Psychology is not only a way to learn about yourself, but also a way to solve crisis situations. Get a timely consultation with a psychologist and get rid of your life problems!
Headline
Cooper Mental Health Counseling – a consulting company that encourages diversity.
Description
A multimedia advertising campaign with this image will be launched on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. This is because the coronavirus pandemic has made social media the primary way people communicate. They spend a significant amount of time on these platforms, which allows for effective targeting of advertising through these resources. The audience of our campaign will consist of several segments of consumers of consulting services. The first of these will be middle-aged, affluent people who have a stable income. Such people have already defined their life situations and social role but also have unresolved personal issues. One of these issues may be relationship difficulties because many people had to take a new look at their relationships during the pandemic. A second consumer segment would be people from different minority backgrounds, such as ethnic, national, or sexual. Such clients often face misunderstandings in the service field, and they may find it particularly difficult to open up in a psychological counseling setting.
One of the features and benefits of the clinic is the diversity of counselors, and they include members of various minorities. This can create additional trust with these same clients and encourage them to choose this clinic. The third segment of consumers will be dependents, namely people under the age of 20, whose sessions are paid for by their parents. They are somewhat limited in their consumer options and cannot purchase paid sessions on their own. Nevertheless, such clients most often have a sufficient number of personal problems and can go to multiple sessions. The goal of the campaign will be to attract the maximum number of clients to the psychological counseling clinic. Two main segments will be chosen as places for the campaign’s placements – auto-targeted advertising and promotional campaigns involving bloggers. The first type of product placement will be done automatically on those accounts that were interested in counseling. Also, will be purchased advertising from bloggers whose topics relate to psychology.
Optimization to maximize clicks has been chosen as the bid strategy. Since the goal is engagement, this is an excellent way to achieve it – people will click on the ads everywhere. The click goal is 100 per day, with a budget of $0.2 per click. By setting a minimum price for each click, one can increase the target number over time and achieve greater reach. The target number of ad impressions will be 1000 impressions per day on targeting ads alone. One should also take into account native ads from bloggers, each of which can bring from one to ten thousand potential customers reached.
Call to Action
The call to action in the case of this advertising campaign will be a call to follow the link and sign up for the first free consultation. It is essential to specify that the consultation is free, as this will help to attract not only wealthy people but also dependents. The link, which the potential client will click, will allow them to fill out a registration form and choose a convenient time to sign up for the consultation. The link button should stand out and be easy to click.
When a child is growing up, all those who interact with him/her need to be careful by ensuring that the environment that the child interacts with is safe. This includes removing objects that can injure the child in the classroom and the entire compound. These roles of child safety are mostly left to the teacher because he/she is the one who is with the child most often hence should be accountable incase of anything.
When the child reaches the age for going to school, both the teachers and the parents should make adequate preparations to ensure that the child will have a smooth experience at school. This paper focuses on the things that teachers should take in consideration to make sure that the child with mental problems will prosper in academics like the rest of the learners.
Teachers and parents should work together in promoting the wellness of a child because factors such as children’s experiences at home and school greatly influence their mental growth. The child spends most of the time with the teacher while at school, so in this case one expects the two, that is, the child and the teacher to have a strong bondage. The parents should assist the teachers in identifying their child’s strengths and weaknesses because this will assist the teacher in knowing how to deal with every individual child.
Koplow (2002) argues that if the parents do not collaborate with the teachers the first few days may be difficult for both the child and the teacher because the teacher is not aware of what to expect and this means that more time will be wasted while the two entities are getting to know each other.
Before the child is taken to school the parents or guardians should explain to the child the things that are to be experienced in school life such as waking up early than usual and the assignments that are to be done everyday. The teacher on the other hand should check to ensure that all the facilities required are in their right place.
Both the teacher and the child’s parents should compare notes so that they can have a common approach in handling such child. This means that the child should feel at home when at school and vice versa. None of the parties should be harsh to the child as this would diminish the trust in the teacher and parents.
The parents should ensure that they provide a peaceful environment back at home because issues like violence and quarrels that take place in the presence of the child are quite traumatizing hence they should not be exposed to the child.
Moreover, if parents interfere with the teacher’s efforts they might make the teacher look like a bad person to the child. This means that if the child is given any form of punishment the parents should appreciate it as the appropriate method of correction rather than criticizing it. Criticism is only acceptable when the approach used in correction is harmful either physically or mentally and if so it should not happen in the presence of the child. Correction should be done with lots of love because anger might cause it to loose its meaning.
Sorte, Daeschel and Amador (2002) recommend that while in the classroom the teacher should establish a strong relationship with each individual child. The teacher should exercise patience because it takes time for a child to develop confidence in a stranger. This friendship can be enhanced by being kind to the child by creating sometime for the two that is the child and the teacher to have conversations.
