As a multiple recipient of Health and Human Services funding, Ive had opportunities to dialogue across agencies (i.e., Administration for Community Living, SAMHSA, Veterans Affairs), which has been incredibly hopeful. Additionally, counselors must advocate with technology developers for technologies that are tailored to meet the needs of diverse clients and promote equitable access to behavioral health services. Required fields are marked *. Chapter 3: Contemporary Theories and Models of Clinical Mental Health Counseling. In addition, we need to be politically informed and involved in helping change policies in ways that benefit mental health. Recognizing the role that infant fighting rhythms play in healthy individuation will help counselors better dance within the therapeutic relationship. I anticipate an opportunity for psychoeducational services to serve a larger role in helping individuals understand the source of their symptoms. Counseling will forever be changed by the nationwide acceptance and advocacy for the profession during the COVID-19 pandemic. The need for connection to others and to be in relationship with others isnt surprising to us counselors, and its the reason why we are needed. Look for a future that involves counselors/clients and counselor educators/counseling trainees interacting more with computers as a natural flow of their process. However, counselors thriving in a gig economy is something to consider for the future. Therefore, trying to predict how counseling will change in the future is close to impossible because of so many variables. The global systemic complexity of the impact of climate change may seem like quite a challenge for the counseling profession, but we have a clear opportunity to educate, prepare and mobilize in response to the very real mental health crisis on our doorstep. As counselors, we are responsible for understanding the barriers our clients face, for helping clients process these barriers and for advocating to have barriers removed. The pandemic: In the 16th century, Italy was struck by a plague they labeled influenza delle stelle because they believed the disease was caused by the stars. With intentionality, we have the opportunity to mobilize passionate people in every direction all tied together by the common thread of counseling. Moving away from spectatorship and toward active participation in political and legislative processes is critical to the sustained health of the counseling profession. We are comfortably engaged in the dynamic web (Web 2.0) using social media and interacting through the web. Gianpiero Petriglieri and colleagues conducted a study with 65 gig workers in 2018 and discovered that successful gig workers cultivated four types of connections: place, routines, purpose and people. Symptoms have an origin. Michelle Fielder is a licensed professional counselor, an approved clinical supervisor in private practice, and a doctoral candidate in the counselor education and supervision program at Regent University. One example of this is a prolonged campaign of lobbying that has almost made Medicare reimbursement for professional counselors a reality (kudos, ACA!). To someone who doesnt understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.. Not only are my clients reaping the benefits of this understanding, but I have as well, personally and professionally. Our society was already moving toward increased convenience in daily activities as the millennial and centennial generations embraced technology for online social interaction, recreation, shopping, dining, groceries, transportation and remote work opportunities. While there are still counselors involved in treatment, many professionals are involved with individuals, community organizations and industries in finding ways to publicize and implement evidence-based research geared to having positive affective, behavioral and cognitive outcomes. And nearly four in 10 therapists predicted that things would get much worse and that they would struggle to meet the mental health needs of their patients in the coming months. Regulatory, credentialing, educator and many other stakeholder groups have done admirable work trying to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic in flexible and ethical ways. All issues Special issues . No small task. As a profession that is grounded in the wellness model, counselors must go beyond remedial action and engage in preventive measures that can help communities develop climate resilience and advocate for sustainable lifestyles. Several respondents said it will take state and federal intervention to address the growing crisis. How does neuroscience-informed cognitive behavior therapy, originating from counseling, compare to traditional CBT in alleviating symptoms? For decades, counselors have been influenced by attachment theory, which highlighted the need for deep and abiding relationships between children and their caregivers. After all, most of us would agree that 2020 felt like it lingered on for two full years, or at least well past its expiration date. I would like to see psychoeducational workshops with an emphasis on basic cognitive behavioral therapy implemented inside of primary care physicians offices, community centers, libraries, recreational establishments and fitness centers. As Shakespeare wrote, The fault is not in our stars but in ourselves. True, but we humans also hold the promise to actualize, transcend, and achieve our potential. It is not a question of whether we stick to our humanistic ways or embrace what we know about physiology. For most, whether in therapy or not, silver linings have been challenging to find in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. 