Becoming An Efficient Mental Health Counselor

Becoming An Efficient Mental Health Counselor Mental health is a wide subject with many professionals incorporated. Primarily, a mental health professional is charged with the task of offering services which ultimately improve a persons mental health or treat any kind of mental illness. Different professionals exist in the mental health sector: psychiatrists, clinical social workers, clinical psychologists and mental health counselors. Although such practitioners cover the same illnesses, conditions and disorders dealt with by these professionals, depend on the perceived scope of their skills. Some mental health professionals help in the enhancement of relationships while others are charged with the responsibility of treating specific mental illnesses. Different laws guiding the mental health profession, education and training accorded to the professional apportion the scope which a mental health professional is to undertake. This document examines the plans which I will incorporate to become an efficient mental health counselor. Modalities to materialize the ethical issues which form the core basis on code of ethics under ACA will also be addressed. Insights into social change and its effectiveness in the mental health industry will be tackled as well. A comparison between a practicing mental health practitioner and my views will be tabled so will class discussions on professional identity. Literature review Duties of a Mental Health counselor Mental health counseling is a psycho-educational discipline which came into being in the 1970s. Mental Health counselors (MHCs) are charged with the task of providing mental health counseling especially to the patients through incorporating dynamic and holistic approaches which are indeed strength based. The MHCs have excellent educational qualification and knowhow, having achieved this through varied experience in counseling. While other professionals in the mental health docket are excellent in treating mental health illness, the MHCs have been grounded in counseling with emphasis in such areas as developmental theory. More often than not the MHC collects data vital in identifying the mental, behavioral as well as emotional disorders and problems affecting a particular client thereby coming up with modalities to treat the patient (Palmo, 1999). Thus the MHC does not only treat a patients dysfunction on matters regarding self awareness, general body wellbeing as well as personal gro wth but also is concerned with an individuals total environment which plays a major role in making him or her completely healthy. MHCs can thus be described as a cadre of professionals tasked to offer counseling services in mental health centers, learning institutions as well as in hospitals and clinics. The success and significance of this profession cannot be underemphasized. Through the utilization of psycho-educational approach during the counseling process, prevention of mental illness is emphasized and achieved by the MHCs. Instead of medical model a holistic approach based on developmental theory is utilized. Many individual, families as well as groups have largely benefitted from MHCs through treatment of mental disorders as well as emotional imbalances like depression, suicidal impulses, substance addiction, grief as well as self esteem issues confronting them (Crespi Stier, 1997). Developing Professional identity as a MHC When laying the basis in identifying the MHC, several factors come into play since particular professional as well as scientific aspects from the educational, psychological as well as counseling disciplines are used by the mental health counselors. Through the usage of these interdisciplinary attributes, a holistic procedure of promoting health lifestyle and in particular preserving as well as restoring mental health in an individual is achieved. As I establish my professional identity, I intend to use systemic and personal perspectives to bring to attention the contextual attributes and influences present in a persons life which ultimately contribute to mental health illnesses (Palmo, 1999). In undertaking my tasks, I will be more concerned on facilitating total mental-wellness on my clients regardless of the fact that they are suffering from developmental struggles of clinical pathology. Concentrating on the strengths achieved from undertaking several synthesized domains of a clien t will make this move easy to implement. Thus, during my practice as a MHC my focus will not be to cure mental illness in a client, rather I will be seeking to improve the general mental health of individuals through preventing the repeat of such illnesses. Through collaboration with other mental health professionals and working in community settings, I will no doubt improve my effectiveness especially when working with clients who have had a stint in interdisciplinary teams. In order to remain vital and viable in this highly competitive industry, I intend to be responsive to the market needs by being flexible in service provision amid changing mental health industry. When confronted with a psychopathology case, I intend to use the guiding philosophy of this profession which aims at restoring the development of mental health in an individual instead of searching for ways to cure the mental illness. Assisting clients to adequately adapt to the challenges associated with mental illness will also come in handy in enabling me f orge my personal identity in this profession (Seiler Messina, 2002). Ethical principles In the mental health counseling profession five major ethical principles have been advanced to act as major ethical guidelines. As such the ethical guidelines do not primarily address all the issues which confront a MHC in the course of undertaking various tasks. Its through extensive evaluation of the ethical guidelines that assists professionals when confronted with an issue which