How does understanding the history and development of clinical mental health counseling and Christian mental health counseling benefit you and your clients as you prepare to enter the field of professional mental health?
As a psychologist doing my second Masters in psychology, comprehending the history and development of counseling assists me in developing the comprehension, the perspective of social justice as well as clinical expertise required to become a productive and creative mental health counselor. I am now able to analyze the conditions of people from a variety of angles, from the behavioral and physical to the spiritual and cultural. Also, I can comprehend myself as a critical instrument of therapeutic benefit to other individuals, and I will be in a better position to offer the best care to my clients. My clients will also benefit as they will have an opportunity to receive effective treatment that will help them continue with their daily lives.
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Identify as many different roles as you can that you might consider exploring during your years as a professional.
During my years as a professional, I would be interested in exploring the role of a counselor, psychotherapist, and forensic services. I am interested in the role of a counselor because they assist individuals in dealing with their responses and feelings and they help clients to choose an action that might help them solve their issues. This is an active role in the society as individuals will be in a better position to solve their problems efficiently. My interest in psychotherapy is that the role is paramount as it aids couples, people, and groups to think and act differently. I will be able to help clients to appreciate themselves. Forensic services are offered to individuals who have committed crimes, but the court decided that they need treatment other than punishment. As an expert in forensic service, I will have the ability to reform criminals who commit crimes because they have mental conditions that drive them to commit such acts.
Discuss how you see the field of mental health changing over the next ten years.
There will be an increase in jobs concerning mental health care as many people will require mental health care services. As the years go by, people will not be afraid to seek for mental health services as there will be an increase in the levels of a variety of conditions like anxiety, depression, obesity and people will require counseling on proper lifestyle habits. Also, many counseling organizations will start coming up around the world seeking for guidance about credentialing, accreditation as well as the building of an organization. There will also be an increase in efforts to validate the practices of counseling and examine counseling outcomes.
How do you anticipate Christian mental health impacting the mental health community-at-large over the next ten years?
Over the next years, Christian mental health will primarily affect the mental health of the community. Christianity will become very strong over the years which will result in a reduction in smoking and the consumption of alcohol because religion condemns such habits. Thus, people will have good physical health. Also, cases of suicide and drug abuse will reduce because people will be more religious and Christianity forbids taking one’s own life. As a consequence, the health of the community will be improved, and there will be a decrease in the cases of depression, anxiety, and other mental health related conditions.
How do you see yourself integrating as a Christian professional into the field over the next ten years?
As a Christian professional, I will use therapeutic techniques to treat mental conditions that will use scripture to heal my clients and at the same time glorify Jesus. I will also emphasize on healthy lifestyle choices in accordance to Christianity so that my clients will be able to live a productive life. I will also utilize the bio/social/psycho/spiritual model which sees both our depravity and dignity as human beings. Being a Christian professional in my second Masters degree in psychology, I will look for opportunities to change our schools, communities, institutions and the world as a whole.
Explain why you would or would not position yourself as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
I would position myself in the context of a multi-disciplinary team because team work is critical in health care. As a multi-disciplinary team, we will be able to care for patients appropriately. There is a continued proactive care for individuals with mental health issues. There is also sufficient access to support and information, intervention as well as a treatment before and during a crisis. Furthermore, there is an organized response to demands for assistance from primary care. Also, working in a multidisciplinary team supplies the range of skills required to meet the rising complex needs of patients.
Discuss how diagnosis, documentation, treatment planning, etc., translate into demonstrating care for our clients
Tools are required to support the ongoing and efficient shared comprehension of the history of a patient’s care that at the same time helps decision-making and interdisciplinary communication about the future care of the patient. Diagnosis, documentation as well as treatment planning are critical to ensuring the ongoing, quality as well as safety care continuous across the treatment of an individual. The tools facilitate the flow of information that supports quality and safe care. The tools also facilitate easier treatment of the patient in case the patient is readmitted to a mental facility.
Explain why credentialing and professional organizations are important to your future as a mental health professional.
Credentialing is a critical step in the counseling profession. The organizations are paramount to my career as they will provide me with the necessary licenses or credentials to practice my career in mental health care. The groups are also important as they will verify my credentials to determine if being fit to practice counseling. Credentialing promotes training that is focused and a sense of collective purpose. The verification and recognition of the qualifications of counselors are elementary to achieve consistency with other professionals. Also, the organizations will give me credentials that will assure the public that I have met specific criteria and complied with the standards of entry level.
Discuss how you see yourself being involved in evaluating and responding to community needs as a professional.
Community health regularly impacts each person in that particular community. I will actively assist individuals to achieve their goals and objectives in sectors like community projects and health welfare. I will also research about problematic, unpleasant or undesirable situations in a community to enable me to find ways to make improvements so that the community members can achieve satisfaction and live better lives. I will start by first changing the individual members in the community to become better people then focus on the recurring problems in that community by examining the causes and then striving to prevent them.
Discuss your philosophy of integrating your Christian faith into your professional role.
Spiritual and religious beliefs play a vital role for many patients. When a condition threatens the health, and the life of a person, that individual is likely to come to a profession with both spiritual issues and physical symptoms in mind. As a Christian in the profession of counseling, I will encourage my customers to conform to their religious beliefs and follow their religious teachings. As a result, they will be able to live healthily, and problems like depression, drug abuse, and anxiety will not affect them because they will be happier in their lives. I will also use scripture based therapeutic practices in treating my clients and glorifying Jesus. I will develop effective therapeutic relationships with my customers and at the same teaching them about Christianity.
What do you anticipate the three biggest challenges for Christian mental health professionals will be in the next five years?
The first challenge is the diversity of religions. Many religions are coming up daily with different teachings and beliefs. As a consequence, it will be complicated for Christian mental health professional to incorporate Christian teachings and scriptures during therapy sessions because a client may hold a different belief. The second challenge is that individuals in the world are becoming more secular. Some people are not affiliated with any particular religion. Thus, it would be hard for the mental health provider to offer Christian teachings to a person with no beliefs. Thirdly, medicine advocates for more scientific approaches to mental conditions. Scientists acknowledge that religious beliefs and spirituality are not connected to illnesses. As a result, most professionals would be forced to use scientific methods to help their clients other than combining it with Christian teachings.
Suggestions for meeting these challenges
Christian professionals should be staunch in their faith. They should try to bring many people to Christianity by communicating Christian teachings to their clients. They should combine the scriptures together with scientific approaches to therapy so as people can adopt better lifestyles to improve their health. As a result, many people will appreciate Christianity.