5 Biggest Challenges for Licensed Mental Health Counselors I have been a practicing counselor and family therapist since 1980 and a counselor educator since 1990. Christian D. Chan (he, him, his) is a national certified counselor and an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling and Educational Development at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Sidney Shaw is core faculty in the School of Counseling and Human Services at Walden University. I can see what their rooms look like, said Kayla Johnson, a psychologist in Houston. My passion to help people of all physical abilities learn how to live balanced, active and healthy lives guided my career choices. We will be more involved and more highly regarded over the next five to 10 years in arenas where our previous presence has been scarce, including with Medicare, in Veterans Affairs locations, and in court proceedings as experts. Stripped the power of the State board to sanction LPCs. Chapter 4: Policies, Laws, and Regulatory Issues Relevant to the Practice of Clinical Mental Health . Therefore, there is an inherent conflict between relational counseling practice and participation in the symptom-oriented, medical model. Here are some of the findings from the survey. To capitalize on leadership opportunities for counselors and the counseling profession over the next five to 10 years, I truly believe that we must learn and grow leadership exponentially and openly embrace a multitude of intersectionalities, allowing each person to intercede, touch and inform one another through myriad worldviews and life experiences. Clients will come to counseling while driving to work, in a tractor during lunch breaks, while folding laundry, sitting on the porch or holding a sleeping baby. Counselors as consultants have existed in our profession for a long time. You are trying to unearth what is going on, what factors contribute to the symptoms, and what you can do to help this client/student. Ive had a client who is suicidal and experiencing depression for the first time in his life have to wait three months to see a psychiatrist for medications, said Kristin Mathes, a licensed clinical social worker in Bend, Ore. People dont have that kind of time when their life is on the line.. All industries are going through a transformation to make services accessible to a multicultural and global society. How is this an opportunity? The person she, he, they is the point of contact for healing and critical to the work of implementing whatever method, theory or technique is used. One of its major foci is the producing of materials films, books, pamphlets for the well-being of the general population. For me, I saw it as a triple pandemic in which I, as a Black female counselor educator, was faced with the existential threat caused by COVID-19, coupled with graphic evidence of police brutality, and topped with climate change. Moreover, we need to incorporate mental and other holistic health indicators in all systematic program evaluations of counseling and counseling-relevant program and service delivery. Its championing of interstate recognition of counselor licensure in the 2020s has made counseling stronger nationally. The STEM professions, for example, intentionally and actively started promoting STEM careers with underrepresented populations. Whatever happens with technology and our field, we will look back at it in the years to come and be amazed at how we arrived. We are a well-prepared profession. Dec. 17, 2021 As Americans head into a third year of pandemic living, therapists around the country are finding themselves on the front lines of a mental health crisis. The final component is the consumer. With experiencing an existential crisis often comes a confrontation of how one is living their life and the meaning they are making within the life they are given. My personal therapeutic philosophy emphasizes that even in the most difficult traumas or challenges, there is a productive lesson, important meaning or strengthening of resilience that can emerge. When people say they are intimidated to try exercise or movement to address wellness, I use encouragement from an Adlerian perspective, emphasizing effort over outcome and intrinsic motivation over external factors. Nevine Sultan is assistant professor and program director of clinical mental health counseling at the University of St. Thomas, and a licensed professional counselor supervisor, national certified counselor and registered yoga teacher in private practice. Find more on your state requirements here. Unifying our professional identity and making portability a reality: Im a very proud counselor. Change: Many of us counselors were trained to provide services only in the in-person environment. The obvious challenge there is that a significant percentage of counselor educators were trained before online service delivery was common or even existed at all. Unlike acute pain, which is short term and alerts people to an injury that needs treatment or rest, chronic pain is long term, often begins without an injury or, in the case of injuries, lasts beyond the normal time of healing. Computer-augmented counseling is the next stage in counselor-client work. We benefit immensely when we are attuned to each other. While counselors will become more accessible, clients face greater risk of unintentional harm as counselors adjust to new therapeutic milieus. Finding ways to work effectively with personal traumas will continue to be important, yet navigating cultural and societal traumas, including but not limited to racism and discrimination, will become more prevalent. S. Kent Butler is president-elect of the American Counseling Association and has been appointed interim chief equity, inclusion and diversity officer at the University of Central Florida. My initial thoughts center around 2020 and the unpredictability of demands from counselors. We have the opportunity to become part of conversations in our communities with climate mitigation and resilience