requires clarification. In this counseling profession, five principles have been advanced: autonomy, beneficence, fidelity, non-malfeasance and justice. Consistent understanding of these ethical principles helps in making it possible for an individual to better function in this profession. Below is a detailed account of how I intend to implement these ethical principles during my practice as a MHC. Autonomy This principle is largely concerned with the moral duty of a counselor to encourage a client practice their independence in regards to decision making procedures. It is the responsibility of a counselor to allow a client be autonomous and act in accordance to their values (Beck, 1999). I will thus make my clients understand the implications of the decisions they are about to make and how such decisions will be perceived in the society they are living in. I will also make sure that the clients understand the possible impact which their chosen activity will cause to other members in the society. In case a client wishes to source support from such networks as religious or spiritual leaders or from family and friends, then I will agree to it as enlisting the help and involvement of other people is vital in ensuring mental health in an individual. A client has the freedom to determine when to quit a counseling session thus I should not coerce them to remain when indeed they want to leave. I will also ensure that I provide adequate information on the progress of the counseling process. I will also pay particular keen interest to underage children and people whose mental handicap is high. This is vital in preventing them make decisions likely to cause harm to themselves or other people. Nonmaleficence Primarily, this ethical principle may be regarded as the most critical in the mental health counseling field. It entails engaging in activities which will not cause any harm to the client. In my practice as a MHC, I will be careful not to engage in any activity likely to cause intended or not anticipated harm to my clients (Crespi Stier, 1997). Sexual, emotional as well as financial exploitation are some of activities which would largely cause harm to my clients. Purporting to be qualified in some areas which I am not, possess danger to my clients. This is especially so when a counselor claims to be qualified professionally in areas he is not. Truthful representation of my qualifications vital in handling mental health challenges is important. The competence of a counselor is determined by educational competence. I will also not undertake to provide services to the clients when intoxicated, sick or when the personal circumstances surrounding myself may elicit a wrong prescription. S ince it is my ethical responsibility to mitigate any danger posed to a client, holding an insurance policy would be handy in assisting in such eventualities which would require restitution due to the harm and damage caused on any client. Abandonment of clients before completion of a counseling session is likely to cause massive harm to a client. As such I will terminate my session as provided for under AMHCA ethical considerations. Thus proper arrangements need be put in place incase interruptions are inevitable like during vacations or illnesses. It is good to refer the client to another MHC who will continue with the therapy. Incase a MHC terminates hisher practice, the stipulated procedure to transfer the clients file and information need be followed. This helps in alleviating any form of danger which would be caused to a client when immediate withdrawal of the counseling services is instituted. Engaging or condoning sexual harassment is not allowed for MHCs because of the harm caused to the clients. Thus instances of sexual solicitation, unethical physical advances or verbal conduct likely to harm my clients will not be undertaken at all. Such advances are not only offensive but they also create a hostile environ ment where efficient counseling and therapy session cannot be undertaken. Other peoples actions can cause considerable damage to my clients. Thus it is my duty to question such activities likely to cause considerable damage to an individual under my care. Beneficence This principle in mental health counseling refers to the counselors responsibility to positively influence the welfare of a client. Thus, the MHCs are required to proactively do good to people thereby preventing occurrence of any form of harm to a client (Seiler Messina, 2002). In upholding this principle in my practice, I will largely be involved in acts of mercy, charity as well as kindness. With love and genuine altruism my diagnosis and counseling will be geared towards complete healing of the clients. Acting for the benefit of others will guide me in putting in place activities which will ultimately contribute to the general wellbeing of the clients. By preventing as well as removing possible harmful setups, I will always help my clients discover and further the interests which they consider important as well as legitimate. This principle will come in handy especially when dealing with clients struggling with suicidal thoughts. My role as a MHC will be to intervene by providing the necessary therapy which will ultimately save the life of the client. Placing the client in a protective environment where the welfare of the client will not be compromised will be vital in saving the life of such clients. Justice This principle involves treating similar people with equal magnitude. A form of fairness must therefore exist when dealing with the patients (Beck, 1999). Clients presenting similar mental conditions need be accorded the same treatment. In my practice, I will ensure that I do not exhibit any form of biasness. The amount of money charged for the counseling sessions will be the same thus I will not exploit my clients on such basis as when they seem like they are from a better social group. I will also tackle the