Mental Health Professionals Career Guide and Counseling

Question: Is it possible for mental health professionals to maintain their objectivity? I have heard of situations in which mental health professionals have treated clients whom they personally disliked. If a counselor, psychiatrist, psychologist, or social worker actually dislikes a client, does he/she really have any business treating that person? After all, doesn't a client have the right to be treated by a professional who has his/her best interests at heart and actually cares about his/her welfare?

Answer: I am a mental health clinician. I must admit, we too are human and (believe it or not) have emotions and are not immune to feeling. I work in a 7 bed special care unit in a hospital, and yes I admit, at times it can be difficult to maintain professionalism. however we must. I have a very supportive work environment and if I do not feel comfortable with a certain situation or client for whatever reason (I may know them, or there may be a personality clash or whatever) I am immediately moved out of my area and spend the shift working in an area away from that individual, as it is not beneficial for the patient or staff member. We often have patients complain about staff and If patients have a genuine concern I encourage them to write to the medical superintendant (I helped a patient write a letter just last week). After all, the staff and patients share a common goal, for the patient to be functioning at a level well enough for discharge or for less intensive treatment. Sometimes, we have patients come in who have been with us before and sometimes somewhat 'knowing' that patient (i.e history) can be beneficial, as we may have built up a rapport with then. This is when a lack of objectivity can be beneficial. Another secret, I personally have a lot of satisfaction in my job, and therefore if my objectivity is clouded in a negative way I will ask to be moved. I would strongly advise you to seek a clinician you can trust and feel does have your best interest at heart, because if you don't your recovery will be minimized. Hope this helps

Question: How might support from family, friends, and mental health professionals...? How might support from family, friends, and mental health professionals help an individual cope with stress, depression, and anxiety? What strategies might each of these groups offer to help prevent suicides?

Answer: Yes it definitely helps.Medical cure is all about the patient believing in the cure.Ans when family or close part of it says that all will be well it definitely helps the patient cope with the disease.

Question: Brainstorm possible ways that mental health professionals can help to ease the misunderstanding that many peop Brainstorm possible ways that mental health professionals can help to ease the misunderstanding that many people have about mental illness.

Answer: They can educate the public about mental health problems. When a new patient comes in the professional can set up an appointment to meet the family of the patient. This appointment can be a chance for the therapist to educate the family. The professional can speak to certain groups of people that can benefit from being more informed. For example this can be speaking to a group of medical professionals, speaking to employees about managing the stress of their employees and talking to children at their schools about depression...etc.

Question: what is the psychology of some people who are waging war against mental health professionals and NAMI? is there any truth in their allegations that psychiatric drugs and psychiatry are being abused by mental health professionals in the usa?

Answer: There are and always will be abuse of anything and everything. It is the nature of some human beings to overstep boundaries and to apply procedures without properly affixing the problem. I think medication can help some people, but sometimes there is over prescription of medication. It is an unfortunate fact that in the United States policies are not changed by reasonable arguments, because people cannot evaluate the value of varying positions. Policies are decided by taking extreme stands and then arguing over points in an adversarial manner. I don't know if it is because most policies are decided by lawyers and legalities or what. The American health care system has been evolving into having decisions made by insurance companies and government. Health care is becoming less and less the realm of doctors and "practicing" nurses. It is more in the realm of health management and treating people as bodies in for repair. Pills are the oil for the system. I am particularly discouraged by mental health care in this country. It is a "take this pill, get over it, and call me next month." It reminds me of George C. Scott in the movie "The Hospital": "We heal no one, we cure no one!" If you get better, pray to God and thank your lucky stars! The next time there may be no money to help you! You've used up your benefits!

Question: Is it common for mental health professionals to have a personal history of mental illness? I know some people that work in the mental health field do have a history of mental illness, some that I have met are currently on antidepressants, but because they have their illness under control they are perfectly fine. Is this common, and if you were looking to get into a career in mental health would having a personal history of mental illness benefit you because maybe you could relate to your clients/patients better?

