According to the law, U.S. residents must have at least “minimal essential” health coverage. The issue with the limited coverage of these plans was that many mental health services were not covered by the ACA. Another pressing issue within the ACA was that patients were more likely to communicate problems or to feel comfortable discussing cultural practices or beliefs that affect health decision making with a provider of their same race or ethnic background. In 2008, only 4% of physicians identified themselves as African American and only 5% were Latino (Kimbrough-Melton, 2013). This caused a major problem for individuals to actually want to communicate with their providers. Shedding light on this concern, hope for an increase of multicultural …show more content…
Counselors should be able to recognize their boundaries of their particular competencies and limitations of their expertise (ACA Code of Ethics, 2015). This concern plays into the issue of over-diagnosing or under-diagnosing individuals mentioned previously. Mental health counselors have a responsibility to maintain high standards of professional conduct (ACA Code of Ethics, 2015). If the ability to maintain high standards cannot be successfully met, then the practice of unethical behaviors will exist. Likewise, if a counselor needs assistance inappropriately helping an individual, consulting with a colleague is highly recommended to ensure that high standard of professionalism is present at all times. The code of ethics relates to this topic of mental health disparities because it addresses the many cultural concerns evident in today’s society and addresses the level of standards each client should …show more content…
Since the 80’s, one of the most important advancements was the enactment of the federal community- based mental health center programs. As a clinician, many tend to work out of a community-based environment. With that being said, it is important that I take what I have learned thus far in this course and translate it into an active action. According to Gerig (2014), the definition of a clinical mental health counselor can be understood as the specialization of counseling that applies wellness and remedial approaches to the assessment and treatment of individuals. The course goes in depth of who we are, why we advocate for our clients, knowing when to consult with colleagues when help is needed, understanding the ethical codes we agree to when applying for our licensure and how we can provide the best service possible to our clients. I think that mental health disparities among ethnic minorities relate to the current course because it addresses the newly added multicultural aspect to the field and code of ethics. It also serves as an ongoing advocacy campaign for the mental health profession. Ultimately, after completing this clinical mental health program, it should better prepare students who are future mental health
Mental health care disparities can be rooted in inequalities in access to good providers, differences in insurance coverage, or discrimination by health professionals in the clinical encounter (McGuire & Miranda, 2008). Surely, those who are affected by these disparities are minorities Blacks and Latinos compare to Whites. Due to higher rates of poverty and poor health among United States minorities compared with whites. Moreover, the fact that poverty and poor health are
In a national survey exploring the significant ethical challenges and dilemmas faced by helping professionals, respondents ranked “blurred, dual or conflictual relationships” among the most difficult to navigate in their day to day practice (Barnett, Et Al., p. 401). Dual relationships, also commonly referred to as multiple or nonprofessional relationships, are defined in the American Psychological Association’s ethics code as “ones in which a practitioner is in a professional role with a person in addition to another role with the same individual, or with another person who is close to that individual” (Corey, Corey & Callahan, p. 268). While any relationship occurring simultaneous to the therapeutic one has the potential to be harmful, the only relationships extensively studied in this regard have been those of a sexual nature. Most agree that such sexual relationships are unethical, resulting in boundary violations that are both harmful and exploitative to the client. Both ethical and legal ramifications exist to address this issue including revocation of one’s license to practice and both criminal and civil sanctions.
According to Penner et al. (2013), there are various causes of healthcare disparities, such as socioeconomic status; this results to poor healthcare services for people with low socioeconomic status, as people with low pay find it difficult to leave their work to seek healthcare help, or to afford healthcare insurance (p.4). The second cause is language proficiency. The language barriers faced by the immigrant plays a role in the healthcare disparities among the racial or ethnic minority patients. Another cause is health literacy. The levels of the health literacy among the foreign born individuals can be influenced by their higher level of distrust of the healthcare providers and healthcare system than they have towards Caucasian people. This, in turn, leads them to seek healthcare information less often than their Caucasian counterparts, thus hindering the provision of quality services, as well as limiting the foreign patients’ ability to manage their health conditions effectively. The foreigners’ failure to easily accept the information provided to them by healthcare providers puts them at risk. Disentangling the role of health literacy in racial healthcare disparities from the effects of racial attitudes and beliefs is often hard (Penner et al,
Health for All: The Promise of the Affordable Health Care Act for Racially and Ethnically Diverse Populations
.... Also following a guideline pointed by Saddler (1986 -retrive from Forester-Miller, H., & Davis, T., 1996) counselors should apply the three test in their practice. The test of justice which determines if you would treat others the same in this situation, the publicity test, if you would want your behavior to be known and reported to the public, and the test of universality to ask yourself if you would administer the same action to another counselor in the same situation. With that in mind the professional has to believe that after all of this is achieved the professional is capable to perform the career with an outstanding background and knowledge on how and when to act and perform the social and personal changes that relies on the profession and always having in mind what is more beneficial to the patient in resolving and responding to their ethical conflicts.
Racial disparities in The United States health care system are widespread and well documented. Social and economic inequalities between racial minorities and their white counter parts have lead to lower life expectancy rates, higher infant mortality rates, and overall poorer health for people of color. As the nation’s population continues to become increasingly diverse, these disparities are likely to grow if left unaddressed. The Affordable Care Act includes various provisions that specifically aim to reduce inequalities for racially and ethnically marginalized groups. These include provisions in the Senate bill and House bill that aim to expand coverage, boost outreach and education programs, establish standards for culturally and linguistically appropriate practices, and diversify the health care workforce. The ACA, while not a perfect solution for eliminating health disparities, serves as an important first step and an unprecedented opportunity to improve health equity in the United States.
