#PMC Assistant Legal Officer Post

[24cgnews]

PMC में 400 से अधिक पदों पर निकली भर्ती, जानिए आवेदन से जुड़ी जरूरी तारीखें

PMC में 400 से अधिक पदों पर निकली भर्ती, जानिए आवेदन से जुड़ी जरूरी तारीखें

Pune Municipal Corporation Recruitment 2022 Application Begins: पुणे (Pune) में सरकारी नौकरी (Government Job) पाने का बढ़िया मौका सामने आया है. यहां 448 विभिन्न पदों पर भर्तियां (PMC Recruitment 2022) निकली हैं. इन पदों पर आवेदन की प्रक्रिया आज यानी 20 जुलाई 2022 दिन बुधवार से शुरू हो गई है. अगर आप भी पीएमसी के इन पदों (Pune Sarkari Naukri) पर आवेदन करने के इच्छुक हों तो अंतिम तारीख के पहले बताए…

[piermanwalter]

Thinking about the Bayonetta MGR crossover and it’s basically console wars and Mac vs PC with actual human bodies.

It’s the year 2085 and LumenOS by Lighthouse Biotechnology is the most popular engine for coding brain-machine interfaces. It’s biggest competitor, UmbraOS by Left Hand Cybernetics, became free and open source after the Lighthouse and Left Hand CEOs married each other, causing a stock market panic and both of them getting voted off their board of directors for conflict of interest and insider trading reasons. This loss of good leadership eventually led to both companies going bankrupt. To stay open, Lighthouse was purchased by Ithavoll Group. Meanwhile, Left Hand chose to go out of business and posted its source code on the internet as a final goodbye. 

Both engines are coded on the intricate but infuriating fuzzy-logic focused programming language Enochian and are very similar in function if not in construction. Most of their differences come from distribution policies.

LumenOS is suited for bringing injured and incapacitated people to working condition as quickly as possible. To avoid trauma, most commercially available Lumen software is built with emotion inhibition and memory suppression. It can be argued that Lumen uses the human brain as hardware to run its own processes instead of preserving the original person, but it can also be argued that people don’t want to remember getting hit by a truck, or being trapped in a burning house, or years of failed cancer treatments.

Regardless of moral implications, because full body cyborgs running on Lumen can walk and talk within days or surgery, while other BMI engines take years of physical therapy to regain normal function, many medical providers and individuals choose Lumen. 

Lumen is mostly used by Ithavoll and its subsidiaries, since licensing fees for outsiders has been raised to 80 million dollars a year. This insane entry price ensures Lumen-running products are consistently high quality, but are also becoming increasingly inaccessible. 

UmbraOS was originally suited for accurately simulating and enhancing all human senses, but after 30 years of being open source, it’s now used for whatever fuck shit you can get away with. Countless Umbra scripts can be found for free, but there’s no guarantee any of them will be useable. For every treasure like the flight skills and reaction time of a dragonfly or the ability to toggle the taste of hot nachos on and off, there are a thousand scripts that give you diabetes and force you to email your credit card information to make it stop. Lord help you if your UmbraOS implant is connected to WiFi. 

Because the engine is open source, many BMI programmers get their start on Umbra, which has indirect benefits for other Enochian-based engines. Even for skilled programmers, it’s considered best practice to carefully curate your own custom pile of scripts other people made to run your body with, because no single person can do it all alone. It’s also considered dishonorable to charge money for Umbra scripts if you aren’t custom-making it for a single person.

Although Umbra is sketchy and often dangerous, many people unable to afford more legit procedures rely on secondhand implants running Umbra to survive.

Following a period of extended global peace and stability, many cyborg paramilitary organisations, and the various other companies supporting that industry, have gone out of business. 

Cardinal Ventures LLC, once famous for actually affording a legal Lumen license and building bespoke bodies for its enforcers, was barely able to limp along using clout gained from eradicating other mercenaries during the United States Civil War II, but tensions in upper management reached a breaking point when one cofounder, Lucifer, fought the other cofounder, Jubileus, sent her into a coma, and went into hiding. 

Now the de facto leader, Fortitudo tried to keep Cardinal together. He isn’t exactly stupid, but his expertise lies more with melting enemy cyborgs into slag and less in running a business. To avoid falling into inescapable debt, and also tempted by promises to revive Jubileus, and also because vintage cyborgs are vulnerable to parts trafficking gangs, Fortitudo sold Cardinal to Ithavoll Group.

 Initially, the deal was very good since it was made in Vigrid, whose European laws of cyborg personhood were a lot more generous than American laws, which were written in response to repeated ninja and metal gear crises, and also that one time a US senator’s medical nanomachines went haywire and tragically caused him to go insane. 

The deal worsened when it was revealed that the deal was technically made in Isla del Sol, an autonomous region in Vigrid that’s basically a corporate dictatorship. The laws changed and now all Lumen-running cyborgs involved with the deal are legally not human and belong to Ithavoll. With constant Lumen software updates, Fortitudo is literally incapable of feeling too bad about it, but his panic and betrayal come out in more indirect ways. To be fair to Ithavoll, Fortitudo is now in charge of the largest private cyborg army in the world, composed of other companies Ithavoll purchased and dissolved, including Laguna Homefront Solutions, Paradiso Augmetics, and the aforementioned Lighthouse Biotechnology.

