Mental Health Counseling - Research Paper Example

 Mental Health Counseling Summation of interview Based on my interview with a professional mental health counselor who was counseling particularly in the field of child and adolescent disorders, the counselor expressed that when asked how her work as a counselor is different from that of a social worker or psychologist, she replied that being a counselor was about trying to understand human behavior in terms of the science related to mental processes. Counseling for her was about trying to evaluate symptoms and to think of possible diagnosis to such symptoms. She also described her normal day to be highly charged – from morning till afternoon – due to the fact that she was counseling children with hyperactive disorders (ADHD) and adolescents with various afflictions from anxiety disorders, depression, to eating disorders. She helped hyperactive children focus on their school activities during the mornings by giving them activities to help focus their attention. In the afternoons, she counseled adolescents with depression and eating disorders, watching over them and preventing attempts at suicide, bingeing, purging, and other self-harming activities. She is guided by the general ethical principles in the fulfillment of her role as a counselor. These principles include: beneficence, autonomy, non-maleficence, and justice. The regulations of the Medicaid which sets forth medical assistance for the mentally ill who fit the qualifications of coverage are being followed by the counselor as a governing regulation for her practice. In relation to various theories to which she adheres in her practice, she claims that she adheres to the theories set forth by Erikson. She claims that Erikson sets forth a logical explanation in relation to unresolved learning stages in the different phases of a person’s development. She believes that the children she is counseling have unresolved stages during their earlier years and these resulted to problems in later years. She also believes that by understanding and respecting the diversity of each client and of other people in general, she can be a better counselor. It allows her to treat each patient as an individual with distinct qualities. Her knowledge of human development has also allowed her to apply the counseling techniques which cover each child or adolescent based on their stage of development. She has used assessments as an important tool in conceptualizing the client’s case by allowing the information she has gained through the assessment to direct her counseling and intervention process. She has also avoided, as much as possible, recommending clients for psychotropic medications, especially because most of her clients are children and adolescents. During the times when she has recommended it, she has always made it a point that it is part of the entire therapeutic process – not as a sole means of treatment. In case of emergency, the counselor expressed that her agency immediately prescribes to the principles of triage and prioritization. She recalls a time when she had to respond to a client crisis when one of her adolescent patients slashed her wrist. She recalls how she had to immediately staunch the bleeding and later to transport the patient to the nearest emergency room for treatment. She says that she dealt with that emergency by thinking and working fast and prioritizing emergency care for the patient. She also expressed that accountability in the counseling practice is an important consideration for mental health professionals because it helps ensure that the actions of counselors are within the legal and ethical bounds of the practice. It also helps prevent unnecessary harm from befalling patients. She says that she holds herself accountable by respecting patient privacy and confidentiality rights. The counselor emphasized that there are times when she also needed counseling and these were the times when she often became emotionally affected by the emotional and mental health issues of her clients. She recalls how she also felt depressed when her client slashed her wrist and she blamed herself for missing the signs which led to the attempted suicide. She sought help from another counselor for her depression and to help her deal with her personal issues. She has been actively involved in advocating for client’s rights by assisting adolescents suffering from depression in gradually being integrated into the school and social population. In the process, some of these adolescents have managed to recover from their depression through their active participation in the school activities. The most important personal development issues she has faced as a counselor is on maintaining the balance between her role as a counselor and as a confidant for her clients. She has found it difficult to detach himself as a counselor when listening and counseling her clients, but she knows that she would not be an effective counselor if she got too emotionally involved with her clients. She also knows however that it is also important for her to emotionally invest (to a certain degree) on her client because such investment would help establish trust and rapport between herself and her client. In order to address these issues, she establishes an emotional connection – not a personal connection – with her clients by asking them how they feel. When she leaves each client, she also tries her best to be preoccupied with other concerns in order to unload her emotions and not to linger over disturbing feelings. Learning resources The important details which I believe are crucial in the interview and in relation to the learning materials we have used throughout the course are the details on the stages of development, the ethical principles, and the psychotherapeutic and psychotropic interventions as interventions for mental health patients. The counselor makes mention of Erik Erikson’s psychosocial theory. This theory sets forth that all people experience conflicts in the different stages of their development. Such challenges are turning points for every person and they are focused on either developing psychological quality or failing to develop such quality (Cherry, 2010). There is a 50-50 chance that a person may or may not develop well at each stage of the development and this will later affect his personality and the other stages of development. Erikson discusses the different stages to include the Trust v. Mistrust stage where a child is totally dependent on her parents and when he feels cared for, he learns to trust his parents and other people that surround him (Cherry, 2010). This stage is followed by the Autonomy v. Shame and Doubt stage where the child is now trying to slowly establish his independence and in the process, he needs to be assisted and encouraged to do so (Cherry, 2010). Failing this, the child can develop shame. Initiative v. Guilt follows and in this stage, the child is now learning to assert control over his activities. Those who are successful at this stage can go on to be assertive leaders and those who are not successful would likely develop feelings of guilt (Cherry, 2010). In industry v. inferiority, the child now begins to undertake more tasks and through these tasks learn to develop pride from his accomplishments. In considering the above discussion and relating it to the cases of ADHD children, it