The teacher should take time to listen to what the child is pointing out and should use an appropriate approach while correcting the child because wrong approach could be interpreted as hatred by the child and this may cause the child not to be frank with the teacher.
During learning sessions the teacher should be very patient because all children do not have the same understanding, there are those that are fast learners and those that are slow learners but whatever the case all of them should be treated evenly. However, those that have special needs should be handled differently. This includes equipping them with learning aids which will enhance their learning to make sure they excel like the rest.
The teacher should encourage good behavior in a child by rewarding the child for outstanding behavior or action. The parents should also create some time for their children because providing for their physical needs is not enough. Children are like adults hence they also need someone to talk to when they feel things are not going in the right direction. This time that is spent between the child and the parents/teachers is important because it provides the teachers and guardians with an opportunity to monitor the progress of the child.
When children are out in the playground the teacher should monitor the games they play because they can injure each other. In addition, harmful objects like sharp objects should be out of reach to the children. The children should be taught to play creative games.
This means that other facilities should comply with standard safety measures such as having electricity properly insulated without any hanging wires. This is because children like exploring their environment and such things might cause physical body harm and even death. The same safety precautions should be observed by parents at home (Sorte, Daeschel, Amador, 2011).
The teacher should encourage children to develop friendships among themselves because this contributes to their social well being. In essence, this friendship makes the child feel like school is part of family because he/she has a strong sense of belonging. Children become brighter when they mingle with each other in their plays, which is quite important for their mental and physical well being. When they learn to appreciate each other it boosts their self esteem.
References
Koplow, L. (2002).Creating Schools that Heal: Real-life Solutions. New York: Teachers College Press.
Sorte, J., Daeschel, I., Amador, C. (2011).Nutrition, Health, and Safety for Young Children, Promoting Wellness. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Nowadays, a number of students face certain difficulties and concerns about their education. Still, not all of them are ready to ask for help and clarify true reasons for their difficulties. Besides, not many students want to accept the fact that their mental health and mental well-being are closely connected to their behavior, future grades, and the possibilities to use their knowledge in practice. In their article, Laidlaw et al. (2015) find it necessary to explore undergraduate students’ understanding of such concepts as mental health and mental well-being and investigate the situations when students find it necessary to ask for help in order to solve their mental challenges.
Key arguments
The authors underline two key arguments for developing the study. First, it is necessary to comprehend that higher education is a time when a number of transitions and challenges occur in students’ lives (Laidlaw et al. 2015). The authors explain that the ages from 15 to 24 introduce the period when students would like to develop new help-seeking strategies and find the answers to their psychological, biological, and mental challenges. Second, students should have a good portion of understanding of such terms as mental health and mental well-being challenges in order to know when to ask for help and whom to address for help. Though many students report high levels of distress, their level of knowledge remains to be low in the chosen field.
Research evidence
Moreover, to strengthen their project, the authors rely on the statistical data and introduce the numbers taken from such credible sources as the Higher Education Statistics Agency (2013), the National Centre for Education Statistics (2013), and the Royal College of Psychiatrists (2011). Undergraduate students introduce a considerable part of the population. If they have some mental challenges and concerns, they have to know how to solve them in order to work and study effectively. Besides, Laidlaw et al. (2015) suggest paying attention to the definitions of such concepts as mental health and mental well-being and proving the existing differentiation between them. They use the article by Suldo and Shaffer (2008) as evidence to prove this difference and the necessity to improve students’ understandings of the chosen concepts.
Arguments
In addition to the main arguments introduced by the authors, it is also important to clarify what students know about mental health and mental well-being and if it is possible to improve their knowledge. Mental health and well-being are the concepts with a particular spectrum of potential levels (Suldo & Shaffer 2008). It means that students should not confuse the definitions but have to be ready to differentiate the items, explain their difficulties, and recognize their problems. In other words, it is not enough to understand the possibility of the problem but also be ready to make personal conclusions and evaluations of current challenges in order to promote positive well-being and use friends and peers as the main help-seeking sources.
Goals and achievements
Therefore, the goals of the paper under analysis could be clarified with the help of four research questions developed by the authors. The article aims at investigating students’ awareness of such terms as mental health and mental well-being, their abilities to report on mental health problems in time, the recognition of the helpful sources, and the possible differences of understanding the terms among students with different specializations and levels of knowledge. The conclusions made show that the authors prove their position that students’ understanding of mental health issues is not as perfect as it should be, and students have to know more about the sources (except the idea to communicate with peers) to rely on when they face mental health challenges (Laidlaw et al. 2015). In addition, the authors provide the reader with several pieces of advice on how to improve their knowledge. The suggestions include the existing UK campaigns and programs that help to cope with distress among students.