needs of each client as everyone has a right to receiving counseling sessions regardless of their social orientation. Fidelity This principle largely involves a client possessing notions of loyalty and faithfulness to the MHCs. It is important that a client is confident about the competence of the counselor as such a move ultimately makes a lasting relationship to be created (Messina, 1999). In effecting this principle, I will ensure that I do not fail to fulfill the laid down obligations which I have with my clients. In addition, engaging in activities likely to threaten the therapeutic relationship existing between me and my clients will not be undertaken. Being cultural sensitive when solving the clients problem will greatly assist in building lasting relationships with the clients. When diagnosing mental disorders present in a client, use of appropriate diagnosis methods which are efficient is no doubt important. Under this will employ DSM-IV for diagnostic purposes. Before undertaking any assessment, I will ensure that I receive consent from the clients and explain to them the nature and purpose of the test undertaken. Organizations to join Several organizations which cater for the welfare of MHCs have been formed. The American MHCs have formed an association (i.e. AMHCA) where critical impact is accorded to the American citizens through giving insights on the mental health counselors profession. The association assists its members to develop their career owing to the many informative seminars and workshops organized by the association. This ultimately translates into improved service delivery to the clients thereby raising the overall standards of the profession. This association is also working to improve the recognition accorded to the MHCs by perhaps improving the perception of the members of public regarding the practice. By being a member of this association, my success in this field will ultimately be enhanced as vital tools and programs like continuing education and mentor programs are available in this association. Through availing practical resources to the members, the association expands learning and promote s the overall practice of the professionals under this field (Beck, 1999). American Counseling association (ACA) is another body I intend to join. This association has put in place several aspects which are dedicated to promoting the general growth and development of the counseling profession. This ultimately translates into better service delivery to the clients who seek counseling services. This association which was formed in fiscal 1952 represents counselors in all practice settings. I will develop my skills and build on my knowledge base due to the leadership training, advocacy services availed to the members. I may also get a chance to continue with my education. Since this association largely represents the interests of counselors and according to the federal agencies this profession is no doubt developing. National board for the certified counselors (i.e. NBCC) is a counselors accreditation body which I intend to join as well. The association aims at maintaining a certification program geared towards identifying the counselors who have studied and obtained some form of certification. Since a register of the qualified counselors is maintained, this helps in doing-away with quacks from the practice. It is beneficial to members since counselors who meet the professions standards are recognized. Through this membership, I will obtain client referrals thereby boosting my experience and number of clients whom I handle. Incorporating social change in counseling Social change is generally exhibited due to shifts in social structure and relations which were evident in the society. Behavior modification especially for individuals with mental health incorporates such aspects as physical and mental coercion, psychotherapy as well as brain washing in order to make the patient recover and gain more control over their life. When MHCs use behavior modification techniques when counseling individuals with mental health conditions and those with disabling mental conditions considerable aspects of improvement are witnessed. Systematic desensitization which is the mostly used technique in incorporating social change assists the MHCs to offer therapy to individuals with disturbances which have identifiable sources. For instance when a client has extreme fear for the closed places this method works perfectly well. According to a professional MHC that I had a chance to interview, he suggested that Biofeedback is the most effective method of using when treat ing disturbed minds. Information regarding a problem affecting a person is given to the therapist who then monitors it through the use of a mechanical device. Desirable rewards may then be provided to the client so as to influence positive behavior (Seiler Messina, 2002). By constantly monitoring the information given, a therapist is able to develop a treatment technique which will work best for a particular client. It is also easy to use especially in different settings. The MHCs first decide on what an individual can do in order to remodel the problem. A treatment program is then devised so as to change the mental condition. Proper record keeping is vital in order to monitor the progress of the client and in case the chosen methodology proves ineffective the MHC is advised to discontinue its usage. Discussions on professional identity Having held several discussions with my fellow classmates of issues regarding professional identity of MHCs important information was realized. Since professional identity incorporates the various ways in which and individual seeks to incorporate the statuses and roles he is undertaking and experience acquired when undertaking mental health counseling ,a coherent image of the individual is realized. Since professional identity is shaped by the principles that we choose to