EMPLOYEE TRAINING & HR DEVELOPMENT You are a DIY person and you want to find out everything about

starting and oper ating a business. There are so many resources out there and you are overwhelmed by the amount of information you need to absorb. Besides, which sources are reli able? After you swim through a sea of useful tips, how do you put them into action ? The quality of employees and their development through training and education are major factors in determining long-term profitability of a smal l business. If you hire and keep good employees, it is good policy to invest in the development of their skills, so they can increase their productivity. Training often is considered for new employees only. This is a mistake because o ngoing training for current employees helps them adjust to rapidly changing job requirements.We offer seminars and workshops to help you start, or improve your business operations. We focus on issues that impact small business operators fro m high level business plan writing to daily operational issues such as customer retention. Attendance is limited to 10 15 people each. Employee training worksho ps are also offered. The model below traces the steps necessary in the training process: Organization al Objectives, Needs Assessment, Is There a Gap?, Training Objectives, Select th e Trainees, Select the Training Methods and Mode, Choose a Means of Evaluating, Administer Training, Evaluate the Training Our Training Methods include: On-the-job training is delivered to employees while they perform their regular j obs. Off-the-job techniques include lectures, special study, films, television confer ences or discussions, case studies, role playing, simulation, programmed instruc tion and laboratory training. Orientations are for new employees. Your business should have a clea rly defined strategy and set of objectives that direct and drive all the decisio ns made especially for training decisions. Firms that plan their training proces s are more successful than those that do not. Most business owners want to succe ed, but do not engage in training designs that promise to improve their chances of success. This is where we come in to help you acheive your goals, and make yo ur employees reach their potential. Training Programs include: harrassment training communication skills training computer and technical skills training management and leadership training diversity training safety training conflict management workplace wellness supervisor skills development team building skills training In addition to the above training programs, we also offer customized training pr ograms specific to your industiry. We have partners in all industries and can br ing in experts to make sure you get the best results. Results You Can Expect: You, or your employees, can expect to walk away from the seminars or workshops e mpowered to increase business effectiveness and efficiency. Working Memory in Middle-Aged Males: Age-Related Brain Activation Changes and Co gnitive Fatigue Effects Elissa B. Klaassen | Elisabeth A.T. Evers | Renate H.M. de Groot | Walter H. Bac kes | Dick J. Veltman | Jelle Jolles Abstract: We examined the effects of aging and cognitive fatigue on working memo ry (WM) related brain activation using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Ag e-related differences were investigated in 13 young and 16 middle-aged male scho ol teachers. Cognitive fatigue was induced by sustained performance on cognitive

ly demanding tasks (compared to a control condition). Results showed a main effe ct of age on left dorsolateral prefrontal and superior parietal cortex activatio n during WM encoding; greater activation was evident in middle-aged than young a dults regardless of WM load or fatigue condition. An interaction effect was foun d in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC); WM load-dependent activation was elevated in middle-aged compared to young in the control condition, but did not differ in the fatigue condition due to a reduction in activation in middle-aged in contrast to an increase in activation in the young group. These findings dem onstrate age-related activation differences and differential effects of fatigue on activation in young and middle-aged adults. Family Systems Therapy The Development of Family Systems Therapy Family systems therapy is based on Murray Bowen s family systems theory, which hol ds that individuals are inseparable from their network of relationships. Like ot her psychoanalysts of his time, Murray Bowen was interested in creating more sci entific and objective treatment processes as an alternative to conventional diag nostic frameworks andpathological language. Bowen believed that all therapists e xperienced challenges within their family of origin and that this awareness coul d help therapists normalize human behavior for their clients. Bowen introduced f amily systems theory in the late 1960s after years of research into the family p atterns of schizophrenic patients and the patterns of his own family of origin. Whereas traditional individual therapy addresses the individual s inner psyche in order to effect change in his or her relationships, Bowen s theory suggests addres sing the structure and behavior of the broader relationship system that informs the character of the individual. Bowen also claimed that the change in behavior of one family member would necessarily influence the way that the family functio ns over time. Family Systems Therapy Approaches Many forms of family therapy are based on family systems theory. Family systems approaches generally fall under the categories of structural, strategic, and int ergenerational: Structural family therapy looks at family relationships, behaviors, and patterns as they are exhibited within the therapy session in order to evaluate the struc ture of the family. Therapists also examine subsystems within the family structu re, such as parental or sibling subsystems. Structural family therapy was design ed by Salvador Minuchin, who would employ activities like role-playing in a ther apy session. Strategic family therapy examines family processes and functions, such as commun ication or problem-solving patterns, by evaluating family behavior outside the t herapy session. Therapeutic techniques may include reframing or redefining a pro blem scenario or using paradoxical interventions those that suggest the family tak e action that appears to be in opposition to their therapeutic goals in order to create the desired change. Strategic family therapists believe that change can occur rapidly, without intensive analysis of the source of the problem. Prominen t psychotherapists such as Jay Haley, Milton Erickson, andCloe Madanes helped de velop strategic family therapy. Intergenerational family therapy acknowledges generational influences on family and individual behavior. Identifying multigenerational behavioral patterns, such as managing anxiety, can help people see that their current problems may be roo ted in previous generations. Murray Bowen designed this approach to family thera py, and he used it in treatment for individuals and couples, as well as families . Bowen employed techniques such as normalizing a family s problems by discussing similar scenarios in other families; describing the reactions of individual fami ly members, as opposed to acting them out; and encouraging clients to respond wi th I statements, rather than blaming statements. Bibliotherapy is an expressive therapy that uses an individual's relationship to the content of books and poetry and other written words as therapy. Bibliothera py is often combined with writing therapy. It has been shown to be effective in