is important for the counselor to apply appropriate interventions based on the development stage of the child. It is also important to give enough encouragement and guidance to the child during the crucial development years in order to prevent shame, guilt, inferiority, and doubt. During the adolescent years, there is a struggle between identity and role confusion (Cherry, 2010). The teenager who cannot establish and find his identity and his role would likely develop feelings of inferiority which would later manifest through depression, self-image problems, and if unresolved, self-harm behavior. Adolescents may just be acting out because of their feelings of inferiority. It is therefore important to help the teenagers establish their identity and their role in life in order to prevent confusion and feelings of inadequacy. The ethical principles in healthcare are important principles and considerations which can be used to resolve dilemmas in the delivery of care. The principle of beneficence is about doing things for the benefit of the patient and to assist them in furthering their health and their legitimate interests (Beauchamp., 2008). The principle of autonomy is about respecting the person’s right to self-determination – allowing him to make the choices about his health (Michalowski, 2003). This also involves the right of the person to informed consent and to confidentiality – these acts all impact on his health choices. The principle of non-maleficence is in effect about “doing no harm” to the patient (Hitchcock, et.al., 2003). In this case, the interventions and all medical actions must not bring harm to the patient, instead, be for his benefit. Finally, the principle of justice is about giving a person his due. In this case, it is about giving what a patient is entitled to, based on his rights, and based on what is just and right (Pope & Vasquez, 2010). I noticed that the counselor was keen in applying interventions which help benefit her patient. Among children, she gains consent from parents by discussing the child’s situation and treatment with them. The child was also asked about his feelings in relation to the medicines he is taking and how he felt after taking such medicines. The counselor also believes in doing no harm to the patient by ensuring that the child is in a safe environment (Funnell, et.al., 2008). Reflection There are some things that I learned from the interview that I did not learn in the course. For one, I learned that counselors prefer to apply psychotherapeutic remedies and behavioral therapy for their child and adolescent patients. I found out that these counselors try to, as much as possible, avoid the administration of drugs to children and adolescents. In fact, only as a last resort do they prescribe to the use of drugs for their underage patients. This practice tells me that when possible, for the benefit of the patient, some interventions can be avoided. I also learned that counselors need to be alert and vigilant in caring for patients; they need to be observant of signs which may indicate an impending episode from patients. It is especially crucial to observe suicidal patients for cues which may lead to attempts at suicide. In these instances, the patient needs to be placed under suicide watch. This watch can be coordinated with nurses and other members of the health care team. Through efforts of coordination, much can be achieved for patients. From the interview, I learned that with adequate support and guidance, some child and adolescent disorders can be overcome or outgrown. The counselor mentioned that a strong support system for children and adolescents can help them eventually outgrow their mental affectations – and eventually to be integrated with other children and adolescents as normal individuals. I also learned that it in counseling patients, just simply listening to them express their feelings – their happiness, their anger, their sadness, and seeing their childish antics – are helpful tools in securing a therapeutic relationship. Finally, I learned that I need to be resourceful in coming up with ways in order to keep up with younger patients. Children can get easily bored and distracted by environmental stimuli. For hyperactive patients, I need to clear the environment of other stimuli in order to help them concentrate on their tasks. On the other hand, among teenagers, I found out that I need to come up with ways to entertain and distract them from their depressed or anxious thoughts. All in all, I found out that I need to adjust interventions based on the patient’s mental issues, preferences, and stage in the developmental process. As a result of the interview, I was able to understand better about the importance of establishing an emotional connection with one’s patient. In the course of the interview, the counselor was keen in emphasizing that establishing a connection with one’s patient can open up so many doors and can eventually make the counseling process effective and efficient. This is especially important among teenagers. The counselor mentioned how adolescents feel like nobody understands them – like everyone trivializes their concerns. But no matter how trivial their concerns may be from an adult’s point of view, as far as they are concerned, these are serious issues. And by relating well with them, it is possible to ensure the effectiveness of the therapeutic processes. The assessment process came to life in the interview and it made the information I gained in the course more meaningful and relevant now. In the course, the assessment process was always pointed out as a crucial stage in the counseling process. I was able to appreciate and understand why. I was able to understand why it was important for me to gather initial data about my patient and to use such data to direct the care and treatment process. Without such assessment processed, the diagnosis may not be valid, and consequently, the treatment may also be inappropriate and ineffective. I anticipate that as a mental health counselor, I would be more observant about my family members in relation to signs of depression and other mental disorders. I would be more introspective about my family members and how they conduct their activities and how such activities affect their mental state. I anticipate that I would also apply some of the methods I have learned as a counselor in order to resolve the issues that they are going through. Works Cited Beauchamp, T. (2008) The Principle of Beneficence in Applied Ethics. Stanford University. Retrieved 05 November 2010 from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/principle-beneficence/ Cherry, K. (2010) Stages of Psychosocial Development: Psychosocial Development in Preschool, Middle Childhood, and Adolescence. About.com. Retrieved 05 November 2010 from http://psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/psychosocial_2.htm Funnell, R. & Lawrence, K. (2008) Tabbner's Nursing Care: Theory and Practice. New York: Elsevier Health Sciences Hitchcock, J., Schubert, P. & Thomas, S. (2003) Community health nursing: caring in action, Volume 1. New York: Delmar Learning Michalowski, S. (2003) Medical confidentiality and crime. Burlington: Ashgate Publishing Company Pope, K. & Vasquez, M. (2010) Ethics in Psychotherapy and Counseling: A Practical Guide. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Publishing Read More