know and the manner in which we choose to know them, then every MHC should choose the kind of identity he will uphold. It is the identity chosen which determines the kind of people chosen to interact with. Through participation in the activities and affairs of the mental health counselors profession, a practitioner is able to build on their professional identity since mutual engagement as well as shared repertoire is achieved (Messina, 1999). Affiliation to professional organizations helps to build on vital connecte dness based shared histories as well as experiences of the MHCs which ultimately shape the professional identity of individuals in this field. People develop their professional identity as a result of the identities they uphold with the people in a given profession. Since a significant need to distinguish between the MHCs from other counseling professionals like social workers, psychiatrist as well as nurse practitioners joining the MHCs associations will greatly assist in forging the professional identity of these professionals. Conclusion MHCs have masters level qualifications in counseling and the profession is based on theory and practical orientation of behavioral sciences. In order to fully qualify to be a qualified MHC then at least 60 credit hours must be dedicated to achieving specific coursework as well as supervised experience. Mental health counseling is no doubt amongst the youngest human service profession which was greatly popularized in the 1970s by the professions who were seeking for visibility and recognition in this discipline. The distinguishing aspect of this profession lies in the use of multifaceted aspects of an individual in order to restore or better still strengthen the mental health of an individual. Thus the MHC contributes significantly in enhancing the vitality and vigor of a persons mental health thereby completely sustaining the general wellbeing and soundness of a person. Unlike a major misconception that mental health counseling enables a person suffering from a mental illness to bett er cope with their situation, MHCs employ holistic attributes geared towards preventing a person from being incapacitated by a mental condition (Crespi Stier, 1997).

Pygmalion vs. My Fair Lady Essay

The Academy Award-winning musical film My Fair Lady produced by George Cukor in 1964, was based on the play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw written in 1913. Although, the basic story line and underlying themes are the same, there are a number of differences between the two famous works. The most pronounced difference is that My Fair Lady had songs added to the dialogue. Furthermore, Pygmalion deals with many of the social issues that were occurring during the Victorian era in England, which is different from the musical which portrays what a person can do if they put forth a true effort. In My Fair Lady there is more emphasis on Eliza’s character developing her speech and going through all the unusual exercises’ such as speaking with marbles in her mouth and being hooked up to a machine while saying her vowels, than in the written play. This is probably due to the fact that in the play people should expect all of this to happen and don’t need to be told. Also, Cukor’s My Fair Lady did this in the musical because it adds entertainment value. When Eliza finally is able to speak well, Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering decided to take her to meet Higgins’ mother to see how see would behave around other distinguished people of high class society. This is the same in both Pygmalion the play and My Fair Lady the musical, however, in the musical they take her to meet Professor Higgins’ mother at a horse race where as in the play they take Eliza to Higgins’ mother’s house. Also, in the play Eliza meets Mrs. Eynsford Hill, Clara, and Freddy at Higgins’ mother’s while in the musical she doesn’t meet Clara, only Mrs. Eynsford Hill and Freddy at the horse race. After Mr. Doolittle is made into a wealthy man, which happens in both works, he marries his live-in girlfriend. In the play, he visits Mrs. Higgin’s before going to the church to get married where as in the movie he doesn’t visit her at all. The first point in the play when you find out that Mr. Doolittle has become wealthy and is going to get married is when Eliza goes back to the street where she used to live and sees her father coming out of a bar. That is when he informs her that he is getting married the next. At the final test of Eliza’s improvement, the Ambassadors party, she meets the queen of Transylvania in the musical but she does not in the play. Actually, this entire scene is skipped in Shaw’s play. The end of the musical is open ended, leaving the readers to come up with their own ideas and feelings about what is going to happen next. Maybe Professor Higgins and Eliza Doolittle will live happily together like the myth that Pygmalion is based on, Pygmalion and Galetea. Although there are many contrasting events that occur in the musical and in the play they do have many things in common. They have the same characters, although some are developed more in one than in the other. The basic thought and idea’s are the same throughout the musical and play which is expected since My Fair Lady is based on Pygmalion. I enjoyed the musical more than the play because I feel like the musical went into a lot more depth of Eliza’s transformation. The songs and the actors in My Fair Lady really brought the story to life. For me, Rex Harrison’s portrayal of Professor Higgins was absolutely perfect; he was able to show more sides of Professor Higgins’ psyche than you could experience by reading the play. Pygmalion is the type of play that will never be forgotten, even though My Fair Lady is perhaps the most memorable movie based on Shaw’s play, there has been many other renditions, such as Pretty Woman, and there will probably many more made in the future.

