Searching for a Good Night's Sleep: What Mental Health Counselors Can Do About the Epidemic of Poor Sleep

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 312-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dolores Puterbaugh
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mental Health Counseling ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
Poor Sleep ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Behavioral Counseling

Sleep problems are epidemic in the United States. Many adults complain of poor sleep yet engage in behaviors that are counterproductive to sleep. This article briefly reviews recent research on the treatment of insomnia and discusses application of mental health counseling strategies for treatment. Case studies illustrate the application of current research within counselor areas of expertise in cognitive behavioral therapy and behavioral counseling.

Young Adults’ Attitudes About Corporal Punishment: Implications for Mental Health Counseling

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-264
Author(s):  
Jessica L. Smith ◽  
Michael T. Kalkbrenner
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Corporal Punishment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mental Health Counseling ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
Physical Pain ◽  
Parenting Strategies ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Effective Parenting

Corporal punishment, defined as the application of physical pain (e.g., spanking, slapping, or grabbing) to decrease a child’s undesirable behavior, is associated with negative mental health outcomes. Clients may present to mental health counselors with concerns that stem from their experience of corporal punishment. Mental health counselors work to prevent deleterious consequences of corporal punishment through the provision of psychoeducation on effective parenting strategies. Given that young adults are the largest group of prospective parents in the United States, the present investigators examined attitudes about the utility of corporal punishment as a disciplinary strategy among young adults who do not have children. Results revealed differences in the rates of endorsement of corporal punishment as a disciplinary strategy by gender and ethnicity. Higher rates were found among young adults who identified as male and those who identified as White relative to those who identified as female and those who identified as Latinx, respectively. These findings have a number of implications for challenging stereotypes (e.g., that Latinx clients endorse corporal punishment at higher rates than clients who identify as White) and enhancing mental health counselors’ prevention efforts (e.g., targeting attitudes about corporal punishment among those likely to become parents).

Depression and the Elder Person: The Enigma of Misconceptions, Stigma, and Treatment

2008 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 283-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Benek-Higgins ◽  
Connie McReynolds ◽  
Ebony Hogan ◽  
Suzanne Savickas
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Aging Process ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mental Health Counseling ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Presenting Symptoms ◽  
Symptoms Of Depression ◽  
Physical Problems ◽  
Elder People

It is estimated that half of the 35 million people in the United States who are over the age of 65 are in need of mental health services, though fewer than 20% are actually being treated (Comer, 2004). Coexisting mental and physical problems make recognition of depression in elder persons more difficult because presenting symptoms of depression are often masked by physical problems. In addition, most elder people who have depression never seek or obtain treatment because of the commonly held myth that depression is a normal part of the aging process and that elder people cannot benefit from psychotherapy. The purpose of this article is to survey these issues as they relate to mental health counseling.

Do Minorities in the United States Receive Fewer Mental Health Services Than Whites?

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 567-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen E. Lasser ◽  
David U. Himmelstein ◽  
Steffie J. Woolhandler ◽  
Danny McCormick ◽  
David H. Bor
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Drug Therapy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mental Health Counseling ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Outpatient Mental Health ◽  
Care Survey ◽  
Ambulatory Medical Care

Older studies have found that minorities in the United States receive fewer mental health services than whites. This analysis compares rates of outpatient mental health treatment according to race and ethnicity using more recent, population-based data, from the 1997 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. The authors calculated visit rates per 1,000 population to either primary care or psychiatric providers for mental health counseling, psychotherapy, and psychiatric drug therapy. In the primary care setting, Hispanics and blacks had lower visit rates (per 1,000 population) for drug therapy than whites (48.3 and 73.7 vs. 109.0; P < .0001 and P < .01, respectively). Blacks also had a lower visit rate for talk therapy (mental health counseling or psychotherapy) than whites (23.6 vs. 42.5; P < .01). In the psychiatric setting, Hispanics and blacks had lower visit rates than whites for talk therapy (38.4 and 33.6 vs. 85.1; P < .0001 for both comparisons) and drug therapy (38.3 and 29.1 vs. 71.8; P < .0001 for both comparisons). These results indicate that minorities receive about half as much outpatient mental health care as whites.

