Mental Health Counseling

As the demands of every day life grow more pressing, many are turning to counselors for help in dealing with daily life stressors. The prevalence of psychological and emotional duress within the lives of every people often reaches a point where professional services are required. Mental health counseling draws upon a number of approaches in providing needed coping skills for this fast-paced world we live in.

Identification

Individuals who are experiencing marriage problems, depression or self-esteem problems, or need help dealing with a mental disorder often seek out mental health counseling to help with confronting their issues. Someone who assists in these matters is considered a mental health professional. Social workers, clinical psychologists, counselors and psychiatrists all work within this field. Educational and training requirements dictate what type of professional will work in an assigned position. Typically, the more serious a person's problems, the higher the skill level needed to provide the necessary counseling services. The primary purpose is to help individuals develop coping strategies for dealing with problematic areas in their lives.

Function

The first thing a mental health professional will do is gather background information regarding the problem. This can be done through an interview process, or by observation and testing methods. Counseling can take place in group sessions made up of individuals who all share similar issues, family sessions or one-on-one. Those dealing with a mental disorder may require a team of workers who consult on different aspects of a person's condition. Physical, psychological and environmental factors are all taken into consideration within the team approach.

The counseling process provides a means by which emotional or situational problems can be identified and constructive coping behaviors can be learned. Within this setting emotional stressors can be dealt with in an objective and orderly fashion.

Features

Mental health counseling is based on three primary approaches--cognitive, behavioral and psychoanalytic. Whether one approach is used, or a combination of two or three, depends on the school of thought in which a counselor is trained. The cognitive model is based on changing a person's thought patterns regarding a problem, which in turn helps him to confront the problem in different ways. Reducing the pressure felt towards a problem makes dealing with it less traumatic. The behavioral approach is based on the importance of experience and so works to change a person's behavior. The psychoanalytic approach emphasizes the importance of identifying and understanding a person's unconscious motivations, and how they work to "feed" the problem.

Effects

Mental health professionals are required by state laws to maintain rules of confidentiality regarding any information discussed within a counseling session. This means employers, family members, or relationship partners are barred from obtaining information discussed in a session. The only exceptions to this rule is if written consent is provided by a client, or if the counselor believes a client intends to do harm to himself, or others. If legal matters are at stake, the counselor may be required to report to the court; however a client is typically informed when disclosure must be made.

Considerations

The cost for mental health counseling services will vary depending on the type of counselor used. Hourly rates can range anywhere from $60 to $200 a session depending on the counselor's education and training. Most insurance coverage plans will cover a percentage, if not all, of the costs provided the counselor is a licensed professional. There are government-sponsored programs, such as Medicaid and Medicare, which provide coverage as well. If a person doesn't have any insurance coverage, many counselors will work on a sliding-fee payment scale, which is based on a person's income.

Resources

• Counseling Resource Portal
• Mental Health Counselor Directory Listing