How Important Is Mapping Policy? The South Carolina Department Of Mental Health?

In my future social work career, it is imperative to be cognizant of my personal experiences and preconceptions regarding mental illness. As I participant in evaluation and diagnosis of mental illness, I will utilize a blank slate mentality. I will strive to prevent previous clients’ behavior, the individual’s current diagnoses, and personal judgments to cloud my diagnosis or interactions.

Karen Bressler has worked in the field of social work for a little under 20 years, working in the health and mental health environment in the Washington DC metropolitan area. She currently works at Green Door as the Director of Health Homes. Green Doors has a rigorous program that provides mental health services to include psychiatric and counseling services which both are coupled with case management. The agencies case management offers clients with supportive education, housing stabilization, rehabilitation day services programs, supported employment, community support, Assertive Community Treatment, and a variety of essential curriculums that many of the agencies clients have on no occasion before had access to. The agencies mission is to work to eliminate barriers that poverty, unawareness and prejudice have created, and to decrease the misconception connected with mental health circumstances. Majority of the clients served at the agency live below the federal poverty line, are African-American, and are over the age of 50. A good number of the client’s lives are plagued with one or more chronic medical condition. The agencies mission is to enhance the lives of their clients through treatemtn and services.

Social workers in the mental health wing of the Woodstock General Hospital (WGH) are an integral part of an interdisciplinary mental health team that provide patient-centered care through both inpatient and outpatient services. They offer capacity-building program interventions to individuals, couples and families by providing single session walk-in counselling, groupwork, psychiatric evaluation, crisis intervention and inpatient support as well as long term counselling. There are specialized outpatient supports including early psychosis intervention, programs for eating disorders, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, programs for children and youth as well as programs specific to geriatric mental health. In

The Mental Health Services Act is a monumental proposition that has helped many people for more than a decade. In California alone, close to 1.2 million adults and around 422,000 children live with a serious mental illness (State 2010). Without the proper treatment, suicide is the leading cause of death for a person battling an untreated mental illness (State 2010). With over thirteen billion dollars raised so far, MHSA has been the root of funding for mental health in California (Williams 2015). MHSA is still a work in progress. The act is nowhere near perfect, as a recent audit has shown, but it is certainly a step in the right direction.

The first obstacle that must be overcome when Appalachians want to get help for mental health issues is the lack of access to mental health professionals. While there are mental health treatment options available, they are mainly located in the more urban areas of the region (Susan Emily Keefe, Appalachia’s Children). All too often, people are unaware of the services available to them for the treatment of mental health disorders. Even if they do possess knowledge of what is available, it may not be feasible to get to these services. Many of the residents may not have insurance or the financial capabilities necessary to pay for treatment. Because the

Mental illness is an increasing problem in America. Currently about 26.2% of Americans suffer from a mental disorder. A mental illness/disorder is a medical condition that disrupts a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, and ability to relate to others and daily functions. Mental illness can affect humans of any age, race, gender and socioeconomic status. However the care that is needed to effectively cure and help the people affected by the illness is not equal for everyone here in American, especially for African Americans.

Select and describe one issue of interest. Describe advocacy processes needed to address institutional and social barriers that impede access, equity, and success for clients. Identify public policies on the local, state, and national levels that affect the quality and accessibility of mental health services.

The lack of mental health care services for minorities is a long-standing problem in the United States. The first time the issue received attention was in 1985, when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a report that described serious health discrepancies that minority populations were enduring. In 1986, because of this report, the Office of Minority Health was formed to assist in the reduction of the health care shortages for

While working in W.I.C., I became aware of the need for substance abuse and mental health counseling in western North Carolina. Therefore, in April 2013, through grants offered to veterans, I returned to college to begin my education in social work with a concentration in substance abuse and mental health counseling. I had previously obtained an A.S. in Christian Education and found that the knowledge gained through those classes was foundational and relevant to the social work field.

There are 5 components of the Mental Health Services Act. The first, community services and support is set up to focus on the community and their well being while providing their services to the mentally ill. The second, prevention and early intervention allow MHSA to give their service to people to promote wellness in a community, to foster health to those in need, and to prevent suffering from untreated mental illness. Innovation is the third component which bumps up the quality of service MHSA gives and can even provide service to people that don’t deserve the help.

As discussed in class, little advancement has been made in the field of mental health care over the past two decades. Rates of mental illness continue to be high especially among certain subgroups, but progress has been stunted by stigma and social environmental issues. Mental health disparities, like many other health disparities, are embedded within a trend of socioeconomic differences (Miranda, McGuire, Williams, & Wang, 2008). Racial and class disparities exist among those afflicted

Policy, on the other hand, plays a crucial role in the administering of mental health care to the patients. Policies are the set of rules that are formed to help govern how something functions. Systems display an enormous impact on the mental health of individuals. This impact comes in the form of how much we have to pay for the services, how the mental health care is done or coordinated as well as supported by various factors. Therefore, in mental health care policies are a crucial aspect since they play a significant role in the

As the acceptance and incidence of mental health has increased over the years, there is a dire need for constant change when it comes to mental health services. After reviewing both the State of Mental Health in America: 2017 and the Mental Health Reform Act 2016, I feel as though the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) alongside the state and federal governmental programs are addressing the issue head on and with purpose. Although there are lapses within the legislation, especially regarding the lack of grants offered for treatment of the homeless, the Mental Health Reform Act 2016 effectively addresses mental health and substance abuse appropriately while increasing managing to make mental health services more

This paper will include a variance report for the Guilford County Department of Social Services, which will show the variances for both revenue and expenditures sides and discuss two problematic areas for the agency. Two recommendations of policy actions for each problematic areas discussed in criterion 1 will be provided.

Checklist 1.2 (2013) reveals there are a number of arenas of practice for which I am interested and have developed great strengths. I was employed a Social Services Specialist with the State of Wyoming, Department of Family Services for 16 years. In my experience, I found it difficult to follow policy typically written by consultants who did not have any front line experience. I would often advocate for workers and the challenges they faced following policy and procedure. My advocacy was not received well by the people who were writing policy. I explained the difficulties of doing case planning with families who were uneducated, low functioning or unable to understand the terms of such a lengthy case plan. Policy writers would state all