the treatment of depression.[1] These results have been shown to be long-lasting . Steps for using bibliotherapy[edit] There are steps that make bibliotherapy a more effective solution for dealing wi th the issues that a student may be facing, including developing support, trust, and confidence with the student that is suffering from an issue, identifying ot her school personnel that could aid in implementing the therapy, seeking support from the student's parents or guardians, defining the issue that the student is facing and why the teacher wants to help solve it, creating goals that may help the student overcome the issue, researching books that may help with the specif ic problem, introducing the book to all the people that will be involved, incorp orating reading activities, and evaluating the effects and successes that the bo ok may have had on the student.[2 Psychodrama is an action method, often used as a psychotherapy, in which clients use spontaneous dramatization, role playing and dramatic self-presentation to i nvestigate and gain insight into their lives. In psychodrama, participants explore internal conflicts by acting out their emot ions and interpersonal interactions on stage. A psychodrama session (typically 9 0 minutes to 2 hours) focuses principally on a single participant, known as the protagonist.[6] Protagonists examine their relationships by interacting with the other actors and the leader, known as the director. This is done using specific techniques, including mirroring, doubling (psychodrama), soliloquy, and role re versal. The session is often broken up into three phases - the warm-up, the acti on, and the post-discussion.[7] During a typical psychodrama session, a number of clients gather together. One o f these clients is chosen by the group as the protagonist, and the director call s on the other clients to assist the protagonist's "performance," either by port raying other characters, or by utilizing mirroring, doubling, or role reversal. The clients act out a number of scenes in order to allow the protagonist to work through certain scenarios.[8] This is obviously beneficial for the protagonist, but also is helpful to the other group members, allowing them to assume the rol e of another person and apply that experience to their own life. The focus durin g the session is on the acting out of different scenarios, rather than simply ta lking through them. All of the different elements of the session (stage, props, lighting, etc.) are used to heighten the reality of the scene.[9] The three sections of a typical session are the warm-up, the action, and the sha ring. During the warm-up, the actors are encouraged to enter into a state of min d where they can be present in and aware of the current moment and are free to b e creative. This is done through the use of different games and activities. Next , the action section of the psychodrama session is the time in which the actual scenes themselves take place. Finally, in the post-discussion, the different act ors are able to comment on the action and share their empathy and experiences wi th the protagonist of the scene. Gestalt therapy is a phenomenological-existential therapy founded by Frederick (Fritz) and Laur a Perls in the 1940s. It teaches therapists and patients the phenomenological me thod of awareness, in which perceiving, feeling, and acting are distinguished fr om interpreting and reshuffling preexisting attitudes. Explanations and interpre tations are considered less reliable than what is directly perceived and felt. P atients and therapists in Gestalt therapydialogue, that is, communicate their ph enomenological perspectives. Differences in perspectives become the focus of exp erimentation and continued dialogue. The goal is for clients to become aware of what they are doing, how they are doing it, and how they can change themselves, and at the same time, to learn to accept and value themselves. Gestalt therapy focuses more on process (what is happening) than content (what i s being discussed). The emphasis is on what is being done, thought and felt at t he moment rather than on what was, might be, could be, or should be. Dance-movement therapy, (DMT) or dance therapy is the psychotherapeutic use of m ovement and dance for emotional, cognitive, social, behavioral and physical cond

itions.[1] As a form of expressive therapy, DMT assumes that movement and emotio n are directly related.[2] Since its origins in the 1950s, DMT has gained popula rity and its practices have developed. However, its principles have remained the same. A typical DMT session has four main stages: preparation, incubation, illu mination, and evaluation.[3] Organizations such as the American Dance Therapy As sociation and the Association for Dance Movement Therapy, United Kingdom maintai n standards of profession and education throughout the field. DMT is practiced i n places such as mental health rehabilitation centers, medical and educational s ettings, nursing homes, day care facilities, and other health promotion programs .[4] This form of therapy which is taught in a wide array of locations goes fart her than just centering the body. Specialized treatments of DMT can help cure an d aid many types of diseases and disabilities. Other common names for DMT includ e movement psychotherapy and dance therapy ART THERAPY. Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses art media as its p rimary mode of communication. It is practised by qualified, registered Art Thera pists who work with children, young people, adults and the elderly.[3] Clients w ho can use art therapy may have a wide range of difficulties, disabilities or di agnoses. These include, for example, emotional, behavioral or mental health prob lems, learning or physical disabilities, life-limiting conditions, brain-injury or neurological conditions and physical illness. Art therapy may be provided for groups, or for individuals, depending on clients needs. It is not a recreational activity or an art lesson, although the sessions can be enjoyable. Clients do n ot need to have any previous experience or expertise in art. The American Art therapy association describes it this way: "(a)rt therapy is the therapeutic use of art making, within a professional relat ionship, by people who experience illness, trauma or challenges in living, and b y people who seek personal development. Through creating art and reflecting on t he art products and processes, people can increase awareness of self and others cope with symptoms, stress and traumatic experiences; enhance cognitive abilitie s; and enjoy the life-affirming pleasures of making art."[4] "Art therapy is a m ental health profession that uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well-being of individuals of all ages. It is based on the belief that the creative process involved in artistic s elf-expression helps people to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpers onal skills, manage behaviour, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awar eness, and achieve insight. Art therapy integrates the fields of human developme nt, visual art (drawing, painting, sculpture, and other art forms), and the crea tive process with models of counseling and psychotherapy."[4]