At the center of Isla del Sol, the Ithavoll Building is at constant risk of terrorist attack. An individual of unclear origins was converted into a cyborg based off one of Cardinal’s prototypes and tasked to patrol the upper levels. Temperantia’s primary purpose is to do post-disaster search and rescue, aid building evacuation by making his own exits, but can also fight off attackers if needed. Since he has to be in the upper levels anyway, Temperantia argued that might as well get a regular job there. Ithavoll’s CEO Balder gave him an office job as a joke, but Temperantia did well and eventually worked his way up to Ithavoll Building Assistant HR Manager. 

Built after the acquisition, Temperantia has no memories of Cardinal while it was independent, and doesn’t really get the rest of Cardinal’s devotion to Jubileus, but goes along with it to make his coworkers happy. Fortitudo initially saw him as a bastardisation of the Temperantia he once worked with, who ruins Cardinal’s military legacy by being a clueless civilian. They become work friends after Temperantia rips a gatling gun off a UG helicopter and shoots the entire convoy down with it from the Ithavoll Building roof.

Despite his horrifying strength and enormous uncanny mechanical body, Temperantia would prefer to be known as the guy who loves enamel pins and stringently enforces office dress code.

What could drive trained and made killers to sell their rights to a corporation for protection? Inferno is a black market criminal organisation that hunts cyborgs for parts. Catering both to filthy rich collectors and those too poor to afford legit implants, Inferno traps people in insidious contracts by converting the desperately injured into cyborgs whether they truly want it or not, then foisting debts so huge upon them that it can only be paid by acting as spies and informants to find rare and expensive cyborgs. If the debt grows too large or goes unpaid for too long, Inferno recoups their costs.

Typically, once a contractor finds a rare cyborg, they call a local Inferno agent to do the dirty work. Even worse, the contractor has to pay for all the expenses Inferno sustained to kill their target, meaning if the target escapes before the agent gets there, raises law enforcement attention, or is extremely dangerous, the debt may end up even greater.

Experienced contractors eventually learn to corner and incapacitate their targets themselves before calling Inferno. Some of them are so skilled at balancing on the knife’s edge of debt and respect that they leverage their contract into having their own private cyborg hit squad for life. 

After many cyborg PMCs went bankrupt, Inferno gorged on newly weakened victims and flooded the black market with cyborg parts. However, to sustain the same profits now that the easy prey is gone, Inferno contractors now have to go after even rarer and more protected cyborgs to avoid debt murder.

Bayonetta was dredged from the bottom of a lake and restored by Inferno, incurring huge debts. Combined with Inferno debts she apparently sustained before she drowned and lost her memory, Bayonetta is forced to infiltrate Vigrid to go after the most expensive targets, Cardinals, or else Inferno will tear her apart.

[athela-3]

mankai company: cyberpunk

I never asked for this. But that’s just how ideas work, ain't it? One minute you’re mindlessly going through the daily grind, and the next moment it hits ya like a sucker punch to the gut. Then your mind’s racing, and you think: Why not? Whaddaya have to lose? You’ve rambled your way through semi-coherent flashes of inspiration before. Why should this one be different?

Note: everyone is aged up, oh, let’s say at least five years. Also, long post is long. I’m not joking. The page break is there for a reason.

Mankai Company is a modest-sized corporation specialising in biotechnology and cybernetics. But operating beneath its public face is a semi-covert band of mercs, private eyes, and fixers called Kaga Solutions, fully-equipped to navigate the mean city streets on command. Their founder and CEO, Yukio Tachibana, has recently disappeared; as per his express wishes, the company leadership is transferred to his estranged daughter, Izumi. 

Izumi Tachibana: the new CEO, more experienced in programming than in biotech, she wants to lead Mankai in a new direction focused on augmented reality and fluid human-machine interfacing, while also investigating her father's disappearance with its covert Kaga operatives.

Isuke Matsukawa: Yukio's—and now Izumi's—personal assistant who also handles most of the day-to-day finances, a seemingly bumbling man with hidden talents. He has more connections than you'd expect, and his loyalty is bone-deep.

Yuzo Kashima: a major shareholder in the company whose investments helped Yukio jump-start his dream into reality. Initially skeptical of Izumi's direction, he slowly grows to believe in her vision, even if he's still brutally honest about many things. He's aware of Kaga and the hidden side of Mankai, and is implied to have once partaken in it more personally.

Tetsuro Iwai: the local hardware genius. If you need something built, he'll figure out how to do it in record time. He's happy to work with the old boss' daughter, even if her ideas can stretch him to his limits sometimes.

Ken Sakoda: nobody's really sure what his official job is. He's just always there, usually appearing out of nowhere to do whatever Sakyo asks him to (there's rumours of a personalised cloaking device). This ranges from coffee runs to, ah, semi-legal inventory procurement.

Kamekichi: a robot parrot Yukio personally built as a pet project. Originally a prototype for robotic therapy animals, his code gave birth to his own emergent sassy personality.

Sakuya Sakuma: head of Engineering, what he lacks in experience he makes up in talent and dedication. Has politely declined playing a more active role in Kaga's assignments, declaring his current job to already be his dream job anyhow.

Masumi Usui: a tech prodigy, a quick learner who's always keen to impress Izumi for reasons which may not be strictly professional. Built his own memory implants from scratch, and is always willing to help with Kaga if ever asked.

Tsuzuru Minagi: the top dog when it comes to programming and software. Tends to overwork himself, especially at crunch time, but he writes top-notch code that leave Mankai's competitors scratching their heads. Also helps oversee and plan Kaga's missions, especially when it comes to concocting cover stories and identities.

