Your formal signature

When you sign something you usually use initials, first or family name. Your first name reflects your private self. Your surname is a mirror of your public self: how you behave at work and what is your min role in society.

If you use your first name to sign documents it means that your private self plays the main role in your life. You certainly have positive emotions about your childhood and family is the main priority for you.

The more space you make between your name and surname the more distance there is between your public and private life.If you use initials only, it means that you are pretty secretive about both of your private and public self.

Legibility

If your signature is quite legible and easy read, it defines you as person with clear and fresh ideas. In such case you will easily implement your objectives in real life. If you signature is illegible you always try to avoid conflicts. You have many friends who consider you are a positive and assertive person.

Angle

Signatures are divided into rising, descending or horizontal.

1. Rising signature means that if you have problems you will always overcome them. In such case you are a person with a strong mind. You are ambitious and optimistic.
2. Descending signature means that you often have bad mood and tend to depressions. You can hardly solve problems by yourself.  But you are creative person with unique ideas.
3. Horizontal signature is an indication of stable personality. Such people are calm and balanced. They have clear mind and satisfied with their lives.

Size

If your signature is bigger that rest letters, it means that you are self-confident person. You have high opinion about yourself. People whose signatures are smaller than other letters of handwriting have law self-esteem.

What is stress?

Reading the official psychologists’ recourses we see the following meaning of the word “stress”:

“Stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand. It can be caused by both good and bad experiences. When people feel stressed by something going on around them, their bodies react by releasing chemicals into the blood. These chemicals give people more energy and strength, which can be a good thing if their stress is caused by physical danger. But this can also be a bad thing, if their stress is in response to something emotional and there is no outlet for this extra energy and strength. This class will discuss different causes of stress, how stress affects you, the difference between ‘good’ or ‘positive’ stress and ‘bad’ or ‘negative’ stress, and some common facts about how stress affects people today.”

So you see that stress can be as negative so positive one. Positive stresses can hardly be called the happy minutes of our life but they tope up our body, they add some new emotions in our life.

So let’s see what stresses are negative and what are positive ones.

Negative stresses:

Negative caused some bad emotions in your mind and discomfort feeling in your body. It can be the bad sleeping at night, losing the appetite. Such bad stresses are usually provoked by negative situations in our life. Maybe you’ve just lost your job or your family is breaking out. This kind of stress is really dangerous. If you don’t take it away so the problems may rise into the psychological disease.

If you have negative stress, go to the doctor and work on yourself all the time. Your mental health is the most important thing in your life, remember it!

Positive stresses:

Positive stress is that kind of your mind condition when you have some problems, some non-convenient situations but they mobilize you. I think you had such stresses. Let’s see:

• You boss tells you to do the huge amount of work but you have no time for it;
• Your plain is taking on in 20 minutes when you are far from the airport
• You’ll have an exam tomorrow but still don’t know anything and so on.

As a rule positive stresses are short-term. They take us some portion of adrenalin. Some people who like such stresses are looking for them in extreme sports for example.

I wish you to distinguish positive and negative stresses and have only first ones in your life!

Many people have an unwritten belief that success leads to happiness. This opinion is absolutely differs from the psychologists’ research proving that happiness helps us to become successful. Many questionnaires and researches show that the person in a good mood can do many things leading to his own success:

1. Feel healthier. The psychologist after many experiments say that people in a good mood are less given too pain. They prolong their lives in such a way.
2. Talk to other people. The people in a good mood talk to other with pleasure. He is always ready to help or just communicate. So many problems can be solved.
3. Practice different activities. Happy people like sports and active vacations.
4. Help others. If you feel yourself happy you are always ready to help someone, to make him happier too.
5. Be more creative. The ideas of people in a positive mood are as a rule more creative and flexible. They work in a team more effectively and solve the problems easily.
6. Resolve conflicts. People in a good mood didn’t interpret the conflicts as too complicated situation. They can find the way out without any problems.
7. Attribute success to their own skills. Good moods improve people’s self-efficacy.

Analyzing all these items you see that happy people implement their good features. Their skills are more evident for others. So being in good mood is a guarantee of success.
But how we can become happier if we have some problems and don’t feel so? It’s simple! First convict yourself that happiness will lead you to success. Believe in it and it will for sure. The second step is lifestyle and atmosphere where you live. Make your room more positive, open the windows often. Make your surroundings happier. Practice sports or other activities, create the hobby and share you interests with other people. After it you’ll feel better and happier that will help you to each success.

