Exploring How Personal Accounts of Mental Distress Can Inform Professional Understanding and Benefit the Treatment Process This essay seeks to explore how personal accounts of mental distress
can inform professional understanding and benefit the treatment
process. We begin with a brief outline of what defines mental health,
moving on to look at the similarity and disagreements between
psychology and medicine and the significance this has on how
individuals are diagnosed and treated. It goes on to consider how
professionals might receive personal accounts and how these accounts
may benefit their professional understandings. However, personal
accounts may not give the whole picture therefore, we will consider to
what extent personal accounts provide a misleading or incomplete
picture, and what cannot be known from personal experience alone.
The word mental means ‘of the mind’ – thoughts, feelings &
understanding of oneself and the world around us. The word health
means the ‘working order of the body and mind’. Therefore, mental
health means the working order of thoughts and feelings. For
centuries problems of the mind have been discussed and theorised in
terms of ‘sickness’ inherent in the sufferer. For example, with
regard to schizophrenia, various toxins or chemicals secreted by the
body were implicated as far back as the 19th century by Emile
Kraepelin et al (1883) who postulated a biological basis for problems
of the mind. Throughout the 20th century the ‘medical model’
monopolised the phenomenon o...
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...born from shared suffering and shared hope.
BIBLIGORAPHY
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Hinsie, J & Campbell, R (1970), Psychiatric Dictionary, 4th Edition,
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Kraepelin, E et al(1883), Lehrbuchder Psychiatrie (1883, 8th Edition
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Read, J & Reynolds, J (1996) Speaking Our Minds: An Anthology, Open
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K257 Course Team (1997) Section 1: What is Mental Health, in The
contested Nature of Mental Health, Module 1 of K257 Mental Health &
Distress
K257 Course Team (1997) Section 4: Frameworks for Understanding, in
The contested Nature of Mental Health, Module 1 of K257 Mental Health
& Distress
K257 Course Team (1997) Section 6: Policing the Dividing Line, in The
contested Nature of Mental Health, Module 1 of K257 Mental Health &
Distress
I was born in a small town of -----------of underdeveloped country of Bangladesh. I grew up speaking Bengali, wore traditional clothes, created intricate henna designs on women’s hands, and performed classical Bengali music. Since childhood, thought other than becoming a doctor never registered in my mind. My high grades in high school helped me to obtain admission in one of the most desirable place to learn Medicine, Mayemen Medical College.
There are wide ranges of social issues affecting mood, thinking, and behavior. What is considered normal in the United States of America, may perhaps not be normal to another. Being diagnose mentally ill requires train professionals to evaluate a person state of mind. Being normal in the United States of America is conforming to a standard, and standards can change within societal standards. Up to now the DSM-V shows the exact symptoms of mental disorders and thoroughly explains the type of illness. Yet abnormal behavior treatment is not the same, professionals who’ve master therapy skills should be aware that their knowledge has affect to client’s treatment. When clients interact amongst counselors, clients can explain their life experiences,
The public’s views on mental illness. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Mental Health. Swindle,R.,Heller,K.,& Pescosolido,B.(1997,August). Responses to “nervous breakdowns” in America over a 40-year period: Mental health policy implications. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Sociological Association, Toronto, Ontario.
They argue that therapists should consider their own motivation to self-disclose and set boundaries. The therapists should never put their own needs above the client. They make sure to point out that self discourse alone cannot affect the outcome of treatment. Self-disclosure is effective only if it is used appropriately and only if it is used when it is necessary. The amount of information disclosed and when it is disclosed is also important. Therapists should draw a clear line with the amount of intimacy to include in their therapeutic disclosure to ensure that no inappropriate boundaries are crossed. The authors suggest two rules of thumb to follow when disclosing information which include: (a) “Why do I want to say what I am about to say” and (b) “What will be the likely impact of the client” (p. 567).
It is a privilege to interview veteran therapists who are exiting the counseling arena after a long career in the profession. I was honored to shadow Lea Keylon, a seasoned counselor, who on the eve of retirement set aside time for a student interview. The enlightening interview opened my understanding to the importance of proper diagnostic coding for insurance reimbursements, the financial struggles of private practice, and the poignant effect of forensic counseling on therapist (L. Keylon, personal communication, March 26, 2010). Lea was eager to share her counseling accounts; however, the excitement of retirement planning could be seen in her demeanor. Private practice requires self-discipline, constant research for legislative changes, peer support and consultation, time management, tenacity, and patience. The encounter with Lea impressed the importance to surround myself with colleagues that are enthusiastic about learning and continuing education opportunities, to hire assistance for time-consuming administrative task, and adequately assess a proper caseload that will sustain my counseling practice and without avoid counselor burn out (L. Keylon, personal communication, March 26, 2010).