Itaru Chigasaki: yet another punch-clock worker whose only skills lie in testing and bugfixing… or so he'd have you believe. In reality, he's one of Kaga's most reliable operatives, using his salaryman persona to relieve suspicion and gain people's trust. By the time his targets notice the "GG EZ" hacked onto every screen, it's too late.

Citron: another Kaga operative, people see him and think he's the expat office worker who struggles to string a coherent sentence together, so they don't always pay attention to what they say around him. Big mistake. If he can't evade you in conversation, then he'll evade you the traditional way and vanish seemingly into thin air.

Chikage Utsuki: formerly Itaru's senior at their old job, who followed him to Mankai for reasons of his own. He does minor coding for them now, but his primary focus is on being a field agent for Kaga, where his charm and covert investigative skills really come into play.

Tenma Sumeragi: a former child actor, now the company's face, appearing in advertisements and endorsements. He's great at both presenting Mankai's personable, human-interest agenda and selling Kaga's sharp professionalism to potential clients.

Yuki Rurikawa: hired fresh out of university, his sharp sense of aesthetics led Izumi to trust him with practically all of their product design. Every concept has to have his seal of approval before moving to the production stage. He also handles disguises for Kaga's operations.

Muku Sakisaka: formerly slated to compete in the Olympics before an accident, he now provides another public face for Mankai alongside Tenma. He writes a good deal of the company's promotional material, and has a strong sense of what would affect their clients.

Misumi Ikaruga: officially, he tests the more physical cybernetics, such as Sakuya's impact-dampeners or Tasuku's mountain-climbing legs; his videos performing literally superhuman parkour feats often end up as promotional material. Under the table, he's Kaga's go-to operative for situations requiring speed and agility.

Kazunari Miyoshi: head of the PR department, in charge of keeping their public image in the positive while also keeping Kaga’s activities mostly out of attention. He keeps everyone in the loop with current affairs, often feeding intel to his old friend Tsuzuru for planning.

Kumon Hyodo: baseball's new rising star, he started doing sponsorship and endorsement deals after Muku and Juza introduced him to Izumi. He's enthusiastic about working with them and often helps coming up with ideas for reaching into the sports demographic.

Banri Settsu: a bio-augmentation enthusiast and grey hat hacker, he once breached Mankai's firewalls basically out of boredom; when Izumi tracked him down, she decided to offer him a job in her cybersecurity division, and he agreed. Of course, as soon as he hears about Kaga, he all but jumps into it headlong.

Juza Hyodo: wanted to be a cop as a kid; that was before the city's corrupt police force disenchanted him of the idea. His cousin Muku convinced him to work for Mankai, so he thought he'd give the corporate samurai gig a chance. His earnest dedication quickly wins him a spot on Kaga, as do his excellent combat skills.

Taichi Nanao: initially a mole from Godza, sent to tear Kaga apart from within, he went turncoat within months and is now their primary source on Godza's methods and internal affairs. He balances quick and dirty combat tactics with his boyish charm and knack at appearing harmless.

Omi Fushimi: former military, honourably discharged after a terrorist attack took out his best friend and left him heavily injured. Now he works for Mankai as head of security, with a bit of unofficial HR thrown in there. Unlike the rest of Akigumi, he isn't part of Kaga, as he believes his focus should be on keeping the company safe and secure.

Sakyo Furuichi: head of Kaga, and its oldest member still on active duty. These days he mostly sticks to mission control, but occasionally lends support on the field if he deems it necessary. His sharp mind and eye for patterns makes him particularly good at planning missions, exit strategies, and backup plans.

Azami Izumida: the son of a yakuza boss who decided to leave the family business behind to strike out on his own, he still keeps a number of his old underworld contacts. Officially an intern, he's also eager to get into fieldwork with Kaga, putting his years of swordsmanship lessons to use.

Tsumugi Tsukioka: head of biotech, his research on how cranial implants can be used to treat sleep disorders turned him—and Mankai—into a household name. He infrequently lends a hand to Kaga by developing and fine-tuning their cybernetics.

Tasuku Takato: a former member of Godza, he quit his job to work for Mankai instead, and is now a valued member of their biotech team. He specialises in developing prosthetics for their more athletic clients, and like Tsumugi, focuses on his R&D most of the time.

Hisoka Mikage: formerly working for a similar fixer/PMC group, a near-fatal neuro-implant malfunction caused him to forget everything that happened since its installation. As Mankai found him, removed the bad implant, and nursed him back to health, he thought it's just apt to repay the debt by working for them. One of Kaga's most well-rounded operatives, he is strongest in stealth and wetwork.

Homare Arisugawa: an eccentric professor to his core; his studies range from urban to agrarian, sprawling across fields and topics, but his passion project lies in developing ocular implants that can read micro-expressions on the fly, allowing its owner to identify and record people's emotional reactions easily.

Azuma Yukishiro: the face of the biotech divison, he works closely with Mankai's clients to help them find the perfect cybernetics for their personal needs. He also often gleans information and gossip from his endless well of unsuspecting acquaintances and old contacts, passing them on to Kaga for their missions.

Guy: a friend of Citron's from his homeland; extensively cybernetically augmented after a major accident years ago, he claims to be more machine than human by this point. Ostensibly Homare's research assistant, he is a field agent for Kaga, equally skilled in hacking as he is in hand-to-hand combat.

