Cooking Traditions of Bulgaria reaches all time high in sales in the beginning of this new year. If you would like to have your very own copy to display proudly on your counter top visit amazon.com and order yours today.
We here at Caring For The Soul thank you for all your support in the efforts of keeping the cooking traditions of Bulgarian cuisine alive. Make it your new years resolution to eat healthy this year. You are worth it.
Even if you hate all the bru-ha-ha around Christmas of putting up a tree, and lights, and decor, and cooking a big meal, and blah, blah blah, it’s not too late. If you are one of those hum bugs who get down around the holidays, you can really change your mood by just doing.
Behaviorist say, and this is something that should be lived by, is that if you smile when you are not feeling like it or hold hands when you are really frustrated with your mate, you can change your brain chemistry and you will start feeling better or happier.
So on this Christmas Eve, take the time to get into the mood by putting up a small tree or just cooking a quick meal. You don’t have to go all out and get stressed out, but just a touch a the yole time cheer may be just what the doctor order and stay away from the uppers of a different nature.
Family traditions are important as if the life line of the healthy development of children. They produce stability, memories, and over-all ability to adapt. Traditions are the constant in a child’s life that they internally crave. When a child has this constant being repeated year after year, they feel safe and loved.
Our family traditions include making Bulgarian pickled vegetables. Every year when it gets cold enough outside and the price of veggies are not too bad, we make a least 1 or 2 batches of tourshe.
If you would like the recipe it is in our most recent publication: Cooking Traditions of Bulgaria which can be purchased on Amazon.com.
Health Benefits of Pickling:
Studies have shown the cruciferous vegetables can help lower cholesterol levels. Cabbage is high in vitamins A and C. Cabbage also provides a rich source of phytonutrient antioxidants. In addition, it has anti-inflammatory properties, and some studies indicate it may help combat some cancers. However, this already helpful vegetable becomes a superfood when it is pickled.
The fermentation process used to make sauerkraut was probably first developed centuries ago simply as a means of preserving vegetables for easy consumption throughout the winter. The health benefits derived from pickling vegetables were already well-known to early civilizations.
So you decide if the following assumptions and view points from over 7 years ago are relevant or outdated:
We live in a fast-paced society where virtually everything is just a click away. With the click of a button, you can pay your bills or even have merchandise shipped to your front door without ever leaving the comforts of home. The Internet has made this and much more a reality. The number of Internet users today is reported at 972,828,001, which is 15.2% of the world’s population and the percentage of population usage growth during 2000-2005 was reported at 169.5% (Internet World Stats, 2005). As the number of Internet users across the globe continues to soar, more and more resources are becoming accessible online. The possibilities of services that can be offered on the Internet are endless. Today, one can even receive online professional services such as counseling.
Online counseling is a relatively new service. Therefore, there currently exists limited research to support or disconfirm its effectiveness. The long-term ramifications of such an experience are yet unknown. There are many concerned with the ethical dilemmas associated with online counseling. Below I will briefly explore the ethical issues centered around online counseling, beginning with a definition of a traditional counseling relationship:
A traditional counseling relationship is an interpersonal relationship between a client and counselor in which the counselor provides the client a reflection of the client’s self in a safe atmosphere in which the client feels comfortable enough to completely relay information to the counselor in order to gain order over personal conflicts.
Confidentiality:
The first and most obvious ethical dilemma with rendering mental health services over the Internet is one of confidentiality and privacy. The Internet is an open network and therefore is not secure. Consequently, when communicating through an insecure source one cannot be completely guaranteed that what is being revealed in a counseling relationship remains only in that relationship.
Because the Internet is not secure, there are numerous opportunities for an invasion of privacy. Such could occur if one were receiving counseling while at the work place where his or her email is subject to being read because it is considered company property. Other possibilities include, but are not limited to, that another could access confidential emails intentionally by eavesdropping or unintentionally if information was misdirected and intercepted.
Identification:
Another ethical issue associated with online counseling involves client and counselor identification. Without being able to confirm the identity of a client during each interaction, one cannot be certain of who is being counseled. The danger in this circumstance is that one could easily misrepresent him or herself and the counselor could be mislead to believe that he or she is counseling a particular individual when in fact this may not be the case. If this were to happen, confidential information could be unintentionally divulged to a third party.
