Mental Health Counselor
Encyclopedia
Mental health counselors (or MHCs) practice mental health
counseling which is a dynamic, holistic, strengths-based and psychoeducation
al discipline born in the late 1970s when several mental health professionals realized that the master’s degree level counselors working in community settings lacked a professional home or identity. Research showed that these Master's degree level counselors were successful in treating mental health issues. Counseling is grounded in Developmental Theory and the counseling profession had its etiologic underpinnings in prevention and wellness (Juntunen & Atkinson, 2001). James Messina, Gary Seiler and others came together to form the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) in 1976.
In a few short years the association grew to over 12,000 members with a professional journal, newsletter, national meetings, state branches and a certification process for the Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC) credential in 1979. Early efforts included the recognition by third party payers and state licensure for MHCs. These early goals have for the most part been met and AMHCA remains a viable professional organization.
In 1981, Artis J. Palmo developed a manuscript for the AMHCA Board of Directors which in part described the evolving role of the MHC. The counselor collected data to assess the client’s mental and emotional and/or behavioral problems or behavioral disorders and helped clients to effectively adapt to the concerns presented. In later writings authors such as Hershenson and Strein (1991); and Palmo, Shosh and Weikel (2001) emphasized that MHCs are concerned about the client’s environment with a more global view than other professionals as well as a concern that goes beyond treating dysfunction
or pathology
and dealing with the clients’ self-awareness
, personal growth, and wellness
.
Seiler, Brooks and Beck (1987) delivered the first Training Standards for Mental Health Counselors (60 hours) which established this profession as the Clinical Identity for the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Though slow to accept, by the beginning of 2000, the standard was pretty much accepted universally for clinical applications. While the 60 credit Master's program has become the standard for Mental Health Counselor training (at least for those seeking a pre-licensure program), there is currently only one state which requires CACREP accreditation specifically (New Jersey).
As Brooks and Weikel (1996) and later Smith and Weikel (2006) have pointed out, the profession can trace its roots through several historical antecedents culminating in the shift to community
based treatment and the need for a cadre of professionals to deliver counseling services in a cost-efficient manner. The MHC of the 2000s can be found in a variety of employment including mental health centers, hospital
s, clinic
s, college
s and universities and private practices
. As the profession continues to grow and evolve, more entities such as third party payers, public policy makers as well as members of the general public are realizing the effectiveness of the professional MHC.
s, nurse practitioner
s, and psychiatrist
s, is that MHCs increasingly utilize a psycho-educational model for counseling clients, in conjunction with the more traditional medical/illness model for assessment and diagnosis. However, the main distinction from other mental health fields include its emphasis on prevention as well as an approach grounded Developmental Theory (not medical model), and its holistically focused approach.
MHCs work with individuals
, families, and groups
to address and treat emotional and mental disorders and to promote mental health. They are trained in a variety of therapeutic
techniques used to address issues, including depression
, addiction
and substance abuse
, suicidal impulses
, stress, problems with self-esteem
, and grief
. They also help with job and career
concerns, education
al decisions, issues related to mental and emotional health, and family, parenting
, marital
, or other relationship
problems. MHCs often work closely with other mental health specialists, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric nurses, and school counselors. In many US states, MHCs may diagnose as well as treat mental illness.
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
counseling which is a dynamic, holistic, strengths-based and psychoeducation
Psychoeducation
Psychoeducation refers to the education offered to people who live with a psychological disturbance. Frequently psychoeducational training involves patients with schizophrenia, clinical depression, anxiety disorders, psychotic illnesses, eating disorders, and personality disorders, as well as...
al discipline born in the late 1970s when several mental health professionals realized that the master’s degree level counselors working in community settings lacked a professional home or identity. Research showed that these Master's degree level counselors were successful in treating mental health issues. Counseling is grounded in Developmental Theory and the counseling profession had its etiologic underpinnings in prevention and wellness (Juntunen & Atkinson, 2001). James Messina, Gary Seiler and others came together to form the American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) in 1976.
In a few short years the association grew to over 12,000 members with a professional journal, newsletter, national meetings, state branches and a certification process for the Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CCMHC) credential in 1979. Early efforts included the recognition by third party payers and state licensure for MHCs. These early goals have for the most part been met and AMHCA remains a viable professional organization.
In 1981, Artis J. Palmo developed a manuscript for the AMHCA Board of Directors which in part described the evolving role of the MHC. The counselor collected data to assess the client’s mental and emotional and/or behavioral problems or behavioral disorders and helped clients to effectively adapt to the concerns presented. In later writings authors such as Hershenson and Strein (1991); and Palmo, Shosh and Weikel (2001) emphasized that MHCs are concerned about the client’s environment with a more global view than other professionals as well as a concern that goes beyond treating dysfunction
Dysfunction
Dysfunction can refer to:* Abnormality * Dysfunctional family* Sexual dysfunction* Dysfunction , an album by the rock band Staind...
or pathology
Pathology
Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....
and dealing with the clients’ self-awareness
Self-awareness
Self-awareness is the capacity for introspection and the ability to reconcile oneself as an individual separate from the environment and other individuals...
, personal growth, and wellness
Wellness (alternative medicine)
Wellness is generally used to mean a healthy balance of the mind, body and spirit that results in an overall feeling of well-being. It has been used in the context of alternative medicine since Halbert L. Dunn, M.D., began using the phrase high level wellness in the 1950s...
.
Seiler, Brooks and Beck (1987) delivered the first Training Standards for Mental Health Counselors (60 hours) which established this profession as the Clinical Identity for the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Though slow to accept, by the beginning of 2000, the standard was pretty much accepted universally for clinical applications. While the 60 credit Master's program has become the standard for Mental Health Counselor training (at least for those seeking a pre-licensure program), there is currently only one state which requires CACREP accreditation specifically (New Jersey).