[mobileshost]

PMC Recruitment 2022 ~448 JE, Clerk, ALO Notification Apply Online

PMC Recruitment 2022 details for 448 JE, Clerk, and AEI posts. Pune Municipal Corporation Notification pdf, Apply online last date, and Eligibility. In Maharashtra State, the Pune Municipal Corporation has come up with the PMC Recruitment 2022 for the post of Junior Engineer, Clerk, Assistant Legal Officer (ALO), and Assistant Encroachment Inspector (AEI). Because of this those aspirants who work…

[govtjobsguru]

*PMC Recruitment 2022, Clerk, Typist, JE, Inspector 448 Post*

*पुणे नगर निगम में आई क्लर्क, टाइपिस्ट, जूनियर इंजिनियर, इंस्पेक्टर पदों के लिए 448 भर्तियाँ | आवेदन के लिए निचे लिंक पर क्लिक करे*

[bestgovtjobworld]

PMC Recruitment 2022 – 448 Posts, Last Date 10th August 2022.

share please

PMC Recruitment 2022 – pmc.gov.in: Good news for the aspirants who are looking for Government job notifications. Bumper recruitment has been out in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). According to PMC Recruitment notification, a total of 448 vacant posts are notified for the Assistant Legal Officer, Clerk Typist, Junior Engineer & Assistant Encroachment Inspector. Candidates must possess the…

[cgjobskind]

PMC Vacancy 2022 | 448 Posts | पुणे नगर निगम भर्ती

PMC Vacancy 2022 | 448 Posts | पुणे नगर निगम भर्ती

PMC Vacancy 2022 – Apply Online for 448 Clerk Typist, Junior Engineer, Assistant Encroachment Inspector, Asst Legal Officer, Vacancies @ pmc.gov.in Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has released the advertisement for the recruitment of 448 posts. The last date to apply for these Vacancy is 10th August 2022. PMC Department has released this advertisement for the post of Clerk Typist, Junior…

[highonstudy]

Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has officially released an advertisement for Assistant Legal Officer, Clerk Typist, Junior Engineer & Assistant Encroachment Inspector posts. Aspirants can submit the PMC Vacancy 2022 Form with the official link provided below, as PMC invited online applications.

[your-dietician]

Therapy by any name

New Post has been published on https://depression-md.com/therapy-by-any-name/

Therapy by any name

PUBLISHED August 01, 2021

KARACHI:

Noor Mukadam’s heinous murder has left the entire nation reeling. Among the many scandalous revelations, one of the most concerning was that the murderer, Zahir Jaffer, was apparently practicing as a psychotherapist after enrolling in a certification from Therapy Works. This case has laid bare the perils of the country’s regulated mental health service sector.

Therapy Works later issued a statement on their social media accounts. “Zahir Jaffer was enrolled as a student in UK Level 3 from September 2015 to September 2016. After this, he joined UK Level 4 from October 2016 to June 2018. He did not complete his coursework and International Essays, and accordingly was never ever given permission to see clients,” However, an Instagram photo on their page that has since been deleted, features a group of its UK Level 5 candidates including Zahir Jaffer.

The website page of Therapy Works claims that it is affiliated with the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB) in the UK and is a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Since Noor’s case raised a lot of speculations regarding its accreditation, BACP via their Twitter have categorically confirmed that Therapy Works is not a member of their organisation and have contacted Therapy Works to remove the BACP logo from their website.

When contacted, CPCAB, which is the UK’s leading counselling awarding organisation, explained that their role is to approve the design and assessment methods of training to provide accreditation. That said, they have no say in regulating the clinical services provided by their accredited training centers. They shared the following statement: “The training service ‘Therapy Works’ offers bespoke qualifications which are non-regulated but are accredited through CPCAB’s Tailor-Made qualification route… We are aware that many queries have been raised regarding the operations of both the Therapy Works counselling and psychotherapy centre, and the Therapy Works training service. CPCAB has no affiliation with the Therapy Works counselling and psychotherapy centre, and has no authority over the clinical services of Therapy Works. We are however, pursuing all relevant lines of enquiry which relate to the provision of Tailor-Made qualifications offered under CPCAB accreditation at the Therapy Works training service.”

It is important to note that if some counselling service claims affiliation with a certified foreign counselling or therapy body, the role of that body is only to ensure the quality of training educational material, not the treatment offered by those centers. When this article was written, orders had been issued to seal the Islamabad office of Therapy Works. However this is just a temporary solution in the absence of a centralised regulatory body for mental health services which is the need of the hour.

  License to treat

When Zubair*, a chartered accountant working for a multinational, felt that his substance use was getting out of hand, he decided to seek professional help and contacted a therapist. He was making progress until he found out that his therapist had revealed details of his issue to one of their mutual acquaintances at a corporate event who also happened to be a colleague of Zubair. The colleague subsequently shared the details with their boss, leading to grave professional consequences for Zubair. Why did the therapist feel comfortable breaking the client’s confidentiality? Why was he gossiping about his clients? All of this stems from no fear of legal repercussions.

The Pakistan Psychological Council Bill, 2020, which was passed in the National Assembly earlier this year and is currently tabled in Senate, aims to establish an international standard council to register psychologists and to recognise institutions and organisations in public and private sectors imparting psychological education. The bill proposes that 16 years of education and 2 years of experience in the field of psychology, applied psychology and behavioral psychology should be the eligibility criteria to be registered as a psychologist. However, the majority of mental health experts are of the view that only those with at least 18 years of education (MS/MPhil in a relevant field of psychology) should be allowed to practice as psychologists.