But before you start choosing the proper service and register there I want you to know some psychological aspects of internet dating.

* The first thing is your mood. You should believe that this search will be successful. Just imagine the person you want to meet and have only positive emotions.

* The second thing is creating your profile. Psychologists recommend giving the brief but informative answers. They have to reflect your personality fully. Don’t hesitate to upload your photo. Even if you think your appearance is not so great do it anyway. Remember your perfect match will love you such as you are.

* If you decide to address someone don’t write some standard massages as “How are you?” Try to write something outstanding and even funny sometimes. But don’t ask too private questions.

Now you are ready to use some dating service. But what of them will be better for you. The internet dating market is very large so it’s difficult to make the right choice.

To find the one site you’ll like read the dating sites reviews first. It will help you undoubtedly.

Here you can find the advantages and disadvantages of the most popular services, see the dating sites ratings, get to know about prices.

The Internet has become the part of modern society. It has bad and good features. But the opinion that only losers meet through the Internet is a fault. Many interesting, clever, honest people use dating service because they have no time for other meeting. So don’t be afraid of using dating portals. Register and enjoy the great online dating community!

Some of the products and services may be useful to employers who are planning to downsize their organization and are considering providing outplacement services. These product are available in conjunction with our outplacement programs or may be purchases individually.

The assessment tools are only offered with the administration, interpretation and written reports which are performed by our highly qualified staff of clinicians.

1. Personality Testing
2. Career Assessment Inventory
3. Campbell Interest and Skill Survey
4. Validity Indicator Profile
5. Temperment Analysis
6. Myers-Briggs

Personality Testing

We offer a wide range of personality tests, including

• MMPI -2™ (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory)
• MMPI-A (Adolescent)
• MCMI-III (Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventory)

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Career Assessment Inventory

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Campbell Interest and Skill Survey

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Validity Indicator Profile

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Temperment Analysis

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Myers-Briggs

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For many people, drinking alcohol is nothing more than a pleasant way to relax. However, people with alcohol use disorders drink to excess, endangering both themselves and others. This question-and-answer fact sheet explains alcohol problems and how psychologists can help people recover.

• When does drinking become a problem?
• What causes alcohol-related disorders?
• How do alcohol-use disorders affect people?
• When should someone seek help?
• How can a psychologist help?

When does drinking become a problem?

For most adults, moderate alcohol use—no more than two drinks a day for men and one for women and older people—is relatively harmless. (A “drink” means 1.5 ounces of spirits, 5 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer, all of which contain 0.5 ounces of alcohol.) Moderate use, however, lies at one end of a range that moves through alcohol abuse to alcohol dependence:

Alcohol abuse is a drinking pattern that results in significant and recurrent adverse consequences. Alcohol abusers may fail to fulfill major school, work or family obligations. They may have drinking-related legal problems, such as repeated arrests for driving while intoxicated. They may have relationship problems related to their drinking.

People with alcoholism—technically known as alcohol dependence—have lost reliable control of their alcohol use. It doesn’t matter what kind of alcohol someone drinks or even how much: alcohol-dependent people are often unable to stop drinking once they start. Alcohol dependence is characterized by tolerance (the need to drink more to achieve the same “high”) and withdrawal symptoms if drinking is suddenly stopped. Withdrawal symptoms may include nausea, sweating, restlessness, irritability, tremors, hallucinations, and convulsions.

Although severe alcohol problems get the most public attention, even mild to moderate problems cause substantial damage to individuals, their families, and the community.

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), 1 in 13 American adults is an alcohol abuser or alcoholic at any given time. A 1997 government survey revealed that drinking problems are also common among younger Americans. For example, almost 5 million youths aged 12 to 20 engage in binge drinking, which involves females consuming at least four drinks on a single occasion and males at least five.

What causes alcohol-related disorders?

