will it enlighten them how it feels to be vulnerable, but will give them a greater sense of patience, understanding and empathy in the process. Self-awareness is probably the most valuable tool any counselor could obtain, and allowing oneself to explore that vulnerably with another is invaluable.



 References:


 Baltes, P. B., & Smith, J. (2004). Lifespan Psychology: From Developmental Contextualism to Developmental Biocultural Co-constructivism. Research In Human Development, 1(3), 123-144.

 Laidlaw, K., & Pachana, N. A. (2009). Aging, mental health, and demographic change: Challenges for psychotherapists. Professional Psychology: Research And Practice, 40(6), 601-608. doi:10.1037/a0017215


Schultz, D. P., & Schultz, S. E. (2009). Theories of personality (9th ed.). Florence, KY: Wadsworth/ Cengage.


 Shirmbeck, P. (Speaker). (2006). Elder issues [Podcast Recording No. CAS038]. Kent, OH: CounselorAudioSource.net. Retrieved January 18, 2007, from http://www.counseloraudiosource.net/ feeds/cas038.mp3