“Like any profession where service to the public is involved (think medicine, lawyers, nurses) licensing is one way to ensure that only qualified persons enter the profession,” said Dr Rubeena Kidwai, an experienced psychologist with a doctorate in clinical psychology who is also a member of Sindh Mental Health Authority. “Professional licenses are usually conditional upon minimum requirements of education and training so that only qualified persons may practice in a given field.” she explained. “The goal, aside from establishing a standard for professions, is to protect the public from harm. Psychologists often serve vulnerable groups so it is even more important for there to be a licensing body to prevent quackery and malpractice in the name of mental health or psychological services.”

At the moment, the provinces of Sindh, Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa have Mental Health Acts enacted under which provincial mental health authorities have been formed. “It is the mandate of these bodies to establish and regulate quality standards for mental health services,” Kidwai pointed out. At the moment only psychiatrists are recognised as mental health professionals in these Mental Health Acts. This needs to be amended by including psychologists as well.

“However most of these bodies are in their initial stages, progress in terms of formation of rules and regulations is slow, more so owing to the pandemic, and systems and processes for regulation are still in the works. What can be done is to pressurise provincial governments to speed up the process on an urgent basis so that the Authorities are in a position to set quality standards, develop a system to regulate mental health services and create a system of checks and balances.’

When Senator Dr Karim Ahmed Khawaja, Chairman Sindh Mental Health Authority was contacted to comment on the issue of licensing he shared that various meetings with psychologists have been conducted and those recommendations have been sent to the government but due to COVID, progress has been slow.

  Rise in tele-mental services

This is ironic because since the pandemic, the demand for mental health services has gone through the roof. A plethora of telecounseling and virtual mental health service providers have cropped up to address the needs. The plus side to this mode of health services is that it is scalable – people living in remote areas or those who are physically or financially challenged now have access to affordable mental health services due to these providers. However, quality assurance of these services remains a looming concern.

Dr Kidwai seems to agree. “Many people are reaching out for virtual mental health services and many individuals with varying levels of training and qualifications are meeting this demand. There should be policies and guidelines for offering mental health services in virtual space.”

Aftab Shah, a forensic psychologist and a lawyer, shared similar views. “Recently, mental health has been monetised due to a spike in demand. Many new organizations have sprung up that offer 6 months, 12 months diplomas after which they claim that their psychotherapists/counselors are on a level playing field with clinical psychologists who have undergone rigorous studies and clinical supervision.” This is completely unfair since a diploma holder lacks the course work and training of a proper clinical degree.” He believes that licensing for psychologists should be made mandatory, but not under the banner of Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC).

He cited cases like that of Farhan Kamrani, which probably would not have occurred in the presence of a strict code of conduct for the mental health sector. For those unaware, Kamrani was an assistant professor at the psychology department of the University of Karachi who in July was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment for harassing a female teacher online.

“It is problematic that while Farhan Kamrani was not yet convicted but out on bail, he was already employed at University of Karachi as a faculty member and his contract continued even when he was under trial. He has now been convicted but due to a lack of a regulatory body, there is nothing stopping him from resuming his clinical practice when he gets out from jail after completing his sentence.”

This indicates the dismal state of affairs that is Pakistan’s mental health services landscape.

  Colonial hangover?

There is no hiding the fact that the country’s mental health service sector and psychiatric facilities leave much to be desired whether it be state-funded hospitals, large scale philanthropic centers or non-profits.

In the past decade, numerous mental health ventures have sprung up that deviate from the prevailing biomedical model for treating mental health issues and taking a cue from the West’, focus on humanistic centered, positive psychology paradigms. Certifications like the one provided by Therapy Works and CPPD are examples of that. However, there are limitations to the domains in which these certified professionals can work.

A remnant of colonial rule has been an inferiority complex in the general population where anything foreign or imported is deemed superior to its local counterparts. The same goes for certifications and degrees. While no one is arguing the credibility of many foreign certifications, the risk is when inadequately trained, foreign qualified mental health professionals start practicing out of their discipline and when these unethical practices are justified under the pretext of a foreign degree. This does more harm than good for our system.

Mariam*, who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder shared that she had been getting therapy from an apparently experienced therapist at a popular mental health service provider. Following Noor’s case, she enquired her therapist’s credentials which led to her therapist getting extremely offended. After asking around, Mariam found out that her therapist had no background in clinical psychology, was not qualified to treat psychological disorders and had been ripping her off by charging a hefty fee for each session. Therefore, people seeking therapy also need to be cognizant of the basic domains of psychology as well as their therapist’s qualifications. For instance, a therapist with a degree in organisational or counseling psychology can only provide counseling for mild cases and is not equipped to deal with severe psychopathology unless they have undergone specialized training.

Kanza Asad, a certified psychiatric rehabilitation practitioner, shared how she has witnessed unethical behaviour during her professional career. “I have seen the malpractices happening countless times in a way that people with some 3 to 4 weeks or months diploma/ with bachelor’s degree in psychology claims and strongly believes that they are authorized to practice and actually get in touch with the clients to do the therapy which is quite threatening because as a mental health professional I firmly believe that not everyone has that particular ability to empathise and connect with people and facilitate the clients in their recovery journey.” She added that these incidents jeopardise the people’s faith in the mental health system.

  Mind sciences

Recently, there has been another addition to the proliferating field of mental health, which are purported by practioners to be ‘mind sciences’. Mind sciences go beyond the realm of orthodox psychology into the obscure science of Parapsychology and Metaphysics. Hypnosis, Neuro Linguistics Programming (NLP) and Reiki come under this sphere.

