Mental Health And Social Work

Ever since the concept of mental illness became more mainstream, it has become a widely controversial topic. Based on what has been seen in society, people who are involved with mental disorders are often dehumanized in some way.

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.

In the United States the Mental Health Care field is one of the most underserved areas of healthcare. The mental healthcare field faces many challenges to the proper treatment of patients from both a societal and professional standpoint. From a societal perspective a negative stereotype is associated with patients seeking psychiatric care. Patients seeking care are often labeled as defective or damaged. Add in the complication that most patients with mental illness appear to be normal, accepting that someone is ill without outward symptoms can also be difficult for a society to understand. From a professional perspective the challenges within the mental health care industry include personal prejudice, staffing issues, and problems with coordinating care. The combination of these factors has a direct negative impact on the willingness of individuals suffering from mental illness in seeking the care needed to treat the symptoms of mental illness.

The agency I am doing my practicum hours at is a nonprofit mental health agency that serves over 800 adults with mental illness across 28 locations in the Portland Metro Area. Their comprehensive support system includes outpatient clinics, group homes, semi-independent housing, homeless outreach, and peer-delivered programs. I focus on the care of adults, age 18 and over, with serious mental illness, such as Psychotic disorders & Mood disorders in one of the residential settings. Within the home, we are currently serving 17 individuals, who are receiving independent case-management dependent upon individual needs, interrelated with the challenges prevalent in those with mental illness including co-occurring substance abuse and

When thinking about social work, there are different avenues that a worker can explore in this vast field. Because a social workers job is multifaceted, workers can not only integrate themselves in an already created avenue, but can also tailor a field, specifically for a need in the community. Looking at the many different fields in the area of social work, the area of Social Workers in Mental Health facilities and outpatient clinics stands out as an area of depth and interest.

Mental and Human Health Service Professionals are people who work with individuals, families or couples in assessing and treating mental health issues. They work with a variety of people of every age and will also assist those with developmental disabilities, drug abuse, or some other physiological health condition. These professionals are dedicated and show enthusiasm for helping others while having compassion for any whom have a mental health issue. Some choose to pursue a particular area of interest, such as working with children and many of these individuals can obtain their M.D. in social work, psychology, or even counseling. A typical day for a mental health or human service professional will be quite busy; their days are filled with

The class Social Work and Psychopathology allowed me to learn about anxiety in detail, which I feel was an asset when working with the individual in my key experience. I was able to understand many of the symptoms that she has experienced in the past and help identify coping skills to help get past the anxiety felt meeting with the Vocational Rehabilitation counselor. I encouraged this individual recognize other areas that she felt anxiety might be a problem for her. Recognizing what and where anxiety had previously caused problems in their life will help this individual prepare to work past it as they strive to be a part of the competitive workforce.

According to our book, the mainstream idea of which function should predominate distribute on 5 points: rehabilitation, prevention, provision of resources, enhancement of human rights, and social justice. To me, I think the enhancement of human rights, or the protection of the basic life elements, should predominate, and in so doing, social work can also protect social justice. In my opinion, the receiving end of social work is almost always individuals, and sometimes social groups consist of individuals, and the social workers almost always help them in some way, such as providing basic living means, helping them find a place in the society, and enhance the quality of life. Social workers respect the dignity and rights of other people, so

Social Work and Psychology all includes the same goals which includes helping people live healthy and productive lives. There are several similarities and difference between the two.

Social Work is currently concerned with the responsibility of accompanying processes of social transformation theoretically and methodologically, which implies contributing to the mediation of conflicts based on the recognition of human rights. In this logic, it is necessary to strengthen in Social Work the paradigm of change and emancipation, so that the generation of knowledge contributes effectively to the processes of institutional and community intervention, and with that, it extended and transcends public policy. social is currently measuring its political responsibility, something that was not given at the beginning of the profession and precisely dates from the integration of political science in our field of action to make a more comprehensive

Chapter 8 in “Mental Health in Social Work” focused on anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, trauma, and stressor-related disorders, the various areas that contribute to these disorders, and treatment options. The chapter described stressor-related disorders and noted the many facets which contribute to these disorders. The factors include; genetic, biological, psychological, and social influences. Various treatments, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, self-help manuals, crisis debriefing, medication, and their effectiveness and limitations were discussed.

The vast field of mental health is undergoing constant growth. Without a doubt the practice of social work plays an integral part. While a psychiatric social worker does not perform the same professional function as a psychologist or psychiatrist; they play an extremely important part in the process of diagnosis and recovery. In fact, according to the National Association of Social Workers: 60% of professionals in the mental health services are clinically trained social workers, while only 23% are psychiatrists and 10% psychologists.

The title includes the key elements of what will be discussed in the article addressing both the subject and who will participate in the study. The abstract provided the reader with a clear overview of what would be discussed, the method used to conduct the research, the research results and the conclusion. The abstract did provide information that would be beneficial in assisting with further research, as well as provided a clear and concise overview,

1. By participating in this whole CARES program, I have learned a lot about myself. I know that I want to help people out as a profession, but never truly sure what I was going to major in. Social work was always a possibility, since I love helping people out. However, after taking part in this experience, I learned that the combination of legal work and social work was not a line of work that I am interested in.

Many people often have stereotypes or stigmas regarding mental illnesses. There is a general public stigma that is overall expressed by people who may not have full knowledge over the importance of mental health. When referring to the stigma, people will usually say that those with mental illnesses are irresponsible, should be cared for, or should be feared and kept out of the direct community. All of these stigmas having to do with mental illnesses are false. Many people with mental illnesses are able to hold stable jobs, graduate from high school and college, and even live as good neighbors in a community. By creating this stigma, people are adding to the everyday challenges that people with mental illnesses are going through. We should aim to educate and stop the prejudice that is brought about by those who are not fully aware of the importance of mental health.