Avoiding Boundary Violations: Recommendations for Managing Attraction to and From Clients in Response to the Healthcare Providers Service Organization’s 2019 Report

2022 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-17
Author(s):  
Charles J. Jacob ◽  
Rebekah Byrd ◽  
Emily Jeanne Donald ◽  
Rebecca J. Milner ◽  
Taylor Flowers
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Codes Of Ethics ◽  
Sexual Relationships ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
Boundary Violations ◽  
American Counseling Association ◽  
Liability Claims

The standards regarding sexual relationships with clients are among the most clearly stated in the codes of ethics for the American Counseling Association and the American Mental Health Counselors Association. However, the majority of liability claims filed against counselors are for boundary violations of a sexual/romantic nature. Aggregate insurance liability data are presented, followed by management strategies related to attraction.

An Exploration of Clinical Mental Health Counselors’ Attitudes Toward Professional Identity and Interprofessionalism

2022 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-81
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Klein ◽  
Eric T. Beeson
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Interprofessional Education ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Codes Of Ethics ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
The University ◽  
High Degree

Opportunities for clinical mental health counselors to practice in interprofessional settings are likely to increase as the larger health care system in the United States evolves. While aspects of interprofessionalism are embedded in the codes of ethics of the counseling profession, discussion of identity has primarily been focused on intraprofessional identity. To concurrently assess intraprofessional identity, interprofessionalism, and interprofessional identity, a study was conducted with clinical mental health counselors (CMHCs) using the Professional Identity Scale in Counseling–Short Form (PISC-S) and the University of West of England Interprofessional Questionnaire (UWE IPQ). Results indicated that CMHCs place importance on both intra- and interprofessional identity, although they have more confidence in their intraprofessional identity. A high degree of correlation was found between the PISC-S and UWE IPQ, indicating the interrelatedness of these aspects of identity. Results can be used to inform interprofessional education and identity development models for the CMHC profession.

Ethical Standards for a Post-COVID-19 World

2022 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-96
Author(s):  
Anabel Mifsud ◽  
Barbara Herlihy
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Culturally Responsive ◽  
Ethical Decision Making ◽  
Ethical Reasoning ◽  
Codes Of Ethics ◽  
Family Counseling ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
Case Scenario ◽  
Health Counseling ◽  
Inclusive Approach

The cataclysmic events of 2020 created an urgent need for mental health counseling to help individuals, families, and communities deal with grief, loss, and trauma. The sheer magnitude of the challenges has highlighted the necessity for collective interventions, as the need for help far surpasses what can be met through traditional individual or family counseling. Clinical mental health counselors must be prepared to respond to the new challenges in creative, culturally responsive, and ethical ways. The authors discuss the limitations of the prevailing codes of ethics, which are grounded in principle ethics, and propose that virtue ethics and relational ethics perspectives can be incorporated into ethical reasoning to make the process more responsive to collective interventions. A case scenario is presented and analyzed to illustrate this broader and more inclusive approach to ethical decision-making in a situation that calls for a collective intervention.

Licensure Portability Through an Ethical Lens: Considering Multiple Stakeholders

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-111
Author(s):  
Hannah B. Bayne ◽  
Kevin Doyle
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Decision Making ◽  
Codes Of Ethics ◽  
Mental Health Counselors ◽  
Counseling Relationship ◽  
Multiple Stakeholders ◽  
American Counseling Association ◽  
Training Requirements ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Decision Making Model ◽  
And Training

Counselors have been licensed to practice in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia since 2009, but licensure portability (the ability to transfer a license from one state to another) remains elusive, due in large part to variations in educational and training requirements between states. In this article, we extend the American Counseling Association and American Mental Health Counselors Association counseling codes of ethics beyond the counseling relationship to consider license portability along ethical dimensions at the macro level. We apply an ethical decision-making model to demonstrate how lack of portability may have ethical implications related to both counselors and clients. We submit several considerations for how the profession can conceptualize and address these issues through an ethical lens.

scholarly journals A pilot comparison of medical records sensitivity perspectives of patients with behavioral health conditions and healthcare providers