Neuro-linguistic Programming, NLP, is especially gaining popularity in the country with many organizations boasting of having NLP coaches and therapists on their panel. While there are some organizations providing proper NLP training, it should be noted that someone with only a NLP certificate and no prior training in the field of psychology cannot be referred to as a NLP therapist. Ideally, a NLP therapist is someone who is already a mental health professional with a relevant degree who chooses to gain additional NLP certification through workshops and accredited certifications.

  Safeguarding client rights

Conflicting sources are reporting that Jaffer was diagnosed with substance abuse issues for which he sought help from Therapy Works before enrolling in their certificate course. If true, that raises pertinent questions about whether that is an ethical practice and should people currently under treatment for severe mental health issues be allowed to practice as a therapist.

Claiming that one is a psychotherapist or psychologist without proper accreditation provides access to the most vulnerable and at-risk groups in society, a gap that could be exploited by those with predatory or manipulative tendencies. Aisha Sanober Chachar, a child and adolescent psychiatrist who has also worked as a college psychiatrist at AKU, asserts that this is why it is imperative that mental health professionals stick to practicing within their area of expertise. They must clarify their clinical skills and limitations when treating clients or working with the public at large.

She opines that since their professional judgments affect the lives of others, mental health professionals must factor in elements that might lead to misuse of their influence. Therefore, training-based supervision and peer supervision post-training at an institutional level – mandated by a centralized governing body – is compulsory. At the moment, “reporting any violation of ethical compliance and professional conduct becomes a barrier in the absence of a centralised regulatory body. Hence, there is a failure to protect the rights and welfare of clients/patients who are at a vulnerable spot.”

  Know your therapist

The terms counselor, therapist, psychologist are usually used interchangeably. Therein, lies the confusion. It is a client’s prerogative and a mental health professional’s duty to be transparent about their credentials so that their clients can make an informed decision.

Dr Uzma Ali, Director Institute of Clinical Psychology, University of Karachi explains the difference. “There is a dire need to distinguish between Psychologist and Clinical Psychologist, i.e. Clinical Psychologist is the one who can do clinical practice and do psychological assessment, counseling and psychotherapy (in which they are trained) to treat mental health problems /disorders after getting their degree in MS/.Phil and PhD in Clinical Psychology. That requires intensive, at least two to three years specialised training in the field of clinical psychology under the supervision of PhD clinical Psychologist only from those Institutes /Universities that are recognized by Higher education commission in Pakistan/or equivalent.

She further added that although counseling can be used to treat mental illnesses, including the most pervasive ones like mild cases of anxiety and depression, licensed counselors or therapists wouldn’t typically diagnose or handle the most severe cases themselves. Instead, if they suspect a client is suffering from something like clinical depression, they would refer the patient to a clinical psychologist.

This is the gray area where most malpractice takes place in Pakistan. Many organisations employ people who are not qualified like those with degrees in counseling, organizational or educational psychology are assigned to deal with severe psychopathology that goes against the healthcare principle of non-maleficence meaning doing no harm.

Until a regulatory body and rigorous licensing procedures come into effect, the onus falls on mental health professionals on maintaining absolute transparency regarding their area and level of expertise. The general population should be educated on the various domains of mental health services so that they can make an informed decision.

  *Names have been changed to hide the identities of certain sources

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Will Newly Developing Drug Breathalyzers Replace Other Forms of Testing?

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Will Newly Developing Drug Breathalyzers Replace Other Forms of Testing?

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AUTHOR:  Judge Mary Celeste (ret)

PUBLISHER:  CANNABIS LAW REPORT

Author Biography

Judge Mary A. Celeste (ret.) sat on the Denver County Court bench 2000-2015. She was the Presiding Judge 2009 and 2010 and the co-founder of the Denver County Court Sobriety Court. She is currently a law school professor teaching Marijuana and the Law at California Western School of Law and researcher under a contract with NHTSA and NORC on the topic of the prosecution of drugged driving cases. She is a former member of the Judicial Advisory Board member for the Foundation for the Advancement of Alcohol Responsibility (FAAR) and Faculty for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) and the National Judicial College (NJC). She has also served as the past chair of ABA National Conference of Specialized Court Judges; the President of the American Judge’s Association and the Colorado Women’s Bar Association Foundation, and, as a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Judicial Outreach Liaison. She has written many articles and is a national speaker on the topics of marijuana; marijuana and drug impaired driving, drugged driving and specialty courts. She has presented to AJA; ALA; NEADCP, NADCP, APPA, AJA, ABA, DATIA, NHTSA, NEADCP, Lifesavers, Pennsylvania DUI Association, Michigan and Louisiana Association of Drug Court Professionals and to Judges, Specialty Court Conferences, and Safety Highway Offices in the States of Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and in Canada.

Contact: www.judgemaryceleste.com

      For many years blood and urine testing for alcohol and drug detection has been the gold standard in the workplace, with law enforcement, and, in the courts. Blood and urine testing typically utilizes gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) in either a lab setting or on site and the results has been found to be scientifically admissible in a court of law. There are newly developing alternative testing devises that use oral fluid and drug breathalyzers. Several factors are contributing to the development and use of these alternatives.