Importance of additional sources
In this study, additional sources are important because of two reasons. First, the authors have to prove their chosen positions and introduce the opinions of other researchers on the same topic. Second, additional sources with the statistical data and theoretical approaches help to create the required basis for the development of independent research. For example, the dual model developed by Suldo and Shaffer (20008) helps to understand the similarities and differences between mental health and mental well-being and provide students with the guide to rely on. The point is that many students accept such mental well-being issues as stress as an ordinary aspect of education. They do not find it necessary to recognize stress as a problem to be solved. What they try to do is to think about new ways to deal with it. It means that they do not want to avoid stress or predict stressful situations. Students just need to believe that they have enough sources to deal with it when it occurs.
Theoretical field
Though there is no theoretical basis in the article, the authors take into consideration the importance of the models in mental health evaluation. Mental health problems lead to certain inabilities, and the inabilities result in poor achievements in education and low levels of knowledge. Students cannot cope with the tasks in a proper way, they demonstrate a poor understanding of new information, and they cannot be confident in each step taken (Laidlaw et al. 2015).
Methodology
To prove the chosen position and the importance of the topic for the analysis, Laidlaw et al. (2015) use approximately-24-minutes-long semi-structured interviews. They cooperate with 20 students (10 20-year-old females and 10 21-year-old males), who prove that their opinions and awareness of mental health and mental well-being vary considerably. Besides, the interviews show that students cannot give the answers to all questions and stay confident in their opinions because of the existing emotional problems.
Current debates and article’s worth
During the current debates, students demonstrate their intentions to achieve positive results and succeed in their transitions into adulthood. They do not want to bother their families when the time to solve psychological or emotional problems comes. What students believe in is the power of their communication with peers and friends, who could have the same challenges and have already found some successful and effective solutions. Help-seeking strategies should not challenge students but create the opportunities and support. Unfortunately, at the moment, students, as well as researchers, do not possess the required portion of the information on how students with emotional and psychological problems could respond appropriately to the current challenges.
Conclusion
In general, the article by Laidlaw et al. (2015) is a helpful source of information about students and their attempts to deal with mental health problems and the promotion of positive mental health well-being. Though not all students know how to deal with emotional problems and find it normal to address their peers for help, there is a belief that the development of specialized programs and campaigns could support undergraduate students and achieve good results in education and transitions into adulthood.
Laidlaw, A., McLellan, J. and Ozakinci, G. (2015). Understanding undergraduate student perceptions of mental health, mental well-being and help-seeking behaviour. Studies in Higher Education, 41(12), pp. 2156-2168.
Royal College of Psychiatrists. (2011). The mental health of students in higher education. London: Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Suldo, SM & Shaffer, EJ 2008, Looking beyond psychopathology: the dual-factor model of mental health in youth, School Psychology Review, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 52-68.
The overall well being of a child is a direct consequence of three important factors. These are the child’s health, nutrition and safety. These factors according to (Marotz R. L, 2010) are closely intertwined and dependent on one another. For instance, if a child is fed with a nutritious diet, this will have an overall impact on his/her health.
The child develops positive health due to adequate nourishment and at the same time is prevented from experiencing unnecessary injuries. An adequate and nutritious diet results to optimum blood sugars which improves alertness which in turn promotes quick reactions thus avoiding accidents.
Health is not only an individual’s physical well being but broadly it can be termed as a state of complete physical, emotional, social, economic, cultural and spiritual well being. Health can also be categorized into various categories such as physical health, oral health, mental health etc. Specifically, this paper is going to restrict itself to the latter. A child’s mental health is normally influenced by a combination of factors. Below is a mention of these factors and their subsequent impacts on a child’s mental health.
Self esteem. This is a child’s feelings of self worth in relation to other people. Children with a high sense of self worth are less likely to exhibit negative mental health. Self esteem is developed by parents and teachers alike when they foster an atmosphere of encouragement and understanding for children. However when this is not done, the child is often down on morale and may experience negative mental health.
Stress. Protracted or extreme stress in children contribute to negative mental health. Stressful situations, such as abusive treatment, poverty, unrealistic adult demands, chronic illnesses, unsafe neighborhoods, natural disasters etc can have serious impact on children’s emotional state (Fairbank & Fairbank, 2009).
Childhood depression. Some children are unable to overcome some of their childhood fears which results in them harboring deep rooted grief and desperation. This affects their emotional development and hence leading to negative mental health. It is usually as a result of the child experiencing traumatic events for example divorce of parents, violence, death of a close friend, relative or even pet, chronic illnesses etc.
Childhood fears. Fears and nightmares are a normal occurrence in a child’s developmental stage. They are as a result of the child’s attempt at trying to make sense of their world. Adults ought to consistently reassure the children so that they can be able to overcome these fears. However, when this is not done effectively, it leads to negative mental health for the child.
Poverty and Homelessness. Poverty puts a great strain on parenting. Homeliness in itself is most of the times as a result of poverty. However, it can result from natural disasters such as floods.
