Running head: The Role and Life of a Mental Health Counselor The Role and Life of a Mental Health Counselor Mental health counselors provide counseling services for clients that suffer from personal issues (e.g. depression, substance abuse). Mental health counselors are trained to provide psychotherapy, psychological assessments, and diagnosis disorders of a specified population of clients in an individual or group setting, by helping them cope with mental and emotional problems (Erford, 2010). Counselors in the mental health profession are expected to maintain the confidentiality of records relating to the client’s treatment. Mental health professionals practice active listening and encourage the client to express their feelings.
Health psychologists seek to understand and work around the effects that certain behaviors have on ones health. They also study and focus on how a person’s health can impact their behavior and emotions. Their main goals are to prevent illness, help treat the illness, and overall promote good health. They are constantly trying to find treatments and influences in order to cure or help their patient(s) with their illness. Positive Psychology.
Education is important with this form of treatment so clients can recognize how different factors affect the course of the disease and what they can do to manage these factors (Steinkuller and Rheineck 342). Family therapy is also a means of treatment where family members as well as the client see a mental health provider to find solutions and ways to deal with the disorder. Family involvement provides structure and could increase adherence to treatment leading to delays or reductions in relapses (Steinkuller and Rheineck 342). Interpersonal and social rhythm therapy involves stabilizing social and circadian rhythms based on the hypotheses that unstable daily routines result in increased bipolar episodes in individuals prone to them (Steinkuller and Rheineck 349). Social rhythm therapy recognizes the need for regular sleep/wake cycles, regulation of meals, exercise, sleep and plans for keeping rhythms stable when disruptions occur.
Which of the research methodologies from the textbook would you choose to conduct your proposed study? I would choose Clinical psychologist they help people with psychological disorders adjust to the demands of life. The clinical psychologists evaluate problems such as anxiety and depression through interviews and psychological tests. They help clients resolve problems and change self-defeating behaviors. A.
It takes into account not only the physical health of the patient, but also the patient’s perception of self and his or her ability to function in the community. The psychosocial assessment is used to create a comprehensive picture in order to map out treatment and nursing goals and to have accurate data on the patient’s psychosocial and mental status. Usually it takes the form of a series of questions asked by the health care professionals. Examination of Mental Status Objectives: 1) Define: Mental Status ,Orientation, Level of Consciousness, Memory, Lethargic, Stuporous, Comatose, Glasgow Coma Scale, Stressors, and Abstract Reasoning. 2) State the purpose for evaluating mental status.
There is no person who is immune to the effects of trauma. Trauma impacts on the individual, families, and societies by disrupting developments that are healthy, severely affecting relationships, and this contributes to mental health issues which includes domestic violence, substance abuse, and child abuse. The price is paid by everyone whenever a community creates multi-generations of individuals with untreated trauma by loss of wages, an increase in crime, and threat to the families’ stability. Becoming ‘trauma-informed’ basically means recognizing the fact that people normally have a lot of different kinds of trauma in their lives. Individuals who have been traumatized require support and understanding from the ones around them.
The effect of PTSD can be very extensive. PTSD is a debilitating disorder, and its symptoms have a negative impact on a numerous areas of everyday life. In particular, PTSD negatively affects a person's mental health, physical health, work, and relationships. Post-traumatic is more then merely a stress disorder, PTSD is an anxiety disorder that a person may develop after experiencing extreme or overwhelming traumatic events. More specifically, the trauma is more overwhelmingly powerful when they witnesses and event in which another person may have been killed, seriously injured or threatened.
It states that both counseling and clinical psychologists are trained to provide counseling and psychotherapy. In the context of mental health, counseling is generally used to conduct a relatively brief treatment that is focused mostly on behavior. It often targets a particular symptom or problematic situation. The role of the counselor is to offer suggestions and advise for dealing with it. Psychotherapy on the other hand, is generally a longer term which focuses more on gaining an insight into chronic physical and emotional problems.
Attention Getter Many People can say they have been sad or depressed occasionally. The feeling of being "depressed is a normal occurrence due to loss, daily life struggles, or low self-confidence. But when feelings become stronger and sadness over take a person, making them feel worthless and helpless; and lasts not just a couple hours or days but rather weeks; your depression might be something more that sadness. Relevance According to the website of the National Institute of Mental Health, depression is the most common mental disorder in the U.S. Credibility I was interested in the topic of depression so I researched the topic so I could cope with people around me going through depression.
Risk assessments are also designed to manage and identify areas of concern, either to the patient or health professional’s involved in the care of the patient. Areas of risk assessment may include suicide or self harm, absconding, aggression or violence, substance use, vulnerabilities and neglect, non adherence or compliance. These areas of assessment may include past risk and current risk factors (Edward, Munro, Robins & Welch, 2011). Risk assessment of the patient is important but also risk towards others. Patients with paranoid schizophrenia are more opportunistic in behaving aggressively or violently towards co-patients and/or staff, which is why implementation of such assessment tools have been put in place (Langan, 2008).