groups by contributing our knowledge of trauma, place attachment, racial and economic disparities, and resilience. The common factors of effective counseling will look and feel differently through text compared with face-to-face sessions. PDF EVOLUTION OF CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING or post, copy, I recently turned 71. I now use this phrase with other kids, and it resonates.. The new world we live in has demonstrated, in the words of Sam Gladding, that mental health is part of public health. This is the beginning of our infusion into the mainstream public health arena and the gig economy where we will discover more opportunities for multiple income streams beyond a regular paycheck. It has not let up.. I have faith in my colleagues to be pioneers to advance the accessibility of counseling. I also envision telehealth becoming a consistent part of the counseling curriculum. Questions such as: How do we determine when technology is serving us versus when we are serving it? It has helped create a window of acceptance for therapy in the Black community., There was a dramatic increase in requests for mental health services from Asian Americans, which is sad, because it was a reaction to the xenophobia and assaults we witnessed over the past year and a half, said Jason Wu, a clinical psychologist in San Jose, Calif. But I also hope that this openness to therapy becomes the norm., Clients are seeking support for racial justice more than before, agreed Montia Brock, a licensed professional counselor in Pittsburgh. A 2018, Integration is not a binary argument. To some individuals, research may be a four-letter word, and to others their passion. After the election, like millions of Americans, I was overjoyed and relieved that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had prevailed. A Lack of Support An article from Psychology Today observes, "Mental health professionals particularly psychologists do a poor job of monitoring their own mental health problems and those of their colleagues." This will be threatening for counselors who make their living based on clients limited service options. More importantly, program evaluation should inform counseling practice, research and policy in a tripartite approach. How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?. Counselor educators will need to improve upon the very low rate of counseling research that currently exists. It is not enough to do the research. Counselors are required to become savvier consumers by broadening their knowledge on the inner workings of these tools and their impact on client welfare and therapeutic success. They said interest in therapy had also increased after Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka spoke openly about their own mental health struggles in the sports world. No. Readers may think I am referring to a plunge, legislative advocacy or a cultural immersion project, but community engagement is so much deeper. All Rights Reserved. Jude Austin is an assistant professor and clinical mental health counseling track coordinator at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, an American Counseling Association book author, and a private practitioner in Temple, Texas. Thomas Lachiusa, licensed clinical social worker, Longmeadow, Mass. Psychotherapy. Given the diversity of multiple identities of counselors and clients, its time we asked ourselves, What can we leave behind in our curriculum while acknowledging the past, and what might be essential moving forward?. The New York Times asked 1,320 mental health professionals to tell us how their patients were coping as pandemic restrictions eased. What works in counseling building a strong therapeutic relationship will continue to work. We can change that narrative, but more importantly, we must change that narrative about who can be a counselor, what counselors do and whom counselors serve. Now, less than five years later, it is increasingly common for clients to call my clinic asking specifically for somatic experiencing treatment, and many have even read some of Peter Levines or Bessel van der Kolks work. To me, we are already late as a profession in fully accepting this modality. Think about it. Moving forward, the changing demographics of the United States will present changes, challenges and opportunities for growth in the counseling profession. Stigma is a barrier to help-seeking. Counselors must be prepared to help clients process their reactions to and cope more effectively with these stressors and also advocate for social change. Embracing global citizenship: As we work to extend our reach, and as we are humbled by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on humans around the globe, we must recognize how self-isolating we can be as a society and acknowledge that what happens in one part of the world influences what unfolds in another. Its time we recognize that working with verbal narratives using a cognitive orientation is insufficient because it limits us to addressing faulty thinking and alleviating symptoms, minimizing and marginalizing other dimensions of human experience such as emotion, physiology, spirituality and relationality. I anticipate that counselors, if they are not already, will need to begin to become more competent and comfortable in thinking systemically and existentially on issues such as racism, climate crisis and COVID-19. Inclusive counselors who get their start in training programs that reflect societys changing demographics. Counselors must first build an authentic relationship with themselves, uncovering their participation or encounters with white supremacy. Scholarship on outcomes from evidence-based approaches can drive policy. This brings me back to my prediction about the future. Find your opportunity to make a difference.
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