The obvious factor is that blood and urine testing are more invasive techniques than oral fluid and breathalyzers. Another may be the length of time it takes to conduct the test or to send and get the results of the testing from an outside lab. Yet another factor is specifically related to law enforcement. Law enforcement has seized blood to check for driving impairment for alcohol and other drugs routinely without a warrant until recent U.S. Supreme Court cases[i] mandated a warrant first. The issuance of a warrant requires a review and execution by a judicial officer or judge. Because alcohol and drugs remain in the bloodstream for a somewhat short timeframe, with active THC leaving the blood within hours,[ii] this new mandate has made it difficult for law enforcement to speedily retrieve the blood. Blood retrieval requires licensed phlebotomist or medical personnel in a setting other than at the roadside. Some states have resorted to training law enforcement as phlebotomist to accelerate the process.[iii] This challenge has resulted in several states creating expedited warrant systems[iv] and prompted oral fluid testing pilots.[v] Roadside oral fluid testing is already in place in the UK, Australia, Canada and parts of Europe.[vi]

In the workplace context, urine testing is still premier, however there is growing usage of oral fluid testing so much so that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) “has established scientific and technical guidelines for the inclusion of oral fluid specimens in the Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs. It will allow federal executive branch agencies to collect and test an oral fluid specimen as part of their drug testing programs.”[vii]

Oral fluid testing although growing in popularity[viii] is not without some stated issues. “Oral fluid collection is easy and noninvasive and is therefore a valuable alternative to blood in DUID cases. However, unlike blood, the composition of oral fluid varies widely both intra-and inter-individually and the determined drug concentration depends on the way the oral fluid is collected.”[ix] “One study of 301 drivers in Norway found that one of these oral fluid devices had a 14% false positive rate for marijuana, and 87% false positives for cocaine, compared with blood tests.”[x] Another study found the devices “frequently failed to detect high concentrations of THC with false negative rates of 9% and 16% respectively, When saliva THC concentrations were very low or negligible, with false positive rates of 5% and 10%”[xi] Even a legal challenge has been brought against the results of one of these devices.[xii] There may also be relatively hefty price tags for these machines[xiii] and no court scientific admissibility as of yet.

Alcohol breathalyzers have been used at the roadside by law enforcement for many years. These devices typically use infrared (IR) spectroscopy[xiv] and are admissible in court. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) maintains a conforming products list of breath alcohol devices approved for evidentiary use.[xv] Drug Breathalyzers are being heralded as the drug testing panacea as they are the least intrusive form of testing device. It is starting to make a showing with many companies jockeying for position in the marketplace. One company is currently involved in a law enforcement roadside pilot.[xvi] Another is postured to release their devise and has a pending patent for a marijuana car interlock.[xvii] Some of these devices test for a variety drugs while others test for marijuana[xviii] or marijuana and alcohol. With the exception of one devise being developed at the University of Pittsburgh who claims that they can accurately detect THC levels from breath,[xix] these devices cannot quantify the amount of the drug present although one company proports to be able to determine that marijuana was used within the last three hours.[xx]

These devices are also not without issues. Should the Pittsburgh devise come to fruition it could assist law enforcement in those states that set per se marijuana driving laws but per se levels aren’t always indicative of impairment.[xxi] “Even though a few states have enacted laws that attempt to put a limit on how much THC causes impairment, no consensus has been reached on what level is unsafe for driving.”[xxii] Also detecting that someone has used marijuana within the last three hours does not necessarily equate to driving while impaired or being impaired at the workplace. All of this just opens the door to toxicological arguments in the courts. If the objective is for law enforcement to establish probable cause for further roadside investigation or arrest swiftly, it would probably be cheaper to use saliva testing strips that are typically used as a screen in the courts and workplace.[xxiii] The strips do not quantify and merely identify a positive presence of a drug or alcohol. [xxiv]

Additionally, if the devise renders an actual THC level or does indeed determine that use occurred within the last three hours, it may be helpful to the workplace setting if any level is detected or if the three-hour timeframe unfolds during working hours, and, most importantly, it is a zero tolerance workplace. But again, like law enforcement challenges with breathalyzer results, arguments related to recent use could end up in the courts on the issue of impairment. There is also the caveat that there may be protections for the medical marijuana user/employee under local or state laws or appellate caselaw. For example, some states by statute or appellate decisions protect an employee who uses medical marijuana in hiring, discipline, testing and termination.[xxv] In this instance, the use may be legally acceptable which leaves the employer having to prove impairment. There is also the fact that these devices have not been found to be scientifically admissible in a court and may have a relatively hefty price tag.

Intelligent Fingerprinting technology that utilizes antibody nanoparticle science and sweat is not to be ignored.[xxvi] This device is optimally the least intrusive approach in that it only requires placing a finger on a pad and does not require any human secretion other than the antibodies and sweat. It meets the objective of identifying a positive use of a drug and does not proclaim to provide any specific levels or determine timeframes of drug use. For law enforcement and zero tolerance workplace environments, this may be incorporated for the purpose of establishing probable cause for arrest, further testing that is admissible in court, or potential workplace determinations like reasonable suspicion.

Whatever the devise or approach to drug testing, the old GC/MS science and technology should be respected primarily due to its admissibility in the courts where impairment issues are addressed and resolved. Unless these newly developing devices can establish that the underlying science and technology can meet the legal standards under case law for admissibility,[xxvii] which could happen with the right arguments and skills, they may only serve as good screening tools.