The many hardships experienced by poor parents in providing the basic necessities for their children are compounded by stress, fear and conflict. Such pressures increase tensions and conflicts between parents and in most cases these are transferred to the children. Poverty also does not avail the necessary means to provide adequate food and health care for the children. Children from poor families may experience low self esteem since they are unable to compete with their peers from the well to do families material wise.
All these have a consequent negative mental health on the children. Children living in poverty are also more likely to experience abuse, learning and behavior problems, teen pregnancy, substance abuse, higher dropout rates, and reduced earning potential as adults. Ultimately, the cumulative effects of poverty can threaten children’s chances of growing up to become healthy, educated, and productive adults (Mello, 2009).
Violence. Due to the numerous conflicts being experienced in the world today, many children are experiencing violence at very high levels. This leaves the children traumatized and hence suffering serious emotional disturbances. Children who grow up under an environment of domestic violence are at a risk of developing violent behavior themselves once they are adults.
Recommendations
Having looked at some of the factors that may contribute to negative mental health in children, it is my feeling that most of these can be prevented. Parents, teachers and other adults alike should ensure that children under their care develops positive mental health by ensuring the following;
>Encouraging the children to satisfy their curiosity by allowing them to explore their environment albeit under supervision.
>Providing children right from infancy stage with adequate nourishment and comfort in times of distress.
>Assisting the children to develop positive mentally health habits.
>Incorporating aspects of mental health on a daily basis through essential practices.
>Providing an atmosphere of acceptance for the children.
>Showing respect for children’s feelings and rights.
>Acknowledging and fostering children’s comradeship with their peers.
>Designing and promoting activities that enhance social interactions.
>Acting as role models and avoiding violence, substance abuse, abusive language and other such vices.
Conclusion
I am of the opinion that although it is normal for a child to go through the various emotional stages of development, proper guidance and care will go a long way in ensuring that children have a balanced development in all their spheres of life.
Works Cited
Marotz, Lynn R. Health, Safety, and Nutrition for The Young Child.
New York: Wadsworth Publishing, 2008.
Mello, Anthony. Poverty, Homelessness & the Family. Virginia:
Virginia state University Press, 2009.
James, Fairbank. Striving toward the Future. Pennsylvania:
Education as a concept is believed to be a part of human existence since the moment of birth. Thus, it is of paramount significance for a person to outline the major principles behind the perception of learning. Having closely considered individual education patterns over the years, the conclusion was reached that some of the fundamental principles predetermining education include expertise, meaningfulness, inclusion, personalized learning, and reflection. All of the aforementioned aspects point to the need to acknowledge learner’s individual perceptions of material in order for them to develop a habit of continuous education. Thus, the image of leaner may be represented as a sophisticated combination of mental and cognitive processes that are to be recognized and accounted for in the process of learning. For this reason, when pursuing the dream of becoming a professor in the field of mental health and psychology, I am driven by the intention of reassessing the weight of counseling and mental peculiarities in society.
Indeed, counseling itself may be regarded as a process of learning and mentoring other in terms of their choices and self-awareness. For this reason, the Doctorate in Counseling, which paves a path towards teaching, will help me reconsider the idea of meaningfulness behind teaching how to interact with others’ mental health. The fundamental principle of reflection, in its turn, is crucial for my understanding of the psychology behind educational leadership I am willing to undertake in the future. Moreover, my philosophy of education implies creating a safe space where the one who teaches is open to be taught by others. By obtaining a Doctorate in Counseling, I am willing to become a mental health advocate in both theoretical and empirical aspects, creating opportunities for students’ willingness to get to know themselves prior to mentoring someone else.
In Canada, the early childhood education field is growing rapidly. There are currently over 69,000 early childhood educators in the country, which is expected to increase significantly in the coming years (Travers & Cooper, 2018). The mental health of these educators is an important issue that must be addressed. If early childhood educators are not satisfied with their jobs, it can lead to serious problems for the individual and society.
In addition, an educated workforce is essential to the development of children (Wang et al., 2018). Educators must also be able to care for themselves to provide optimal care for their students. Many programs are being implemented across Canada to improve the mental health of early childhood educators and help them maintain good mental health. A substantial amount of research is available on job satisfaction and its relationship to employee mental health and well-being, but little is understood about how ECEs’ mental health is impacted by work satisfaction. This research paper examines the negative effects of job satisfaction in relation to mental health among early childhood educators in Canada.
Literature Review
Early childhood educators must have robust mental health in today’s world. It is because an educator’s job involves a lot of responsibility, especially regarding children’s safety and well-being. Teachers are tasked with creating an environment where kids can grow and learn in a safe and nurturing way (Wang et al., 2018). They are responsible for caring for and educating young children, which requires great emotional intelligence. Early childhood educators must maintain an appropriate balance between their personal needs and the needs of the children in their care (Boamah et al., 2018). They must also be able to cope with stressful situations and emotional challenges during their work day.