Low-income African American Male Youth with ADHD Symptoms in the United States: Recommendations for Clinical Mental Health Counselors

2009 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 309-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Tucker ◽  
Andrea Dixon
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
African American ◽  
Mental Health Services ◽  
Health Services ◽  
African American Male ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
Male Youth ◽  
African American Male Youth

African-American males living in poverty are among the least likely children and adolescents to receive mental health services in the United States, even though they are the most likely to be referred to mental health agencies for services. In this article the authors explore current problems facing impoverished African American male youth who exhibit symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), their need for mental health services, and the barriers to services that they face, and offer recommendations for mental health counselors.

Counseling in Developing Countries: Turkey and India as Examples

2005 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shonali Raney ◽  
Deniz Canel Çinarba s
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Mental Health Counseling ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Cultural Characteristics ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Current State

Turkey and India are developing countries with unique cultural characteristics. The current state of mental health counseling in Turkey and India necessitates new laws, indigenous approaches, adaptations of culture-sensitive approaches, and research projects to validate such approaches. It is the job of mental health counselors to accomplish such complicated and trying tasks in the absence of social and financial resources.

Neuroscience-Informed Cognitive-Behavior Therapy in Clinical Practice: A Preliminary Study

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas A. Field ◽  
Eric T. Beeson ◽  
Laura K. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Behavior Therapy ◽  
Cognitive Behavior Therapy ◽  
Depressive Disorders ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Mental Health Counseling ◽  
Cognitive Behavior ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Conventional Models

The field of neuroscience has influenced revisions to conventional models of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). In the mental health counseling field, a conceptual model of neuroscience-informed cognitive-behavior therapy (n-CBT) was first published in the Journal of Mental Health Counseling in 2015. The present article reviews findings from the first six months of a year-long pilot study that examined counselor and client use and perceptions of n-CBT following application in clinical practice settings. Counselors reported successful alleviation of client symptomatology with n-CBT, particularly anxiety and depressive disorders. Counselors and clients also held similar and consistently high perceptions of n-CBT's credibility and the likelihood of improvement when using the model.

Differences in Mental Health Counselors' Diagnoses Based on Client Race: An Investigation of Adjustment, Childhood, and Substance-Related Disorders

2008 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Feisthamel ◽  
Robert Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Disruptive Behavior ◽  
Behavior Disorders ◽  
Health Professions ◽  
Mental Health Counseling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
Adjustment Disorders ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Substance Related Disorders

This study of mental health counselors' diagnoses of African-American and Euro-American clients (N=899) found that African-Americans were diagnosed disproportionately more often with disruptive behavior disorders whereas Euro-Americans were diagnosed more often with less severe adjustment disorders. These findings mirror those of researchers from other mental health professions considering different mental disorders. Implications for mental health counseling practice and future research are discussed, and pathways to account for the phenomenon are proposed.

Comprehensive Program Development in Mental Health Counseling: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation

2008 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Calley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Program Development ◽  
Program Design ◽  
Mental Health Counseling ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
Due Diligence ◽  
Evidence Based Practices ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Clinical Program ◽  
Business Principles

With increasing emphasis on the use of evidence-based practices and efficient clinical operations, mental health counselors must be competent in comprehensive clinical program development that covers program design, implementation, and sustainability. To address this need, a practice model here presented integrates scientific knowledge and business principles by emphasizing research-based program design and due diligence in program development. The model consists of 12 sequential, interrelated phases to guide the professional in creating comprehensive mental health counseling programs.

Euthanasia in an Aging America: An Ethical Challenge for Mental Health Counselors

2021 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-138
Author(s):  
Samuel J. Skidmore ◽  
Sharon E. Robinson Kurpius
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
United States ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Terminally Ill ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
Assisted Dying ◽  
End Of Life Decisions ◽  
Life Decisions ◽  
Physician Assisted Dying

The average age of individuals in the United States and worldwide is steadily increasing, resulting in an increase in the number of older, terminally ill adults who may seek counseling for end-of-life decisions. Euthanasia is one such end-of-life option that is emerging in the United States. Physician-assisted dying, currently the only legal form of active euthanasia in eight states and the District of Columbia, is a relatively new and often misunderstood end-of-life option. Although arguments continue about this issue, the American Mental Health Counselors Association has developed ethical codes to guide mental health counselors working with terminally ill clients making end-of-life decisions. The core moral and ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, fidelity, and veracity provide guidance for helping terminally ill clients explore end-of-life options that could include physician-assisted dying when it is a legally viable option. Additional recommendations are made for increasing intellectual and emotional competence regarding euthanasia.

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