    SOURCES

[i] Missouri v. McNeely, 569 U.S. 141 (2013); Birchfield v. North Dakota, 579 U.S. ___ (2016)

[ii] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3484320/; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3570572/

[iii] https://www.azduiatty.com/law-enforcement-phlebotomy-program.htm; https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/msp/about/Documents/Law%20Enforcement%20Phlebotomist%20Training%20Announcement%202018-2.pdf

[iv] https://www.scottsdale-duilawyer.com/blog/2014/05/expedited-search-warrants/; https://www.sanantoniocriminaldefense.com/texas-criminal-law/new-program-may-expedite-blood-search-warrants-during-dwi-arrests

[v] https://www.chicagotribune.com/marijuana/illinois/ct-marijuana-roadside-drug-test-20191025-zr2ouoci6jfxdnjnjcifhtv3s4-story.html

[vi]https://www.chicagotribune.com/marijuana/illinois/ct-marijuana-roadside-drug-test-20191025-zr2ouoci6jfxdnjnjcifhtv3s4-story.html

[vii] https://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/press-announcements/201910290830

[viii] https://www.chicagotribune.com/marijuana/illinois/ct-marijuana-roadside-drug-test-20191025-zr2ouoci6jfxdnjnjcifhtv3s4-story.html; Journal of Analytical Toxicology, Volume 42, Issue 4, 1 May 2018, Pages 248–254,https://academic.oup.com/jat/article-abstract/42/4/248/4835625; http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/ct-met-police-drug-driving-test-20171205-story.html

[ix] https://www.academia.edu/20183595/Conventional_and_alternative_matrices_for_driving_under_the_influence_of_cannabis_recent_progress_and_remaining_challenges?auto=download

[x] https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/marijuana/illinois/ct-marijuana-roadside-drug-test-20191025-zr2ouoci6jfxdnjnjcifhtv3s4-story.html&ct=ga&cd=CAEYACoTMzIwMDg0MzcxMzU1NjI5Nzc3MTIaMTBjZDEwODM3OWJiODMzMDpjb206ZW46VVM&usg=AFQjCNHOqQiyLxk-s_PCnlcm3bH-qReOFA

[xi] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dta.2687; see also https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/canadian-studies-suggest-thc-levels-may-not-measure-marijuana-impairment-accurately/Content?oid=21779434; https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-12/police-roadside-cannabis-drug-testing-devices-questioned/11502436

[xii] https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/pot-test-maker-standing-by-roadside-device-1.4559684

[xiii] https://www.cmcr.ucsd.edu/index.php/2015-11-20-20-52-15/active-studies/62-ab266http://www.ksn.com/news/local/khp-equipped-with-new-device-to-fight-drugged-driving/1011654963

[xiv] https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/automotive/breathalyzer4.htm

[xv] https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2012-06-14/pdf/2012-14581.pdf

[xvi] https://www.timesdaily.com/news/drugged-driving-state-looks-for-more-information-prosecution/article_aedd94e0-efe6-5358-86ae-6f7472c687cd.html; https://landline.media/michigan-drug-testing-pilot-program-expands-statewide/

[xvii] https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2017/11/07/1176414/0/en/Cannabix-Technologies-Files-THC-Based-Ignition-Interlock-Patent-Application-and-Provides-Update-on-Marijuana-Breathalyzer-Development.html

[xviii] http://archive.bluelivesmatter.blue/how-marijuana-breathalyzer-works/

[xix] https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/marijuana-breathalyzers-blood-breath-thc-levels-law-driving/; https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190827123239.htm

[xx] https://houndlabs.com/

[xxi] https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/812440-MJ-impaired-driving-report-to-congress.pdf at page 12; https://www.summitdaily.com/news/colorado-increases-in-MJ-opioid-use-are-clear-determining-whats-impaired-driving-is-not-so-easy/

[xxii] https://dui.findlaw.com/dui-arrests/a-marijuana-breathalyzer-is-here–but-skepticism-remains-high.html

[xxiii] https://www.confirmbiosciences.com/products/saliva-drug-tests/

[xxiv] https://www.confirmbiosciences.com/products/saliva-drug-tests/salivaconfirm-saliva-drug-test-premium/?msclkid=8d9697458c3f1a9e0e9cca8601347db0&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=New%20Saliva%20Drug%20-%20Desktop%20Tablet%20Heavy&utm_term=%2Bsaliva%20%2Bdrug%20%2Btest%20%2Bstrip&utm_content=Drug%20Test%20Strip%20(Saliva%2FOral%2FFluid)

[xxv] https://www.goodhire.com/blog/video-new-employee-protections-may-impact-your-marijuana-screening-policies; https://www.fox23.com/news/medical-marijuana-law-protecting-oklahoma-employees-set-to-begin/978551295; Barbuto v. Advantage Sales & Marketing, LLC, 477 Mass. 456 (2017)

[xxvi] https://smartox.com/intelligent-fingerprinting/technology/

[xxvii] Frye v. United States, 293 F. 1013 (D.C. Cir. 1923); Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579 (1993); Kumho Tire Co. v. Carmichael, 526 U.S. 137 (1999)

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PMC Recruitment 2022 ~448 JE, Clerk, ALO Notification Apply Online

PMC Recruitment 2022 details for 448 JE, Clerk, and AEI posts. Pune Municipal Corporation Notification pdf, Apply online last date, and Eligibility. In Maharashtra State, the Pune Municipal Corporation has come up with the PMC Recruitment 2022 for the post of Junior Engineer, Clerk, Assistant Legal Officer (ALO), and Assistant Encroachment Inspector (AEI). Because of this those aspirants who work…