There has been a rapid growth in minorities in the U.S. particularly the Hispanic/ Latino community. Bureau of Health Professions (2013) studies have shown that with the rapid increase of this culture, Hispanics are not being adequately understood by medical professionals because of underrepresentation within the medical field. The after effects of underrepresentation have caused healthcare issues among this population. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2006) there has been a correlation between patient satisfaction and medical professionals of the same culture.
“In this national sample, undocumented Latinos were less likely to report receiving blood pressure and cholesterol level checks, less likely to report having received excellent/good quality of care, and more likely to receive no health/health-care information from doctors”(INTERNMed). Latinos are one of the significant groups that are faced with disparities in Health care(INTERNMed). An important issue in which Public Health looks into, due to helping understand why each community are different. In this Essay, I will be explaining factors that influence the access to health care, Factors that Influence health care quality and will be analyzing the Affordable Care Act(ACA) on inequalities to the Latino community.
A counselor should always keep their thoughts to themselves and remain open-minded about the situation. The only time a counselor should share their thoughts is if it helps the client with their situation that they are dealing with. “Counselors must practice only within the boundaries of their competence (Standard C.2.a.), and, if they “determine an inability to be of professional assistance to clients” (Standard A.11.b.), they should facilitate a referral to another provider. (Kocet, M. M., & Herlihy, B. J. (2014). Addressing Value-Based Conflicts Within the Counseling Relationship: A Decision-Making Model. Journal Of Counseling & Development, 92(2), 180-186 7p. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6676.2014.00146.x).” Keeping your thoughts to yourself is
Ethical issues in a counseling practice lay the foundation of a therapist in practice. Ethics are at the center of how the counseling process functions and operates in a successful manner for the clients who seek help in such a setting. In order for the counseling profession to be ethical and hold professional recognition, there are many facets that need to be examined and outlined to make sure all counselors and practitioners are functioning at the highest level and withholding their duties required by the counseling profession. The first introduction so to speak of the area of ethics also happens to be one of the first steps in counseling, which is the informed consent. The informed consent provides the basis of what happens or will be happening in a counseling setting and serves to inform the client to their rights, responsibilities, and what to expect. Most importantly, the informed consent is in place for the client’s benefit. It also is important to understand that culture and environment play a role in the treatment of a client and how theories can positively or negatively impact this treatment. Therapists need to understand how to work within the context of a theory while being able to understand the individual in their own environment. Although theories are put into place to serve as a framework, there are also alternative ways to approach counseling, one example being evidence-based practice. Such an approach is very specific, which presents a series of solutions for counseling as a whole, but also brings forth many problems. Every approach or theory introduces ethical concerns that need to be taken into consideration by the entire counseling community and how each can positively and negatively affect clients and the pr...
Ethics is important for both group and individual counseling, especially group counseling. Both are beneficial; however, group counseling allows a counselor to work with a small-to-medium size group of people who share similar struggles. Members have the ability to learn from one another. Ethics in group counseling is crucial because the counselor or group leader is not only responsible for one person’s personal struggles, but the struggles of multiple people within the group. Counselors and group leaders must emphasize confidentiality in group counseling sessions, unless what a person is sharing is a danger to themselves or others, or against the law. Group counseling has many positives; however, it is important
To address the disparities in mental health agencies, Barksdale et al., (2014) wrote a paper that explores how the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in Health and Health Care could be utilized by mental health agencies. The concern is that in some mental health agencies, there is a disconnected gap to understanding the cultural needs of the diverse population and it is causing a negative reflection in the agencies as well as in its providers. Furthermore, there is a lack of consideration and respect for clients’ cultural beliefs (Barksdale et al., 2014). With the incorporation of culturally and linguistically competent practices, increased client satisfaction,
When entering into counseling relationship with clients, clinicians have rights to protect their clients as well as their selves from any an ethical or legal violations when it comes to client / therapist professional obligations and relationship. Therefore, it should be counselors’ sense of duty “to review in writing and verbally with clients
My experience in Foundations of Mental Health redefined and broadened my view on what a Licensed Mental Health Counselor was. The excitement and anticipation of beginning my lifelong journey towards helping others with their problems in a more structured and legal sense was finally reaching its climax. I would later learn, though, that my motivation and drive to help others as I have in the past with no formal educational background nor theory was just part of the counselor phase. I, as well as most everyone in the cohort, was in the lay helper phase (McAuliffe, 2011). During class, we were told it would be okay and expected of us to be confused going forward and not to panic if things just didn’t add up. We would soon be venturing through the counselor phases and starting the beginning student phase.
Multicultural education and social advocacy among human service professionals have gained momentum in the United States over the past several decades due to an increase of diverse populations across race, nationalities, age, and socioeconomic status. Statistics demonstrate significant changes within the counseling profession as shifting its focus and strategies to attend to counselor and client cultural differences. The U.S. population at nearly 313 million is expected to increase by the year 2050 to 438 million individuals with a notable decrease in percentages of Whites, non-Hispanic, non-Latino, steady proportion of Black African origin, and increases for Hispanic, Latino, and Asian descent residents. Cultural competence is marked by counselors’