In the recent past, there has been a great deal of research on the connection between work happiness and mental health. In Canada, mental health has been on the rise in recent years. According to researchers, a positive work environment can directly impact an employee’s mental health (Wang et al., 2018). Travers & Cooper (2018) found that job satisfaction, or lack thereof, can significantly impact an early childhood educator’s mental health.
The study surveyed approximately 1,500 early childhood educators in Canada. It showed that those who were dissatisfied with their occupations were more likely than people who were content with their work to have higher levels of stress and anxiety (Travers & Cooper, 2018). Another study showed that employees dissatisfied with their jobs are more likely to take sick days or quit (Won & Chang, 2020). This finding is particularly relevant because it highlights how important it is for early childhood educators to feel like they are doing good work. If they believe they are not making a difference in the lives of children or families, they may get disheartened and unhappy, which may cause them to quit their jobs.
Theoretical Perspectives
The theoretical perspectives guiding this research are Maslach’s Burnout Model. It states that burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a lack of personal accomplishment (Madigan & Kim, 2021). Emotional exhaustion is associated with feeling emotionally drained by work situations and events. Feelings of inefficacy or distance from others characterize depersonalization. Personal accomplishment stems from feeling like one has made significant contributions to their job or organization. The second perspective is Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation (Jeon et al., 2018).
It states that intrinsic factors such as recognition, achievement, personal growth, and responsibility lead to job satisfaction and extrinsic factors such as salary and fringe benefits lead to dissatisfaction (Jeon et al., 2018). The third perspective is Vroom’s Expectancy Theory, which states that an individual’s motivation is determined by the expected outcomes of their actions and behaviors (Fleury et al., 2018).
The fourth perspective is McClelland’s Need Hierarchy Theory which states that individuals are motivated when they have needs that are not satisfied in their current position or environment (Kurt & Demirbolat, 2019). The results from this study will be useful for both employers and employees because it will provide information about how job satisfaction affects early childhood educators’ mental health in Canada.
Statement of the Research Question
The research question for this paper is “How does job satisfaction affect Early Childhood Educators’ mental health in Canada?” This question is important because it can lead to a better understanding of what contributes to, or detracts from, the mental health of ECEs. This knowledge can help with developing strategies and interventions that can be used to improve the mental health of early childhood educators in Canada.
The Rationale of the Research
The study aims to determine how job satisfaction affects Early Childhood Educators’ mental health in Canada. The rationale for this research is that early childhood educators are frequent targets of violence and abuse in the workplace, which can impact their mental health. It is also important to understand how job satisfaction impacts mental health because it allows for more effective interventions to be developed for early educators, who are often isolated in their work environments and may not feel comfortable seeking out help. The results may provide insight into the relationships between job satisfaction, mental health, and well-being among early childhood educators in Canada.
Research Purpose
The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of job satisfaction on early childhood educators’ mental health in Canada. This research will be used to inform policy makers and other stakeholders about the correlation between job satisfaction and mental health among early childhood educators in Canada.
Research Design
This study will be conducted by surveying 100 Early Childhood Educators on their job satisfaction and mental health, as well as asking them about the things that make them feel satisfied with their jobs. The study will also involve a survey sent out to a focus group where participants can tell about their experiences (Kurt & Demirbolat, 2019). The research design for this project has been carefully crafted to ensure that it achieves its objectives. The first step is to create an online survey that will ask questions about job satisfaction and mental health, along with other relevant information such as age, gender, and ethnicity.
The second step is distributing this survey through social media websites like Facebook and Twitter. It will allow the researcher to reach many people without spending much money advertising our research project because people who use these platforms are already interested in what is happening around them. The third step is to set up a focus group where participants can tell about their experiences working with children or teaching preschoolers at home. This way, the study will get insight into how they feel about their jobs and whether or not they are satisfied with what they do daily.
Research Methodology
The study plans to use a survey method as the primary source of information because it is the most convenient and cost-effective (Kurt & Demirbolat, 2019). This method will allow the researcher to collect information easily from a large sample of respondents. The survey will be sent out online and open-ended so that participants can answer the questions in their own words, which should provide more accurate information than a multiple-choice format would allow. The study will have to make sure that the survey is accessible. It needs to be available in English and French so everyone who works as an early childhood educator can participate. Also, since many people are busy with work or other responsibilities, the study will try to keep the survey short by only asking about the most important factors affecting early childhood educators’ job satisfaction.
In addition to using a survey method, the study will employ qualitative methods such as interviews, observation, and document analysis (Won & Chang, 2020). These qualitative methods will help collect more detailed information about Early Childhood Educators’ experiences of stressors at work and their impact on their mental health. The biggest challenge for the study will likely be getting enough responses from participants to get an accurate picture of how job satisfaction affects mental health for early childhood educators in Canada.