A Bakery Business Of Your Own

Making a Bakery Business Plan Coming up with a bakery business plan is one of the first things to do if you intent to start a bakery business of your own. Bakery business can prove to be one of the most rewarding businesses at start because of the personal involvement as well as the good profits that can start pouring in as soon as you begin. Bakery business is one where you can remain involved in every aspect from baking to selling and buying ingredients. A business plan is the only thing that can make a bakery business run in a convenient and controlled manner. You will need an effective and well written bakery business plan to help you succeed. It can help to control the overwhelming bakery day to day business and run things in a much organized and expected way. How to Make a Bakery Business Plan Making a bakery business plan is essential before actually starting the business. It is the way of carrying out business and should include a plan of operation for every aspect of your bakery business. Here we have broken up the idea of a business plan for your convenience that will help you in making and putting together a sound bakery business plan. The First Part The first part of your business plan should focus on how you will run the day to day operations of your bakery business and make everything go smoothly. The Second Part The second part of the business plan should include all the equipment you will need to operate the bakery business. From pans to pots, spoons to ovens and everything else, it should be very clearly mentioned. This part should also include the day to day operations and the maintenance that will be needed by the equipment after every few months. This part should also include the preventive maintenance on this equipment as well as it will prepare you for any eventually too that might occur with the machines. The Third Part The third part of bakery business plan should include your menu of foods and drinks that you will be serving to the customers. This is the most important part of business plan as it can prove to be the ultimate drawing point to your bakery. The Fourth Part The fourth part of your bakery business plan will be about the way you will deliver bakery products to the customers. Presentation and serving play a very crucial role in promoting any business especially eatables. The Fifth Part The fifth part of bakery business plan is very crucial as it discusses the finances needed to start a Bakery Business. You should know if you are going to finance the plan yourself and have enough capital to put the business ogether or will you borrow the money from family, friends or a bank; will you use credit cards or seek partnership to finance the business. All these questions need serious thinking before taking any step towards establishing a bakery business. The Sixth Part The sixth part of a business plan figures out where your bakery will be located. Are you going to rent or lease a shop or will you buy a separate place? All these questions are important as a good location can help to make a business successful and draw customers mor e easily rather than being located at a place where no one can come. Before you actually put the wheels in motion to start a bakery business, it is important to take time and figure out if this is the business for you that can help to shape your future. Starting a bakery business can be hard job and it can only be made successful with a sound and foolproof business plan and attention to detail. Making a business plan with help you really understand if this is the kind of business you want to start and if you can carry off this venture successfully. It will also help you to stay ahead on the business set up and establish a thriving bakery

Who Invented Self-Driving Cars

Oddly enough, the dream of a self-driving automobile goes as far back as the middle ages, centuries prior to the invention of the car. The evidence for this comes from a sketching by Leonardo De Vinci that was meant to be a rough blueprint for a self-propelled cart. Using wound up springs for propulsion, what he had in mind at the time was fairly simplistic relative to the highly advanced navigation systems being developed today. It was around the early part of the 20th  century that a real concerted effort to develop a driverless car that actually worked started to take shape, beginning with the Houdina Radio Control Company’s first public demonstration of a driverless car in 1925. The vehicle, a radio-controlled 1926 Chandler, was guided through traffic on a route along Broadway and Fifth Avenue with signals sent from another car following close behind. A year later, distributor Achen Motor also showcased a remote-controlled car called the â€Å"Phantom Auto† on the streets of Milwaukee. Though the Phantom Auto drew large crowds during its tour of various cities throughout the ’20s and ’30s, the pure spectacle of a vehicle seemingly traveling without a driver amounted to little more than a curious