Problem drinking has multiple causes, with genetic, physiological, psychological and social factors all playing a role. Not every individual is equally affected by each cause. For some alcohol abusers, psychological traits such as impulsiveness, low self-esteem, and a need for approval prompt inappropriate drinking. Some individuals drink to cope with or “medicate” emotional problems. Social and environmental factors such as peer pressure and the easy availability of alcohol can play key roles. Poverty and physical or sexual abuse increase the odds of developing alcohol dependence.

Genetic factors make some people especially vulnerable to alcohol dependence. Contrary to myth, being able to “hold your liquor” means you’re probably more at risk—not less—for alcohol problems. Yet a family history of alcohol problems doesn’t mean that children of those with alcohol problems will automatically grow up to have these problems—nor does the absence of family drinking problems necessarily protect children from developing these problems.

Once people begin drinking excessively, the problem can perpetuate itself. Heavy drinking can cause physiological changes that make more drinking the only way to avoid discomfort. Individuals with alcohol dependence may drink partly to reduce or avoid withdrawal symptoms.

How do alcohol-use disorders affect people?

While some research suggests that small amounts of alcohol may have beneficial cardiovascular effects, there is widespread agreement that heavier drinking can lead to health problems. In fact, 100,000 Americans die from alcohol-related causes each year. Short-term effects include memory loss, hangovers, and blackouts. Long-term problems associated with heavy drinking include stomach ailments, heart problems, cancer, brain damage, serious memory loss, and liver cirrhosis. Heavy drinkers also markedly increase their chances of dying from automobile accidents, homicide, and suicide. Although men are much more likely than women to develop alcoholism, women’s health suffers more, even at lower levels of consumption.

Drinking problems also have a very negative impact on mental health. Alcohol abuse and alcoholism can worsen existing conditions such as depression or induce new problems such as serious memory loss, depression, or anxiety.

Alcohol problems don’t just hurt the drinker. According to NIAAA, more than half of Americans have at least one close relative with a drinking problem. Spouses and children of heavy drinkers are more likely to face family violence; children are more likely to suffer physical and sexual abuse and neglect and to develop psychological problems. Women who drink during pregnancy run a serious risk of damaging their fetuses. Relatives and friends can be killed or injured in alcohol-related accidents and assaults.

When should someone seek help?

Individuals often hide their drinking or deny they have a problem. How can you tell if you or someone you know is in trouble? Signs of a possible problem include having friends or relatives express concern, being annoyed when people criticize your drinking, feeling guilty about your drinking and thinking that you should cut down but finding yourself unable to do so, and/or needing a morning drink to steady your nerves or relieve a hangover.

Some people with drinking problems work hard to resolve them, and often, with the support of family members and/or friends, these individuals are able to recover on their own. However, those with alcohol dependence usually can’t stop drinking through willpower alone. Many need outside help. They may need medically supervised detoxification to avoid potentially life-threatening withdrawal symptoms such as seizures. Once people are stabilized, they may need help resolving psychological issues associated with problem drinking.

There are several approaches available for treating alcohol problems. No one approach is best for all individuals.

How can a Mental Health Professional help?

Mental Health Professionals who are trained and experienced in treating alcohol problems can be helpful in many ways. Before the drinker seeks assistance, a psychologist can guide the family or others in helping to increase the drinker’s motivation to change.

A Mental Health Professional can begin with the drinker by assessing the types and degrees of problems the drinker has experienced. The results of the assessment can offer initial guidance to the drinker about what treatment to seek and help motivate the problem drinker to get treatment. Individuals with drinking problems definitely improve their chances of recovery by seeking help early.

Using one or more of several types of psychological therapies, a Mental Health Professional can help people address psychological issues involved in their problem drinking. A number of these therapies, including cognitive-behavioral coping skills treatment and motivational enhancement therapy, were developed by psychologists. Additional therapies include 12-Step facilitation approaches that assist those with drinking problems in using self-help programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). All three of these therapies—cognitive-behavioral coping skills treatment, motivational enhancement therapy, and 12-Step facilitation approaches—have demonstrated their effectiveness through well-designed, large-scale treatment trials. These therapies can help people boost their motivation to stop drinking, identify circumstances that trigger drinking, learn new methods to cope with high-risk drinking situations, and develop social support systems within their own communities.