If there are not enough responses, then it will not be possible for the study to draw any conclusions or make recommendations based on the results from the survey; thus, it will need some help from others. In order to avoid a low response rate, the study will use an online survey as opposed to an in-person survey. The use of an online survey will allow the researcher to reach a wider range of participants than an in-person survey would. In addition, the use of an online survey will help eliminate any potential bias or influence from other people in the room who may be answering questions that are not relevant to them.
Sampling Procedures, Data collection, and Data Analysis
The study has chosen a random sample technique because it will help obtain an unbiased representation of Early Childhood Educators in Canada (Won & Chang, 2020). The study will only reflect the opinions of those who volunteered to participate in the study (Katsantonis, 2019). A sample size of 100 early childhood educators will be selected randomly from across Canada. The data will be collected using a questionnaire that contains questions related to job satisfaction and mental health issues. The responses to these questions are then compiled and analyzed using statistical software. The field data collection method will be through interviews and observations (Kurt & Demirbolat, 2019). Qualitative data obtained from observations will be analyzed using a qualitative content analysis method which involves coding the content into categories based on similar meanings within each category.
Anticipated Outcomes
Early Childhood Educators are employed in various settings, including daycares, preschools, family daycares, and private homes. They work with children from birth to school age. They assist with dressing, feeding, bathing, and entertaining the children. They also guide play activities, social skills, communication skills, and cognitive development (Jeon et al., 2018). The anticipated outcomes of this study are that it will show that job satisfaction is significantly correlated with an increase in mental health and there are big differences between people who are happy with their jobs on a scale from 0 to 100 (Jeon et al., 2018).
This research also has implications for social work practice as it could be used to determine whether or not the early childhood education system should be updated based on the study’s results. The significance of this study lies in its potential to improve the lives of Canada’s early childhood educators, who are often underpaid and overworked. If these educators are happier with their jobs, they may have better mental health overall (Katsantonis, 2019). It will make them more effective at teaching young children who will become adults with good mental health.
Potential Ethical Issues
The ethical issues that may arise from this research include privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity. The need for confidentiality and anonymity lies within the fact that there are many sensitive issues involved with these types of researchers. For example, if an individual does not have good self-esteem or confidence, they may be reluctant to answer questions about their mental health (Fleury et al., 2018).
Confidentiality is also important when conducting any research because it ensures that no one knows who participated or what they answered (Fleury et al., 2018). Privacy is another important factor because it helps protect individuals from being judged by others if they choose not to participate in the study (Jeon et al., 2018). The study will engage in self-reflection and self-awareness during all stages of my research. It will also be actively seeking feedback from more knowledgeable people concerning this topic.
Conclusion
The research question examines and fields this topic from different perspectives, including psychosocial, microsystemic, organizational, macrosystemic, and societal. The mental health issues faced by ECEs will affect the children in their care. These factors that contribute to the mental health problems of ECEs can be managed to improve their quality of life through personal actions, social support, and community support.
Additionally, ECEs have a high influence on child development; hence, they strongly link with early childhood success. Achieving job satisfaction is not easy, and our education system needs to look into the matter to create a conducive teacher environment. It will help build a healthy foundation for early childhood development. That is why it is beneficial for governments to set up preschools according to the national curriculum guide and international standards. With ample opportunities for ECEs to work on implementing curriculum, it creates an ideal environment for children to bloom in. Moreover, to achieve the best results, teachers must go through various experiences that will cover educational philosophies, theories, and fun equipment, which will lead them to the right road to becoming successful educators.
References
Boamah, S. A., Laschinger, H. K. S., Wong, C., & Clarke, S. (2018). Effect of transformational leadership on job satisfaction and patient safety outcomes. Nursing Outlook, 66(2), 180-189. Web.
Fleury, M. J., Grenier, G., Bamvita, J. M., & Farand, L. (2018). Variables associated with job satisfaction among mental health professionals. PloS one, 13(10), e0205963.
Jeon, L., Buettner, C. K., & Grant, A. A. (2018). Early childhood teachers’ psychological well-being: Exploring potential predictors of depression, stress, and emotional exhaustion. Early education and development, 29(1), 53-69. Web.
Katsantonis, I. G. (2019). Investigation of the impact of school climate and teachers’ self-efficacy on job satisfaction: a cross-cultural approach. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology, and Education, 10(1), 119-133.
Kurt, N., & Demirbolat, A. O. (2019). Investigation of the Relationship between Psychological Capital Perception, Psychological Well-Being and Job Satisfaction of Teachers. Journal of Education and Learning, 8(1), 87-99. Web.
Madigan, D. J., & Kim, L. E. (2021). Towards an understanding of teacher attrition: A meta-analysis of burnout, job satisfaction, and teachers’ intentions to quit. Teaching and teacher education, 105, 103425.