form of entertainment for onlookers. Furthermore, the setup didn’t make life any easier since it still required someone to control the vehicle from a distance. What was needed was a bold vision of how cars operating autonomously could better serve cities as part of a more efficient, modernized approach to transportation. Highway of the future It wasn’t until the World’s Fair in 1939 that a renowned industrialist named Norman Bel Geddes would put forth such a vision. His exhibit â€Å"Futurama† was remarkable not only for its innovative ideas but also for the realistic depiction of a city of the future. For example, it introduced expressways as a way to link cities and surrounding communities and proposed an automated highway system in which cars moved autonomously, allowing passengers to arrive at their destinations safely and in an expedient manner. As Bel Geddes explained in his book â€Å"Magic Motorways: â€Å"These cars of 1960 and the highways on which they drive will have in them devices which will correct the faults of human beings as drivers.† Sure enough, RCA, in collaboration with General Motors and the state of Nebraska, ran with the idea and began working on an automated highway technology modeled after Bel Geddes’ original concept. In 1958, the team unveiled a 400-foot stretch of automated highway outfitted with electronic circuits built into the pavement. The circuits were used to gauge changing road conditions as well as help steer the vehicles traveling along that part of the road. It was successfully tested and in 1960 a second prototype was demonstrated in Princeton, New Jersey. That year, RCA and its partners were encouraged enough by the technology’s progress that they announced plans to commercialize the technology sometime within the next 15 years. As part of their involvement in the project, General Motors even developed and promoted a line of experimental cars that were custom built for these smart roads of the future. The frequently advertised Firebird II and Firebird III both featured a futuristic design and a sophisticated guidance system programmed to work in tandem with the highway’s network of electronic circuits.  Ã‚  Ã‚   So you’re probably asking â€Å"whatever became of that?† Well, the short answer is a lack of funds, which happens to be the case often times. Turns out, the federal government didn’t buy into the hype or at least wasn’t convinced as to put up the $100,000 per mile investment that RCA and GM had requested to make the grander large-scale dream of automated driving a reality. Hence, the project essentially  stalled out at that point. Interestingly enough, around the same time, officials at the United Kingdom’s Transport and Road  Research Laboratory began trialing their own driverless car system. The RRL’s guidance technology was somewhat similar to the short-lived automated highway system in that it was both a car and road system. In this case, the researchers paired a Citroen DS retrofitted with electronic sensors with a magnetic rail track that ran beneath the road. Unfortunately, like its American counterpart, the project was eventually scrapped after the government opted to cease funding. This despite a series of successful tests and a prospective analysis showing that implanting the system would over time increase road capacity 50 percent, reduce accidents by 40 percent and would eventually pay for itself by the end of the century. A change in direction The ’60s also saw  other  notable attempts by researchers to jump-start development on an electronic highway system, though it was by now becoming increasingly obvious that any such undertaking would ultimately prove to be too costly. What this meant going forward was that to be feasible any work on autonomous cars would require at least a slight shifting of gears, with more of an emphasis on figuring out ways to making the car smarter rather than the road. Engineers at Stanford were among the first to build on this renewed approach. It all started in 1960 when a Stanford engineering graduate student named James Adams set upon constructing a remote-controlled lunar rover. He initially assembled a four-wheeled cart equipped with a video camera to improve navigation and over the years the idea evolves into a much more intelligent vehicle capable of self-navigating past a chair-filled room all on its own. In 1977, a team at Japan’s Tsukuba Mechanical Engineering Laboratory took the first major step of developing what many consider to be the first stand-alone autonomous vehicle. Rather than relying on external road technology, it was guided with the help of machine vision wherein a computer analyzes the surrounding environment using imagery from built-in cameras. The prototype was capable of speeds close to 20 miles per hour and was programmed to follow white street markers. Interest in artificial intelligence as it applied to transportation grew in the 80’s thanks in part to the pioneering work of a German aerospace engineer named Ernst Dickmanns. His