Additionally, if the client were to misrepresent his or her own identity, for instance their sex or ethnicity, this could be just as damaging and could hinder the counseling process. If a counselor does not fully know with whom he or she is working, then the story which is being revealed by the client cannot appropriately be put into context, thus resulting in misinterpretation of what the client is communicating.
Virtual Relationship:
One of the most common negative results of interacting online is the phenomenon of being in a virtual relationship. Both the counselor as well as the client are in a sense unreal, they are simply “cyber-beings” as the author likes to describe them. Being in a virtual relationship causes an individual to have no sense of commitment to the counseling process. The client is simply writing another email via a keyboard and has minimum personal connection to the counselor.
Due to the lack of a personal relationship with the counselor, a client may be more easily offended by the advice that is given in an online counseling session. A client may feel that a cyber-being has no right to become so personal. If this is the case, then a client may also be more apt to end the relationship either temporarily or permanently by simply clicking a button.
The first and foremost responsibility of a counselor is to protect the welfare of his or her client. Yet, if one is counseling a virtual person then it is nearly impossible to be able to ensure the client’s safety. A counselor does not even truly know whom they are counseling or the location of the client’s residence. With this being the case, a counselor cannot intervene if a client is a danger to him or herself or others. A counselor’s hands are tied when it comes to his or her “Duty to Warn.”
Dishonesty:
As a result of communicating over an insecure source to a cyber-being, a client receiving online services may not be willing to be straightforward about all information. Additionally, when information is shared with a lack of commitment to the counseling process this could lead the client to actually falsify information. Not only is there a danger that a client might be misleading or may even lie, but there is also the risk that a client could intentionally leave out parts of his or her story. A client may feel the need to be deceitful due to the fact that he or she may fear a breach of confidentiality or simply feel no responsibility to be honest because no personal relationship exists between counselor and client. If this is the case, then the counselor cannot work at full capacity because of a lack of all the pieces of the client’s history.
Dishonesty leads to confusion which makes the counseling process difficult if not impossible. If a client were able to be assured that what is said would stay only between counselor and client, then there would be more freedom to be completely honest. Also, if a client were in a face-to-face relationship, they may perhaps feel more of an obligation to be upfront.
Lack of Nonverbals:
Nearly 94 percent of all communication is nonverbal. We communicate with our facial expressions, posture, eye contact and so forth. Needless to say, reading nonverbals is an essential element of counseling. If one is being counseled online, these nonverbals are unobservable and such is detrimental to the counseling process. Nonverbals which cannot be observed during an online session are nervous behaviors, whether eye contact is maintained, angle and distance of body in relationship to the counselor, etc. Also, a client may be typing content which appears to be uplifting, but at the same time may be crying. Conversely, a client may be typing distraught messages but may be laughing while doing so. Such is evident of inappropriate affect and is a good indicator of possible mental diagnoses.
Abandonment Issues:
Another responsibility of the counselor is to not abandon a client. Yet, abandonment may be impossible to avoid when counseling occurs online due to the instability of the Internet. Communication could be hindered because of technology failures or glitches or as a result of a poor Internet connection.
If a relationship is suddenly ended for any reason, it would be almost, if not, impossible for a counselor to get back in touch with his or her client due to the fact that in an online counseling relationship the client is anonymous in most of the cases; thus making abandonment impossible to avoid. Furthermore, if a client were to abruptly leave a counseling session after threatening to harm him or herself or others, then not having the ability to protect your client would be the ultimate case of abandonment.
Conclusion:
There appears to be many “ifs” in the ethical dilemma of online counseling and not enough certainty. “If” we as counselors could guarantee the privacy of our clients, “if” we could make certain of who we are counseling, “if” our client is completely truthful and “if” we were guaranteed they would not terminate before a session is over, then there would be little debate over whether online counseling should be attempted. Nevertheless, as of now, the “ifs” do exist.
Counseling, whether online or in person, involves much responsibility. When counseling an individual, you are placed in a position where you are a major influence in that person’s life. A counselor holds much control over the mental health of another. If Internet counseling is attempted, it should only be done by a competent professional who is well-educated in the field and should only be done via secure websites or with an encryption technological e-mail communication application.
Counseling online is a great responsibility as is counseling an individual face to face. As well, such a relationship should be treated with the highest ethical professionalism. Regardless of that an online client is communicating in a virtual world, his or her problems are still very much real.
Reference
Internet World Stats (2005). Usage and Population Statistics, downloaded from http://www.Internetworldstats.com/stats.htm on 12/2/05. 10 a.m.