Travers, C. J., & Cooper, C. L. (2018). Mental health, job satisfaction and occupational stress among UK teachers. In Managerial, Occupational and Organizational Stress Research (pp. 291-307). Routledge.
Wang, F., Pollock, K. E., & Hauseman, C. (2018). School principals’ job satisfaction: The effects of work intensification. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, 185, 73. Web.
Won, S. D., & Chang, E. J. (2020). The relationship between school violence-related stress and quality of life in school teachers through coping self-efficacy and job satisfaction. School Mental Health, 12(1), 136-144. Web.
Appendices
Interview Questions
Please describe your current job situation.
What is your greatest challenge at work?
How do you feel about it?
What do you like most about your current position?
What are the factors that make you happy at work?
What are the factors that make you unhappy at work?
How can early childhood educators experience job satisfaction to improve their mental health?
How do you feel about your career decision to become an early childhood educator?
How do you feel your job satisfaction affects your mental health?
Have you ever felt stressed out at work? Why do you think that happened?
Are there any ways to avoid feeling stressed out at work?
Do you feel there are enough professional growth opportunities in your current position? If not, what is missing? What would make it better?
Do you feel there are enough opportunities for personal growth in your current position? If not, what is missing? What would make it better?
What has changed how you recently approached your work and home life?
NYS OMH operates more than 4500 facilities, including 1300 psychiatrist facilities in the New York State. It has its Headquarters based at Albany. It conducts mental health research with the goal of providing prevention, treatment and recovery. Furthermore, it provides state operated inpatient and outpatient mental health support and services to residents of the state of New York.
Its major obligation is to secure its own Information systems and information resources collected or created as part of its ongoing business. IT is requisite to guarantee security of data and protection of confidential information belonging to different clients and patients. So, one of its important undertakings is security of data to ensure Privacy of clients and patients.
NYS OMH is a non – profit organization, which is a constituent of the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene Inc. It aims at improving research and training. NYS OMH undertakes its activities using the latest IT available, this enables easy and fast communication between the field offices and the headquarters.
The state of New York has the largest multi faceted mental health system that serves over 700, 000 persons (NYS OMH, 2012). Thus, the information being handled by the organization is prone to breach due to enhancement of computer Technology.
Security breach is the violation of the set protocols, procedures, and processes by a third party. In organizations like NYS OMH, this kind of vice needs not be a factor so as to enable smooth operation of the organization and still be able to achieve its goals.
Types of Security Breach
In such an organization security, breach is not something that can just be written off. There are two kinds of security breach: Internal and External security breach, which can present as an electronic security breach (data security breach) and physical security breach.
Electronic security breach involves duplication of data through shared storage media like flash disks or interception of data on transmission by hackers without authorization for malicious purposes. On the other hand, physical security breach involves the loss of back up storage media, usually different types of hard disks.
Under internal security breach, there is the (Electronic Security Breach) IT security breach and the (Physical Security breach) physical theft of assets of the organization. It is classified as internal in the sense that an insider (employee) facilitates the occurrence of the security breach by leaking out confidential information about the company.
Figure 1: A line graph of security breach at NYS OMH in 3-month period for 2011
The above graph (Figure 1) shows the rate of security breach at NYS OMH for the past one year. From the graph, it can be concluded that internal security breach is more as compared to the external security breach.
Control and Management of Security Breach
External security breach involves hackers intercepting information for malicious purposes pass as an IT security breach. The theft of company’s asset without the help of an employee is a type of physical security breach from outsiders.
To avoid such kind of security breach, NYS OMH uses the following software / programs to try prevent the security breach, NYS OMH uses electronic applications, electronic mean to get, use, maintain and store personal health data and information (Jones, & Ashenden, 2005).
NYS OMH also uses the WORM (Write Once Read Only) program to prevent security breach. It has electronic and technology signatures. Its advantage is that it prevents tampering of data after creation of the initial files. NYS OMH also employs the virtual private network (VPN) to carry out networked transmissions.
VPN is used to make an encrypted network (ciphered network) and channels between the network and the user’s wireless device, hence hiding data and information transmission (Al–Hakim, 2007). Its advantage is that it is less costly and allows for network scalability (Mitchell, 2012; Shinder, 2001).
Other program the OMH employ encompasses use of firewall, which prevents unauthorized access to stored data and information. Use of anti – virus such as Norton and McAfee to prevent viruses and malicious software to corrupt stored data is method employed by the NYS OMH to prevent data security breach.
Compliance policies and regulatory policies instituted by the state and federal government, ensures protection of patients’ information. Adherence to this policies and regulations is another form by which the organization to curb security threats to data and information.
Others strategies include intrusion-detection systems, authentication, upgrades and software patches and access point configurations (Appari, & Johnson, 2008). The adoption of Electronic Health Records (EHR) as envisioned by the government has ultimately reduced the threat posed by Electronic security breach.
