Essay On Mental Health Treatment Program

I’ve always been passionate about understanding others; stepping into their shoes and seeing, thinking, and appreciating the lives they live. I think it is important to take that extra step and see things from a different point of view. It is the only way to achieve a true understanding. I believe in this philosophy so much so, that it’s one of the main reasons I have this blog; to give others a glimpse of a life with mental illness. I’ve been in treatment for 2 months and 26 days and I think it’s time for another peek into my brain.

Why do you believe you are a good candidate for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Argosy University?

The need for a substance abuse recovery home in Starke County, Indiana is a need that is unmistakable in the county based on the hefty number of individuals that suffer from substance abuse and dependency in the county which is clearly displayed by the recent number of crimes that are related to or involve illicit and prescription drugs. In attempt to meet this need and create an opportunity for individuals suffering from substance abuse and dependency to receive local substance abuse treatment in a recovery home the proposal will be presented to several stakeholders within the Starke County community. The term stakeholder “refers to those people who are affected, or could be affected, by the service” (Canadian Career Development Foundation, n.d.) that is being proposed. The proposal for the creation of a substance abuse recovery home will be presented to five key stakeholders including Ms. Becky Anspach the director of Community Services of Starke County, Starke County Community Corrections director of operations Mr. Robert Hinojosa, Ms. Dee Lynch the director of the Indiana Department of Child Services of Starke County, Porter Starke Services facilitator of intensive outpatient program treatment (IOP), and Ms. Rhonda Adcock the director of Starke County CASA.

Since the early 1990s, the progress of mental illness treatment has increased quickly. Many patients with mental illness have been able to leave hospitals and live normal lives because of advancement in treatment. The treatment of mental illness has changed in many ways. Some of these ways are medical technology, medication, and the housing treatment. These changes in mental illness healing have led to a great success.

This clinician wants to open his own dual diagnosis center with substance abuse disorders and mental health disorders. Many individuals with substance abuse issues also suffer from mental health issues. This counselor suffers from the disease of substance abuse and has made it his lifelong goal to help individuals with these types of issues.

It not easy to determine how many people suffer from mental illness. This is due to the changing definitions of mental illness and problems classifying, diagnosing, and reporting mental disorders. There are social stigmas attached to mental illness, such as being labeled "crazy," being treated as a danger to others, and being denied jobs or health insurance coverage. These negative connotations keep many sufferers from seeking help, and many of those in treatment do not reveal it on surveys. Some patients do not realize that their symptoms are caused by mental disorders. Even though more is being learned about how the brain works a lot of information has still yet to be discovered, thus mental health professionals must continually reevaluate how mental illnesses are defined and diagnosed. The Surgeon General 's report estimated that roughly 20% of the United States population was affected by mental disorders and that 15% use some type of mental health service every year. Community surveys estimate about 30% of the adult population in the United States suffer from mental disorders.

The role of the social worker in this setting is to perform duties as an informed clinician based on evidence based practice to provide individualized case management to all clients. The social worker will complete a comprehensive intake assessment which includes demographics of the client, address presenting problem, and a risk assessment. Client’s also receive mental health screenings and individual and group counseling to gain new coping skills and address any triggers to prevent relapse utilizing interventions as CBT and Motivational Interviewing. The social worker will discuss limits of confidentiality and a signed informed consent from the client to receive services.

An integrated screening is used for information gathering through interviews, testing, and overall assessment. It can be used to determine signs of intoxication and self-harm, as well as a client’s overall behavior and outward appearance. It is more of a surface-level examination and should not be used as the only assessment tool. In contrast, integrated assessment is more detailed and looks at cognitive functioning, readiness for change, and can be used to establish formal diagnoses and determine the appropriate level of care. It is client-centered, motivating, and should encourage the client to continue with treatment. There are typically 12 specific steps used in this assessment, which are used to obtain information on symptoms, strength, limitation, cultural barriers, and past history with mental health and substance abuse difficulties. In addition, the clinician can use this to obtain a reading of the client’s perception of the problem and how they would like to make a change. As described above in the summary of the previous reading, integrated treatment planning is a detailed look at the services that are expected to be provided to the client for each problem and how this will bring about change change for him or her. It is not a final document and will change over the course of time as the person continues to grow. Not one of these three options should be used alone, but rather all should be combined in the appropriate manner to best serve the

I chose to visit a mental/ behavioral health agency, The Healthy Foundations Center, that works with many individuals who have been dually diagnosed to increase knowledge regarding substance abuse concerns. As a foster care agency, we are well prepared to work with children and families, however we are sometimes less prepared to meet the needs of parents who are also dealing with addiction. Currently, we cannot provide any medication management services, either, which is a service that could be beneficial to the clients we serve. I identified this agency because they have providers who are experienced in working with individuals with dual diagnosis, capable of meeting the complex needs of these families, as well as provide medication

A statistical piece of information that was interesting is that how the number of mental disorders increases as the number of substance abuse disorders increases as well. Services, U.D. (2005) states the likelihood of mental disorders rises alongside with substance abuse dependencies. With the rise of both abuses at the same time, it complicates treatment for the mental disorder patients that have drug use however, multiple drugs is normal for those who are substance abusers (Services, U.D., 2005). The reason this information is found to be interesting is because with the two disorders rising at the same level, it appears that the challenges will be harder and more co-occurring disorder patients are going to need help with their issues. As a counselor, one must be dually competent to treat these clients or have staff available to treat the clients who have co-occurring disorders to ensure an effective outcome.

In my current field placement I work with adults who are seeking help with mental illness and substance use. The program is a Partial Hospital Program (PHP), however, there is housing available to those who are homeless. The program is a two to three week program and while the patients are there, the case managers provide group therapy, help with scheduling aftercare and find housing for those who need it. A large percentage of the patients have untreated mental illness and have been self medicating with substances.

These modern or alternative treatment techniques include options like recreational therapy, yoga, music and art therapy and dual diagnosis treatment. These treatment modalities are used to help patients regain the life skills and coping capabilities that may have been displaced while caught up in the cycle of addiction. This facility also focuses on family involvement in the treatment process through a formal family participation program. All of these options are available to experienced addiction counselors who are charged with developing tailored treatment programs for patients.

Residential treatment (RT), which is currently recommended, actually places the substance abuser in a facility where care staff and experts who oversee their treatment monitor them. For Levi, this is a combination of medication, psychotherapy, physical activities, social activities, and counseling. The target is to support, guide, and monitor the client in completing this treatment plan, wherein the target is for the client to be rid of said addiction through the course of the plan. The continuum of care for addictive and compulsive behavior will be an important element in the plan. Additionally, the plan will take consideration of the particulars of the client to fit the plan to the client 's needs, situation, and personality. Wenzel, Brown and Beck (2009) suggest that "in the first session of counseling with suicidal patients, the following strategies should be used: (1) discuss structure and process of treatment, (2) emphasize compliance by the

Mental Health Therapy is an ideal career for those who can easily relate to people and understand what they go through. A mental health therapist usually talks to and helps everyday people with mental issues and regular issues that affect their everyday lives. Therapists also help and solve marriage and family problems. Mental health therapy is a good job for those who enjoy helping other people when they are struggling with their issues. Although this may be a stressful job, a mental health therapist can set their own hours and meet with patients in a comfortable and safe environment.

All treatments for mental health conditions are based on hypotheses that seek to explain their aetiology. These tend to be reductionist models approaching the problem from one dimension of the biopsychosocial paradigm. Unsurprisingly this approach is far from effective.