The field of clinical mental health is one of great reward, but also one of grave responsibility. It is the duty of the counselor to provide the client with a safe environment and an open mind, in order to foster a healthy therapeutic relationship. The majority of mental health counselors would never intentionally harm their clients; however; good intentions are not enough to ensure that wrong will not occur. The ethical expectations and boundaries are regulated by both laws and professional codes. When discussing ethics, one must realize there are two categories, mandatory and aspirational. (Corey, Corey & Callanan, 2007)
Narrative theory is underpinned by ideas of postmodernism, which makes an assumption that truth is subjective and embedded in stories or experiences of individuals (Connolly & Harms, 2013). Therefore, social workers who incorporate this theory wants to understand the ‘truths’ or ‘problems’ that people have constructed about themselves, depending on the context of their own experiences (Payne, 2006). Constructing stories about themselves and their experiences are part of meaning-making process. Each person’s experience of depression is personal and unique to them (dep. org). Witnessing and listening to people’s stories and validating their experiences such as impact of oppression and grief is important for recovery and to reclaim their lives
Schildkrout, Barbara. “Unmasking Psychological Symptoms: How Therapists Can Learn To Recognize The Psychological Presentation Of Medical Disorders”. n.p.: Hoboken, N.J. : John Wiley & Sons, c2011., 2011. USMAI Catalog. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.
My interest in pursuing a doctorate degree in counseling psychology has been influenced by a combination of life experiences and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Though the path which has led me to this destination is complex, the journey has provided me with the clarity and insight necessary to understand human behavior from a holistic perspective. As I approach the completion of my masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, I am faced with the unsettling realization that I have more questions than I do answers. This has fueled my innate desire and motivation to continue challenging myself by attaining a doctorate degree from the University of North Texas.
in order to help myself become happy again, but that was going to be difficult since the
My experience in mental health clinical was very different from any other clinical I had before. In a mental health clinical setting, I am not only treating client’s mental illnesses, I am also treating their medical problems such as COPD, diabetes, chronic renal failure, etc. Therefore, it is important to prepare for the unexpected events. In this mental health clinical, I learned that the importance of checking on my clients and making sure that they are doing fine by performing a quick head-to toes assessment at the beginning of my shift. I had also learned that client’s mental health illness had a huge impact on their current medical illness.
The ABC model of crisis intervention refers to the conduction of very brief mental health interviews with clients whose functioning level has decreased following a psychosocial stressor also known as a crisis (Kanel, 2007). This method was first introduced by Gerald Caplan and Eric Lindemann in the 1940s, other variations of this model have developed over the years. The ABC model is a 3 step problem-focused approach used to provide temporary and immediate relief that has been known to work best when applied within 4 to 6 weeks of the precipitating event (Kaplan, 2007). The focus of the ABC model is to identify the aspects of a crisis or precipitating event, the client 's perceptions about the event, personal anguish, failed internal coping
Using narratives to gain an insight into human experience is becoming an increasingly popular method of exploration. Assuming that people are in essence narrative beings that experience every emotion and state through narrative, the value of exploring these gives us a unique understanding. Narrative is thought to act as instrument to explore how an individual constructs their own identity (Czarniawska, 1997) and explain how each individual makes sense of the world around them (Gabriel, 1998). It may also give us an understanding into individual thought processes in relation to individual decision making practices (O’Connor, 1997). It is evident from studies such as Heider and Simmel (1944), that there appears to be an instinctive nature in people to introduce plots structures and narratives into all situations, with an intention to construct meaning to all aspects of life in its entirety. The value of narrative is that it is a tool that allows us to understand what it means to be human and gives us an insight into a person’s lived experience whilst still acknowledging their cultural and social contexts. Narrative is thought to be significance as it is ‘a fruitful organizing principle to help understand the complex conduct of human beings (p.49)’ (Sarbin, 1990) The construction of a person’s narrative is thought to be dependent on each person’s individual awareness of themselves and the circumstances that surround them. However, a debate to whether a person is able to formulate a valid narrative in the face of a mental illness such as schizophrenia has emerged. Sufferer’s symptoms are often thought to interfere with their abilities to perceive within a level deemed acceptable to their society’s norms and therefore the validity ...
Naturally, human life is characterized with a multiplicity of difficult time and often various moments of frustrations. According to careers in psychology.org (2017), most adults usually have to deal with a diversity of things, including paying day-to-day bills and balancing family and career life. Such stressful situations are often hard to get through and awfully devastating for some. The inability to cope with such stress in healthy manner, often leads to mental and emotional sprain. In such cases, mental health counseling is used to pull some individuals from their mental turmoil. Mental health counseling professionals offer counseling, psychological support, and guidance to people with problem coping mentally or emotionally. This paper
Throughout this term I have learned a lot about my values, attitudes, and beliefs, and I feel confident in my growing skills as a counsellor. In my first journal, I discussed how I am in the process of discovering my own triggers and how I am surprised that my triggers do not necessarily correlate with what I would deem as the most distressing experiences of my life. As I have started the process of self-reflection and awareness, I have learned more specifically what my triggers are, my physiological and psychological reactions to them, and ways that I can overcome them to not impact the session. Throughout this term, other