Some of the regulatory practices employed by the NYS OMH include enactment of compliance policies and regulatory policies in NYS OMH in relevance to security of patient’s information.
Counter Measures
Countermeasures make a network more secure and therefore enhance security. Some of the countermeasures employed by NYS OMH are discussed below.
There are technical countermeasures, which play a very important role in security management. Furthermore, these measures ensure that patient’s data and information are accessed only by the authorized people (Fleming, 2009). Technical countermeasures include the use of hardware and software to offer protection to web application and networks.
These measures include public-key infrastructure, firewalls, virtual private networks, encryption, intrusion-detection systems, authentication, upgrades and software patches and access point configurations (Al -Hakim, 2007).
There is also Technical training as a preventive strategy adopted by NYS OMH, because of the fact that that most of the previous security breach occurred internally, and did not result from external factors. In addition, educational initiatives are important in ensuring that a cultural change is incorporated in the NYS OMH.
This has been summed up by high-level confidentiality policy to all personnel who have access to very sensitive information. These countermeasures can be classified as countermeasures from the social perspective (Hanover, 2012).
Analysis & Recommendations
Upon implementation of these countermeasures, cases of security breach have reduced though not been eliminated. Considering the Software employed by NYS OMH ,the level of Data security has been greatly improved. Yet, the organization has to acquire the very latest software to ensure total elimination of the vice (Hogan, 2010).
Now, upon considering the EHR and its implementation at NYS OMH incorporated important clauses, which encourage high penalties for persons who engage in security breach.
This fines range from $50,000 to $1, 500,000 depending on the serious of the crime (NYS OMH, 2010). OMH has a well-established Security Management Systems, which foster security on patients’ information. This has made its network secure from any viable security breach.
Considering regulations to be employed by the organization, NYS OMH should set up regulatory compliance policies, which can be supported by the confidentiality, and privacy policy. These policies would enhance the already existing protocols and security counter measures thus improving security in NYS OMH (Ko, & Dorantes, 2006).
Considering the recommendations for the countermeasures which include: public-key infrastructure, firewalls, virtual private networks, encryption, intrusion-detection systems, authentication, upgrades and software patches and access point configurations, security in NYS OMH has improved tremendously.
In addition, the employees undergo continuous training on importance of data security and confidentiality to reduce or eliminate internal security threat.
References
Al-Hakim, L. (2007). Web Mobile-Based Applications For Healthcare Management. Hershey, PA: IRM Press.
Appari, A., & Johnson, M. E. (2008). Information Security And Privacy In Healthcare: Current State Of Research. Hanover, NH: Dartmouth College.
Fleming, D. A. (2009). Ethics Conflicts In Rural Communities: Health Information Technology. Hanover. NH: Dartmouth College Press.
Hanover, J. (2012). 3 Massive Security Breaches In 3 Weeks: Taking A Closer Look. Web.
Jones, A., & Ashenden, D. (2005). Risk Management For Computer Security: Protecting Your Network And Information Assets. Burlington, MA: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann.
Ko, M., & Dorantes, C. (2006). The Impact Of Information Security Breaches On Financial Performance Of The Breached Firms: An Empirical Investigation. Journal Of Information Technology Management, XVII, 13-22.
According to the article by Gallagher and Underhill (2012), there is an increased amount of evidence, which suggested that certain work and company characteristics have a direct impact on bad well-being, increased stress, as well as the tension in the work relationships. Therefore, occupational safety should not only account for the physical hazards at work but also psychological hazards. As evident from the presented scenario about a construction company, any employee can have mental issues associated with his or her occupation, regardless of gender. However, gender does play a role in the way employees treat their psychological problems, for example, male construction workers preferred self-medicating through alcohol and drugs.
Industry, occupational, and gender characteristics play a crucial part in the way mental health is addressed at work. Nowadays there is a growing need for addressing psychological issues in the workplace since employees are often stressed due to downsizing or immense workload and are expected to perform at the highest level to withstand competition (American Psychological Association, 2016). Because the majority of senior managers see no connection between mental health problems and the workplace environment, employees are currently juggling between excellent performance and the maintenance of a balanced and healthy mental state. Furthermore, male employees can often disregard mental issues they have as well as make fun of female employees that cannot withstand the stress as easily, as seen from the case study.
There is a variety of reasons why senior managers should develop effective mental health strategies in the workplace. The development of a safe workplace is important because it will increase productivity, account for the challenges some employees face in the workplace, minimise stress and boost morale, as well as achieve a higher level of loyalty and respect on the part of workers (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2010).
References
American Psychological Association. (2016). Stress at work. Web.
Gallagher, C., & Underhill, E. (2012). Managing work health and safety: Recent developments and future directions. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 50(2), 227-244.
