Career Development Interventions And Individuals With Serious Mental Illness Essay

I am inspired to embark on this path because I want to gain an in depth understanding within the Learning Disability and Mental Health field for example professional aspects of care, biological basis for health and well being, identifying knowledge for nursing practice, origins and expressions of Mental Health and wellbeing, I want to be able to carry out the tasks of providing care and support for people with mental in capabilities, knowing that I am doing so with the full comprehension and grasp of what each patient needs.

In working as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, I am learning the importance of quality individualizes services and how they can support people with disabilities to prepare for obtaining employment. I have been have been participating closely with individuals that have a disability to help them achieve greater levels of independence by assisting them to develop goals and look for opportunities for employment. I am finding out that you have to really put a lot of effort as a vocational counselor in gathering medical, educational and different evaluations to determine eligibility and to help with the planning process of assisting the individual to choose the right occupation for themselves. In planning for a consumer to reach their

As much as they long for that feeling, why hasn’t the workforce utilized their special talents to benefit the world of business? Liability, communication and the lack of knowing about these talents are the thoughts come to mind. My vision is to open a non-profit job placement program for young adults with special needs that provide ABA therapists to assist in communication and social interaction between the employer and the employee. The mission and the goal of this program is to not only provide the feeling of belonging to these individuals by allowing them to earn their own wages but to also boost the economy by lowering unemployment all while improving the profits for a

95). The 1992 amendments were set into place to improve these numbers. However, over a decade has gone by and there are still barriers that have not been broken down. Many employers will not employ someone with a psychiatric disability thus resulting in “underemployment of the subpopulation with only one third of individuals being competitively employed at one time” (Schutt & Hursh, 2009, p.53-54). Job retention has also become a growing concern because meaningful employment has been difficult to quantify. In addition to the majority of the psychiatric disability population being unemployed, those that are employed “work entry-level job positions with low pay and little chance of advancement leading to limited opportunities for improvement in the quality of their lives” (Ackerman & McReynolds, 2005, p. 36). “Job retention is an important psychosocial goal, which is not often achieved” (Schutt et al., 2009, p.53). “The main reason individuals with psychiatric disabilities leave jobs is due to interpersonal and personal problems more than quality of work” (MacDonald-Wilson, Rogers, & Massaro, 2003, p.16). It was also found that most had “poor motivation or job responsibility” (Rimmerman, Botuck, & Levy, 1995, p. 41).

Have you ever thought about how important mental health counselors really are? Mental health counselors can help people out of a mental health problem with just a few visits! I hope to be a mental therapist one day. I know you might be thinking “Why a mental health counselor?” Well I have personal connections with mental health and I never want any family to have to go through.

There are many benefits to the creation of the role of 'generic' mental health workers, also known as support worker. However, there are also some drawbacks. These roles do not require much training and people can take up these positions without any previous experience or qualifications. On one hand this can be a positive situation where on the job training can take place. Where a candidate joins an organisation without the relevant qualifications, they usually have reasonable targets set to become qualified at least to NVQ 2 or 3 standard in health and social care.

After I graduate from college and finish my military career, I plan on becoming an adolescent mental health therapist. As an adolescent mental health therapist, I hope to provide mental health therapy to elementary aged clients. Providing a safe and positive environment where children can alleviate or eliminate presenting issues and problems allowing them to live a functional positive life and perform higher in academics. As well as teach resilience and enhance quality of life by appropriate clinical service delivery and identification.

This inventory was created to measure vocational interests of individuals with disabilities, ages 12-62, in a reading-free format. This test can be used with people who may have physical, intellectual, and or specific learning disabilities. This inventory is also appropriate for individuals whose first language is not English, those who have a mental health diagnosis, or economically disadvantaged populations. The test consists of a series of 55 sets of three drawings each illustrating different job tasks; the individual chooses the most preferred activity in each set. This inventory can be used in multiple settings such as junior and senior high schools, vocational and career training programs, career counseling centers, colleges and can be used by various qualified professionals for example psychologists, counselors, teachers, and paraprofessionals.

Mental illness refers to all diagnosable mental disorders defined as “health conditions that are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood or behavior (or some combination thereof) associated with distress and/or impaired functioning.” (Williams & Torrens, 2008, p. 221) With one in every five American adults experiencing mental illness, the resulting economic burden exceeds $300 billion per year to include approximately $100 billion in direct health care expenditures, $24 billion in disability benefits, and $193 billion in lost earnings. (Insel, 2008) This estimate is conservative as it excludes the components of incarceration, homelessness, comorbid conditions, early mortality and the incalculable costs to families that absorb much of the financial and emotional burdens of these illnesses. Despite the fact mental illness contributes over 6% to the nation’s health care spending; the United States (U.S.) mental health system has historically lacked integration with physical medicine and public policy support. (Insel, 2008)

Justene Smith, Disability Specialist at Progression unpacked some of the less ‘visible’ disabilities as she explored both the symptoms and barriers experienced by people living with cognitive, psychiatric and/or neurological disabilities, incorporating reasonable accommodations solutions. A full breakdown of mental disabilities is available within TFM Magazine Issue 5 www.tfmmagazine.co.za

Rehabilitation counselors can play an important role in ensuring these interventions are made available to individuals with schizophrenia, part 5rdes aicularly in vocational rehabilitation settings where CR has been shown to improve supported employment outcomes.

It offered vocational evaluation, training in office-related work, and job placement support for those who suffer with cognitive impairments. The program was established and performed by occupational therapist that evaluated perceptual, motor, daily living skills, and community needs. They helped the participants overcome obstacles that were created by their disability by applying, adapting, and compensating.

Before the age of eighteen nearly a fourth of all young persons will deal with mental illness (Shirk and Jungbluth 217). Only around a third of these children will receive professional treatment (United States Public Health Service qtd. in Shirk and Jungbluth 222). Because of the risk of suicide in mentally ill young people, it is crucial that mental health services are readily available to our youth in school settings. Therefore, schools should administer mandatory mental health screenings because mental illness often affects academic performance, and the majority of young persons that commit suicide have a treatable illness.

A literature review illustrates how vital job placement services have been found to be in the job employment assistance endeavors. The review of previous studies reveals the “receipt of placement services” to be the “strongest predictor of employment outcomes” (Fleming et al., 2014, p. 7). A 2006 study characterized job placement as “the driving force behind the vocational rehabilitation program” (Fleming et al., 2014, p. 7). According to the researchers, the public Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services have attained the status of “the most important vocational programs for persons with disabilities” (Fleming et al., 2014, p. 7). The authors cite the number of “new applicants [registered] nationally” as 564,908, in the 2011 Fiscal Year alone, as proof of the organization’s heavy caseload of new clients (Fleming et al., 2014, p. 7). These numbers indicate that rehabilitation services have been in high demand. Considering the importance of the vocational programs in assisting the disabled clients who are in need of employment, the authors determined that it was appropriate to examine the different ways these services can be rendered.

The career services professional supports the educational mission of a college by assisting students to develop, evaluate, and pursue career aspirations with the goal of securing employment. Career services professionals accomplish these goals with a range of programs, counseling and services designed to help students make the connection between the academic environment and the workplace.