DATE WRITTEN: January 17, 2006
COOKBOOK: “COOKING TRADITIONS OF BULGARIA” JUST PUBLISHED
For many years, friends and partners have been asking about Bulgarian cuisine. What does it include? Does it taste good? What are our favorites and so on? It has been our experience that Bulgarian cuisine is very attractive to the Northern American tastes. Actually, we do not have a single friend or partner who have visited us and worked with us in Bulgaria who did not fall in love with our food.
After many requests, Kathryn has taken a personal interest in collecting our favorite Bulgarian recipes and putting them in this small cookbook. Now, these are much different than the modern Bulgarian diet that today includes fast food restaurants and junk food snacks. The book has 25 personally customized recipes of authentic Bulgarian cuisine. Not only that they carry the typical Bulgarian flavor, but each recipe comes with a personal story. You will enjoy cooking them with your family and friends most of all, you will enjoy serving and sharing them with everyone.
I was recently reading an article from Michael Hyatt entitled, ARE YOU INVESTING YOUR BEST RESOURCES IN THE WRONG PEOPLE? I found the last suggestions helpful and thought it desired sharing.
Make sure you are investing your best resources—including your time and energy—in your best people. Here’s how:
Acknowledge that your resources are limited. Your time, money, and energy are finite resources. It’s easy to forget this and overcommit. But it’s a zero-sum game. Every time you say “yes” to one person, you are saying “no” to others.
Become aware of where your resources are going. It’s easy to think the situation is temporary or an exception. But is it? This is the little lie that keeps us stuck if we aren’t careful. Look back over your calendar and make an honest assessment. It will reveal the truth.
End unproductive or unhealthy relationships. This is the hard part. If you can’t end them, then at least establish boundaries. If you need inspiration or moral support, read Henry Cloud’s excellent book, Necessary Endings: The Employees, Businesses, and Relationships That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Move Forward.
Identify the people you should be investing in. This is the most important step. Change your focus. Who are the individuals you have overlooked? Who are the people who should be getting the bulk (or at least more) of your resources? Who are the ones who represent the future?
Schedule time on your calendar to serve these people. Good intentions are important, but they are not enough. Like the old adage says, “What gets scheduled gets done.” The opposite is also true, “What doesn’t get scheduled doesn’t get done.”
Yes, Jesus spent time with broken people. He healed the sick. He comforted the broken-hearted. He ministered to the outcasts.
But he spent the bulk of his resources on just twelve people. He proactively invested in them, knowing that his mission was, humanly speaking, dependent on their success.
According to the Bulgarian Association of Psychotherapy, the main psychotherapeutic modalities in Bulgaria include the following:
Analytical/Jungian Therapy: represented by the Bulgarian Society of Analytical Psychology
Cognitive-Behavior Therapy: represented by the Bulgarian Association of Cognitive- Behavior Therapy founded in 1998
Brief Therapy: represented by represented by the Society of Brief Therapists in Bulgaria founded in 1994
Hypnosis: represented by the Bulgarian Association of Hypnosis founded in 1999
Music Therapy: represented by the Bulgarian Association of Music Therapy (BAMT) founded in 1996
Neo-Reichian Psychotherapy: represented by the Bulgarian Neo-Reichian Society (BNRS) founded in 1999
Solutions-oriented Therapy: represented by individual members
Positive Psychotherapy: represented by the Society of Positive Psychotherapy in Bulgaria founded in 1993
Psychoanalysis/Psychoanalytical: represented by the Bulgarian Psychoanalytic Society founded in 1991 and individual members belonging to the Psychoanalytic Institute for Eastern Europe, the International Psychoanalytical Association, and others
Psychodrama: represented by the Bulgarian Society for Psychodrama and Group Therapy founded in 1990
Family Therapy: represented by the Bulgarian Association of Family Therapy founded in 1998
(Bulgarian Association of Psychotherapy, Sofia. www.psychotherapy-bg.org. January, 2012.)
Those who do not have TRUE SIGHT will SEE what the false prophet has SAW.
Everywhere you look there is a chance to care for your soul. Take this opportunity of Spring’s arrival to teach your children about nature. Get out of the house, away from technology. Take a few snapshots and blow them up and let your child hang them in their room to be reminded of the memories created with family. Cherish everyone like it is your last.
Here is a fun learning opportunity you can have with your child.
QUIZ: WHAT TYPE OF EGGS ARE IN THE NEST?
ANSWER: ROBIN