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 146045822110099
Author(s):  
Hiral Soni ◽  
Julia Ivanova ◽  
Adela Grando ◽  
Anita Murcko ◽  
Darwyn Chern ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Drug Abuse ◽  
Behavioral Health ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Record Data ◽  
Category Labels

This pilot study compares medical record data sensitivity (e.g., depression is sensitive) and categorization perspective (e.g., depression categorized as mental health information) of patients with behavioral health conditions and healthcare providers using a mixed-methods approach employing patient’s own EHR. Perspectives of 25 English- and Spanish-speaking patients were compared with providers. Data categorization comparisons resulted in 66.3% agreements, 14.5% partial agreements, and 19.3% disagreements. Sensitivity comparisons obtained 54.5% agreement, 11.9% partial agreement, and 33.6% disagreements. Patients and providers disagreed in classification of genetic data, mental health, drug abuse, and physical health information. Factors influencing patients’ sensitivity determination were sensitive category comprehension, own experience, stigma towards category labels (e.g., drug abuse), and perception of information applicability (e.g., alcohol dependency). Knowledge of patients’ sensitivity perceptions and reconciliation with providers could expedite the development of granular and personalized consent technology.

scholarly journals Trajectory of Food Insecurity and Its Association with Longitudinal Mental Health and Sleep Outcomes in Adolescents from Economically Disadvantaged Families

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1696
Author(s):  
Ting-Hsuan Lee ◽  
Jen-Hao Kuo ◽  
Chia-Yi Liu ◽  
Yi-Fang Yu ◽  
Carol Strong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Food Insecurity ◽  
Economically Disadvantaged ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Transition Period ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Estimating Equation ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Disadvantaged Families

Background: Adolescence is a critical transition period in the course of human development. Although food insecurity (FI) has been shown to be associated with adverse mental health and sleep outcomes in US adolescents, there is a paucity of research examining the relationships between FI, mental health, and sleep outcomes in Taiwanese adolescents. Furthermore, it is unknown how the change of FI over time (i.e., the trajectory of FI) is related to health outcomes. Methods: The data come from the Taiwan Database of Children and Youth in Poverty, which is a national longitudinal project measuring FI in five survey waves (2009–2017). We employed group-based trajectory modeling to classify various FI trends over the five waves using STATA. Furthermore, a generalized estimating equation analysis was conducted with FI trajectories as the independent variable to see how FI trajectory is related to mental health and sleep outcomes. Results: In total, 1921 participants aged 12–18 years in the first wave were deemed valid for the analysis. We classified the participants into four FI trajectory groups: persistently low FI (24.8%), persistently moderate FI (64.7%), declining from high to low FI (4.1%), and food-secure groups (6.4%). As compared to food-secure adolescents, the persistently moderate FI group was more likely to have mental problems (β = 0.30, [95% confidence interval 0.21–0.38]), while the other FI groups were only marginally associated with mental health problems. Moreover, adolescents in the persistently low FI group (β = 0.13, [0.02–0.23]) and persistently moderate FI group (β = 0.39, [0.29–0.48]) were found to have more sleep problems than those in the food-secure group. Conclusions: Our study describes the FI profile of adolescents from economically disadvantaged families and the difficulties they might encounter. With this information, healthcare providers can aid adolescents in the early stages of mental health problems and provide guidance when appropriate.

scholarly journals A qualitative investigation of LGBTQ+ young people’s experiences and perceptions of self-managing their mental health

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa Town ◽  
Daniel Hayes ◽  
Peter Fonagy ◽  
Emily Stapley
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Young People ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Intervention Development ◽  
Community Support ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Youth Groups ◽  
Coping Methods ◽  
Group A