initial effort, backed by Mercedes-Benz, resulted in a proof-of-concept capable of driving autonomously at high speeds. This was achieved by outfitting a Mercedes van with cameras and sensors that collected and fed data into a computer program tasked with adjusting the steering wheel, brake, and throttle. The VAMORS prototype was tested successfully in 1986 and a year later debuted publically on the autobahn. Big players and bigger investments This led to the European research organization EUREKA launching the Prometheus project, the most ambitious endeavor in the field of driverless vehicles. With an investment of 749,000,000 euros, Dickmanns and researchers at Bundeswehr Università ¤t Mà ¼nchen were able to make several key advances in camera technology, software and computer processing that culminated in two impressive robot vehicles, the VaMP and VITA-2. To showcase the cars’ quick reaction time and precise maneuvering, the researchers had them move through traffic along a 1,000 kilometer stretch of highway near Paris at speeds of up to 130 kilometers an hour.  Ã‚   Meanwhile, a number of research institutions in the United States embarked on their own exploration into autonomous car technologies. In 1986, investigators over at the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute experimented with a number of different cars, starting with a Chevrolet panel van code-named NavLab 1 that was converted using video equipment, a GPS receiver, and a supercomputer. The following year, engineers at Hughes Research Labs showcased an autonomous car capable of traveling off-road. In 1996, engineering professor Alberto Broggi and his team at the University of Parma initiated the ARGO project to pick up where the Prometheus project left off. This time, the aim was to show that a car can be turned into a fully-autonomous vehicle with minimal modifications and low-cost parts. The prototype they came up with, a Lancia Thema equipped with little more than two simple black-and-white video cameras and a navigational system based on stereoscopic vision algorithms, ended up running surprisingly well as it covered a route of more than 1,200 miles at an average speed of 56 miles per hour. At the start of the 21st century, the U.S. military, which began getting involved in the development of autonomous vehicle technology during the ’80s, announced the DARPA Grand Challenge, a long-distance competition in which $1 million would be awarded to the team of engineers whose vehicle conquers the 150-mile obstacle course. Although none of the vehicles finished the course, the event was considered a success as it helped to spur innovation in the field. The agency also held several more competitions in subsequent years as a way to encourage engineers to further the technology.   Google Enters the Race In 2010, internet giant Google announced that some of its employees had spent the previous year secretly developing and testing a system for a self-driving car in the hopes of finding a solution that would reduce the number of car accidents each year by half. The project was headed by Sebastian Thrun, director of Stanford’s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, and brought onboard engineers who worked on cars that competed in DARPA’s Challenge events. The goal was to launch a commercial vehicle by the year 2020.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The team started out with seven prototypes, six Toyota Priuses and an Audi TT, which were souped up with an array of sensors, cameras, lasers, a special radar and GPS technology that allowed them to do much more than just circumnavigate a pre-determined route. The system can detect objects such as people and numerous potential hazards up to hundreds of yards away.  By 2015, Google cars had logged more than 1 million miles without causing an accident, though they were involved in 13 collisions. The first accident for which the car was at fault occurred in 2016.  Ã‚   Over the course of the currently ongoing project, the company has made several other huge strides. They lobbied for and got legislation passed to make self-driving cars street legal in four states and the District of Columbia, unveiled a 100 percent autonomous model it plans to release in 2020 and is continually opening up testing sites throughout the country under a project named Waymo. But perhaps more importantly, all this progress has since spurred many of the biggest names in the automotive industry to pour resources into an idea whose time may very well have arrived.  Ã‚   Other companies that have started developing and testing autonomous car technology include Uber, Microsoft, Tesla as well as traditional car manufacturers Toyota, Volkswagon, BMW, Audi, General Motors and Honda. However, progress on advancing the technology took a major hit when an Uber test vehicle hit and killed a pedestrian in March of 2018. It was  the first fatal accident that didnt involve another vehicle. Uber has since suspended testing of self-driving cars.