Mental Health Counseling Research Paper

Differences in Two Counseling Specializations

Mental health counseling is a role unlike other roles in other counseling specializations. My role, as a mental health counselors, will include a more broad approach in their response to treating clients (Smith & Robinson, 1995). Mental health counseling focuses on developmental, preventive, educational, as well as the traditional aspects of care for clients. Essentially, a mental health counselor’s role and function is to assist the client with restoring their wellness and balance. The processes and approaches are holistic, interdisciplinary and multifaceted in nature. The client is viewed as a person who exists within familial, societal, and cultural contexts while also being an “emotional, physical,

Wellness is viewed as the ability of the mental health counselor to assist the client with identifying stressors and the levels at which they are able to function. Prevention is viewed as the promotion of lifestyles that are considered healthy. Finally, resilience is viewed as the client’s ability to preserve or restore their mental health (Pistole & Roberts, 2002). These philosophical tenets

The overall assumption I would be making as a mental health counselor is that clients have the ability to help themselves. This assumption rests on the belief that I will be constructing treatment plans and interventions based on the strengths clients already possess (Barden, Conley, & Young, 2015). During the interview with my faculty advisor, this process is what she described as magic. The magic is the process that happens once the client begins to trust the counselor and growth and development are possible. The assumption being made at this juncture in the process is when wellness, prevention and resilience meet; and, assisting clients with identifying and enhancing skills they already possess will enhance their mental health so that they are able to use these skills on their own and in the

Mental health counselors were able to receive this type of licensure in 2011 (Board of Behavioral Sciences, 2012). A coursework plan must include particular content and the Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling degree is aligned with state licensure and national certification requirements. In general, course content should include human growth and development; psychotherapy and counseling therapies and techniques; principles of diagnosis, research, evaluation, assessment and client appraisal; group, multicultural and diversity counseling; and career development. For the state of California, additional coursework is required. These courses include psychopharmacology, and contact hours of training in alcoholism or chemical substance abuse dependency, human sexuality, partner abuse assessment, detection, and intervention, child abuse assessment and reporting, California law and professional ethics, aging and long-term care and instruction in crisis or trauma counseling. The Mental Health Counseling program includes many of the required courses except psychopharmacology, partner and child abuse (Capella University, 2013) and a syllabus or course description may be submitted to prove pre-licensure requirements. Also, an internship can begin after graduation and registration as a professional clinical counselor intern has been approved. During the internship process,