AbstractThere is evidence that young people generally self-manage their mental health using self-care strategies, coping methods and other self-management techniques, which may better meet their needs or be preferable to attending specialist mental health services. LGBTQ+ young people are more likely than their peers to experience a mental health difficulty and may be less likely to draw on specialist support due to fears of discrimination. However, little is known about LGBTQ+ young people’s experiences and perceptions of self-managing their mental health. Using a multimodal qualitative design, 20 LGBTQ+ young people participated in a telephone interview or an online focus group. A semi-structured schedule was employed to address the research questions, which focussed on LGBTQ+ young people’s experiences and perceptions of self-managing their mental health, what they perceived to stop or help them to self-manage and any perceived challenges to self-management specifically relating to being LGBTQ+ . Reflexive thematic analysis yielded three key themes: (1) self-management strategies and process, (2) barriers to self-management and (3) facilitators to self-management. Participants’ most frequently mentioned self-management strategy was ‘speaking to or meeting up with friends or a partner’. Both barriers and facilitators to self-management were identified which participants perceived to relate to LGBTQ+ identity. Social support, LGBTQ+ youth groups and community support were identified as key facilitators to participants’ self-management of their mental health, which merits further investigation in future research. These findings also have important implications for policy and intervention development concerning LGBTQ+ young people’s mental health.

scholarly journals Mental health and sleep habits/problems in children aged 3–4 years: a population study

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fumie Horiuchi ◽  
Kentaro Kawabe ◽  
Yasunori Oka ◽  
Kiwamu Nakachi ◽  
Rie Hosokawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Status ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Sleep Habits ◽  
Psychological Burden ◽  
Wake Time ◽  
Health Group

Abstract Background Sleep is essential for mental health at all ages, but few studies have investigated the importance of sleep for mental health in early childhood. Therefore, this study examined the association between mental health and sleep habits/problems in children aged 3–4 years. Methods Children aged 3 to 4 years who were living in the community (n = 415; 211/204 boys/girls) were recruited for this study. Their mental health was assessed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and their sleep habits/problems were evaluated using the Child and Adolescent Sleep Checklist. Results Based on the total difficulties score of the SDQ, the children were divided into two groups: a poor mental health group (n = 76) and a control group (n = 339). In terms of sleep habits, which included total sleep time, bedtime, wake time, and nap conditions, there were no differences between the two groups. Regarding sleep-related problems, however, anxiety before going to sleep (p = 0.026), circadian rhythm abnormalities (p = 0.014), and sleepiness during classes outside of naptimes (p = 0.031) were significantly higher in the poor mental health group than in the control group. Multiple regression analysis showed that poor mental health status was significantly associated with sleepiness and snoring (p = 0.017 and p = 0.018, respectively). Conclusions The mental health status of 3–4-year-old children was associated with sleep-related problems, namely sleepiness and snoring. Healthcare providers should pay attention to children’s irregular sleep-wake patterns; moreover, interventions for appropriate sleep hygiene will reduce the psychological burden on both children and their families.

scholarly journals Military spouses with deployed partners are at greater risk of poor perinatal mental health: a scoping review

2019 ◽  
Vol 165 (5) ◽  
pp. 363-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Rose Godier-McBard ◽  
L Ibbitson ◽  
C Hooks ◽  
M Fossey
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Perinatal Period ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Military Spouses ◽  
Perinatal Mental Health

BackgroundPoor mental health in the perinatal period is associated with a number of adverse outcomes for the individual and the wider family. The unique circumstances in which military spouses/partners live may leave them particularly vulnerable to developing perinatal mental health (PMH) problems.MethodsA scoping review was carried out to review the literature pertaining to PMH in military spouses/partners using the methodology outlined by Arksey and O’Malley (2005). Databases searched included EBSCO, Gale Cengage Academic OneFile, ProQuest and SAGE.ResultsThirteen papers fulfilled the inclusion criteria, all from the USA, which looked a PMH or well-being in military spouses. There was a strong focus on spousal deployment as a risk factor for depressive symptoms and psychological stress during the perinatal period. Other risk factors included a lack of social/emotional support and increased family-related stressors. Interventions for pregnant military spouses included those that help them develop internal coping strategies and external social support.ConclusionsUS literature suggests that military spouses are particularly at risk of PMH problems during deployment of their serving partner and highlights the protective nature of social support during this time. Further consideration needs to be made to apply the findings to UK military spouses/partners due to differences in the structure and nature of the UK and US military and healthcare models. Further UK research is needed, which would provide military and healthcare providers with an understanding of the needs of this population allowing effective planning and strategies to be commissioned and implemented.

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