Many individuals with alcohol problems suffer from other mental health conditions, such as severe anxiety and depression, at the same time. Psychologists can be very helpful for diagnosing and treating these “co-occurring” psychological conditions when they begin to create impairment. Further, a drinker in treatment may receive services from many health professionals, and a psychologist may play an important role in coordinating these services.

Mental Health professionals can also provide marital, family, and group therapies, which often are helpful for repairing interpersonal relationships and for long-term success in resolving problem drinking. Family relationships influence drinking behavior, and these relationships often change during an individual’s recovery. The Mental Health professional can help the drinker and significant others navigate these complex transitions, help families understand problem drinking and learn how to support family members in recovery, and refer family members to self-help groups such as Al-Anon and Alateen.

Because a person may experience one or more relapses and return to problem drinking, it can be crucial to have an appropriate health professional such as a trusted psychologist with whom that person can discuss and learn from these events. If the drinker is unable to resolve alcohol problems fully, a psychologist can help with reducing alcohol use and minimizing problems.

Mental Health professionals can also provide referrals to self-help groups. Even after formal treatment ends, many people seek additional support through continued involvement in such groups.

Alcohol-related disorders severely impair functioning and health. But the prospects for successful long-term problem resolution are good for people who seek help from appropriate sources. Psychologists are applying the substantial knowledge they have to help people resolve alcohol problems, and they are working to make treatment services available wherever needed.

Alcohol, drug abuse, stress, divorce, mental illness, bankruptcy, grief, suicide…these are familiar terms, but somehow, meaningless it happens to us or someone close to us. And, yet the chances that any individual can navigate life from birth to death without facing serious personal challenges are virtually zero. If it were possible for employees to separate their personal problems from their work life, or for employers to ensure that individual productivity was unaffected by personal situations, there would be no need for employee assistance programs. However, the simple fact is that problems affect people, and people affect productivity. As an example, this translates into: 70% of those who reported using drugs are employed; 10 million employed people are currently users of illicit drugs.

Despite ambiguity on what constitutes cost effectiveness, it is clear from various company results that employee assistance programs more than pay for themselves. Subjectively, there is no way to place a monetary value on a job saved, a family put back together, the gratitude of the employee helped, or avoiding the loss of a life. These are not part of any annual report, but these are a very real and satisfying return from loss to an organization. Managed properly, an EAP will prove to be a positive influence on labor-management relationships, employee turnover, productivity and the sense of identity between employee and employer.

NOTE: The above has been quoted from EAPA’s Theory and Operation pamphlet

Additional benefits to your organization of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP):

• Decrease in Workers Compensation Claims.
• Decrease in Health Insurance Exposure & Experience.
• Decrease in Absenteeism & Tardiness.
• Increase in Employee Productivity.
• Increase in Supervisory Effectiveness.
• Retention of Valued Employees.
• Cost Containment of Insurance Claims.
• Proven Return on Investment.

More than 70% of all Fortune 500 companies have implemented Employee Assistance Programs. Firestone Tire and Rubber estimated EAP savings of $1.7 million or $2,350 per person involved. United Airlines reported a return of $16.35 for every dollar invested in E.A.P. costs. Scoville Manufacturing estimates an annual cost savings of $186,550 credited to their E.A.P. McDonnell-Douglas credits their E.A.P. for 44% reduction in missed work days. 81% reduction in attrition rates. $7,300 less health care claims filed by those utilizing E.A.P.

General Motors estimates cost decreases in:

• Lost Time ……………………………………….. 40%
• Sickness & Accident benefit …………………. 60%
• Grievances ………………………………………. 50%
• On-the-job accidents ………………………….. 50%

• Critical Incidence Stress Debriefing (CISD)
• Post Accident/incidence Management (CISM)
• Workplace Violence Prevention
• Workplace Violence Prevention Team & Policy Development
• Drugfree Workplace Program Development & Training
• Identifying Trouble Employees in the Workplace
• Performance Evaluation And Documentation Training
• Drug & Alcohol Training for Supervisors
• Sexual Harassment Prevention Training
• Implications of ADA in the Workplace
• HIV/AIDS in the Workplace
• Impact of Domestic Violence on the Workplace
• Dispute Resolution / Mediation
• Communication Skills
• Career Development
• Team Building
• Pre-retirement Counseling
• Out-placement Counseling
• Retirement Preparation
• Executive Coaching