As Brooks and Weikel (1996) and later Smith and Weikel (2006) have pointed out, the profession can trace its roots through several historical antecedents culminating in the shift to community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
based treatment and the need for a cadre of professionals to deliver counseling services in a cost-efficient manner. The MHC of the 2000s can be found in a variety of employment including mental health centers, hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
s, clinic
Clinic
A clinic is a health care facility that is primarily devoted to the care of outpatients...
s, college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s and universities and private practices
Medical practice
A medical practice or practice of medicine is the practice of medicine, as performed by a medical practitioner—a physician...
. As the profession continues to grow and evolve, more entities such as third party payers, public policy makers as well as members of the general public are realizing the effectiveness of the professional MHC.
Description of duties
A significant point of reference to distinguish MHCs from social workers, psychologistPsychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
s, nurse practitioner
Nurse practitioner
A Nurse Practitioner is an Advanced practice registered nurse who has completed graduate-level education . Additional APRN roles include the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist s, CNMs, and CNSs...
s, and psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
s, is that MHCs increasingly utilize a psycho-educational model for counseling clients, in conjunction with the more traditional medical/illness model for assessment and diagnosis. However, the main distinction from other mental health fields include its emphasis on prevention as well as an approach grounded Developmental Theory (not medical model), and its holistically focused approach.
MHCs work with individuals
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
, families, and groups
Group therapy
Group psychotherapy or group therapy is a form of psychotherapy in which one or more therapists treat a small group of clients together as a group...
to address and treat emotional and mental disorders and to promote mental health. They are trained in a variety of therapeutic
Therapy
This is a list of types of therapy .* Adventure therapy* Animal-assisted therapy* Aquatic therapy* Aromatherapy* Art and dementia* Art therapy* Authentic Movement* Behavioral therapy* Bibliotherapy* Buteyko Method* Chemotherapy...
techniques used to address issues, including depression
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
, addiction
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
and substance abuse
Substance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
, suicidal impulses
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, stress, problems with self-esteem
Self-esteem
Self-esteem is a term in psychology to reflect a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride and shame: some would distinguish how 'the self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem, the...
, and grief
Grief
Grief is a multi-faceted response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or something to which a bond was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, it also has physical, cognitive, behavioral, social, and philosophical dimensions...
. They also help with job and career
Career
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person's "course or progress through life ". It is usually considered to pertain to remunerative work ....
concerns, education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
al decisions, issues related to mental and emotional health, and family, parenting
Parenting
Parenting is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood...
, marital
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
, or other relationship
Interpersonal relationship
An interpersonal relationship is an association between two or more people that may range from fleeting to enduring. This association may be based on limerence, love, solidarity, regular business interactions, or some other type of social commitment. Interpersonal relationships are formed in the...
problems. MHCs often work closely with other mental health specialists, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric nurses, and school counselors. In many US states, MHCs may diagnose as well as treat mental illness.
Sources
- Brooks, D. K. & Weikel, W.J. (1996) Mental health counseling: The first twenty years. In W. J. Weikel & A. J. Palmo (Eds.) "Foundations of mental health counseling" (2nd ed.), (pp..5-29). Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas.
- Hershenson, D. B. & Strein, W. (1991) Toward a mentally healthy curriculum for mental health counselor education. "Journal of Mental Health Counseling", 13, 247-252.
- Palmo, A. J., Shosh, M. J. & Weikel, W. J. (2001). The independent practice of mental health counseling: past, present, and future. In D.C. Locke, J. E. Myers, & E. L. Herr (Eds), "The handbook of counseling" (pp.653-667). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Seiler, G., Brooks, D. and Beck, E.S., (1987) Training Standards for Mental Health Counselors, Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 9(4): 199-209
- Smith, H. B. & Weikel, W. J. (2006) Mental health counseling: The first thirty years and beyond. In A. J. Palmo, W. J. Weikel & D. P. Borsos (Eds.) "Foundations of mental health counseling" (3rd ed.), (pp5-29. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas.
- Prepared June 2008 by William J. Weikel Ph.D., Howard Smith, Ed.D.., Artis J. Palmo Ph.D. and Edward Beck, Ed.D.
See also
- List of counseling topics
- Mental health professionalMental health professionalA mental health professional is a health care practitioner who offers services for the purpose of improving an individual's mental health or to treat mental illness. This broad category includes psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, psychiatric nurses, mental health...
- Psychotherapist
- Nonviolent communicationNonviolent communicationNonviolent Communication is a communication process developed by Marshall Rosenberg beginning in the 1960s. NVC often functions as a conflict resolution process...
- Social worker
- PsychologistPsychologistPsychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
- PsychiatristPsychiatristA psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
- Occupational therapistOccupational therapistAn occupational therapist is trained in the practice of occupational therapy. The role of an occupational therapist is to work with a client to help them achieve a fulfilled and satisfied state in life through the use of "purposeful activity or interventions designed to achieve functional...
- Expressive therapyExpressive therapyExpressive therapy, also known as expressive arts therapy or creative arts therapy, is the use of the creative arts as a form of therapy. Unlike traditional art expression, the process of creation is emphasized rather than the final product...
- Behavior Therapy
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Rational emotive behavior therapyRational emotive behavior therapyRational emotive behavior therapy , previously called rational therapy and rational emotive therapy, is a comprehensive, active-directive, philosophically and empirically based psychotherapy which focuses on resolving emotional and behavioral problems and disturbances and enabling people to lead...
- Dialectical behavioral therapyDialectical behavioral therapyDialectical behavior therapy is a system of therapy originally developed by Marsha M. Linehan, a psychology researcher at the University of Washington, to treat people with borderline personality disorder...