Answer: Thank you, chelsea_lulu21, for asking. I agree with deYoung's answer but also the truth-be-told, I dare say that during the past 3 and half decades I've encountered many mental health professionals and the bunch with the most obvious serious personality disorders turns out to be none other than our psychiatrists who were book-smart enough to pass all the schooling exams and unfortunately ended up with their degrees although seriously lacking in true interpersonal relationship skills due to their personality disorder. If someone needs to see a therapist I would sooner suggest they see a psychologist than a psychiatrist for better odds. And surely it does stand to reason that someone who has experienced symptoms of mental illness can empathize rather than just sympathize with their patients. And thanks again for asking. Tsark out.

Question: Are there travel programs for mental health professionals? I know there are travel nursing programs, but I was wondering if anyone knows if there are programs like that for mental health therapists, school counselors, or social workers? I'd love any help on this! Obviously long-term therapy would be ridiculous, but currently I do crisis work, where we only have clients for 60 days max. I know there are many jobs like this out there (or school jobs that only last for 8 months)- I was just wondering if there are any TRAVEL jobs.

Answer: Id guess thats not likely. Think with nurses is you dont go back to see the same nurse, other then maybe an established nurse practitioner. Therapists and other mental health professionals see patients that need continuted treatment. And they need to be treated by someone that knows their situation. If I see my therapist 1 time a month and therapists did a traveling program and rotated out after 3 months, I would have to start from scratch every 3 appts and that would do me no good. People switch mental health professionals to find ones that they can work well with and that can help them.

Question: How do mental health professionals keep up on paperwork? Is anyone willing to share their structure for handling this daunting task of daily notes, treatment plans, discharge summaries, etc?

Answer: I'm still trying to balance it all, being a psychologist in training. At my first externship, I had 50 minute sessions, but allotted myself 1 hour and gave myself those 10 minutes to do notes. I also scheduled one hour a day to do OTRs, treatment plans, correspondence, and such. I guess since I wasn't paid, I didn't think of that hour of paperwork as a loss of income. As a practicing, paid psychologist, I may think differently. My current supervisor uses a transcriptionist.

Question: Are there any mental health professionals that use this site? Or is it just a bunch of teenagers? If someone is one. Would they please email me? I need to talk to a mental health professional.

Answer: I'm a practising family physician, aesthetician and ophthalmology expert. Using this site to monitor unqualified people...haha

Question: Where can I find statistics for depression vs mental health professionals in the past as well as present? I want to compare how many people have been diagnosed with depression over the past, say 30 years, with how many more are seeking professional help and being treated with anti-depressants. I can find current statistics easily enough, but I'm having trouble finding anything that is not current. Do you have any ideas of what searches I could make to find this or any websites you know of that have this information for me?

Answer: I think any such statistics would be both difficult to find and probably impossible to compare. Definitions of mental illnesses have changed greatly over this period and the mental health profession today would be almost unrecognisable to someone from the 70s. Also, I suspect people's growing awareness of mental illness as a problem that many "normal" people have (as opposed to the idea that it was just crazy people with mental problems) would also lead to much higher rates of diagnosis. As for the figures, I'm not sure it would be something that government agencies collect and you may have to search for papers dealing with the topic itself. You might also find good historical information on websites for organisations that support people with depression.

Question: Is there a model human that mental health professionals work from? Is everyone diagnosable for something? I think the best answers are from the people pointing out the DMV book. Thanks this answers my question as to what guidelines are understood by the mental health scientists and professionals. I appreciate the other answers very much too, thanks all Thanks for the DSM answers, that was what I was looking for as to what the mental health guidelines are. And thanks very much for the other answers, I can't conclude which one is the best.

Answer: Yes. Everyone is diagnosable, if nothing else, they will diagnose you as healthy or normal and charge you a hundred bucks a visit to keep you that way.