Mental Health & Social Work Careers
Mental health is a state of wellbeing where an individual recognizes his or her abilities, is able to cope with life’s normal stressors, has the ability to work successfully and fruitfully, and is able to participate in community activities (Mendenhall & Frauenholtz, 2013). Mental health social work was established with the aim of ensuring there was adequate access to mental care and wellbeing of people worldwide and to improve the quality of life. The World Health Organization has taken part in different areas of mental health globally. Worldwide mental health is likely to be determined by several factors, such as activism. Worldwide mental health focuses mostly on underprivileged communities and low-income countries, although the vision is global (Mendenhall & Frauenholtz, 2013). This paper has captured the above background information, the social problems addressed by mental health social work, and the controversial issues.
Social workers help in the treatment of mental health issues. They help with anxiety, family troubles, depression, and other mental health issues (Saeterstrand & Holm, 2013). Stigma is one of the social problems associated with mental health. It is a key source of exclusion and discrimination since it lowers people’s self-esteem (Mendenhall & Frauenholtz, 2013). It also restricts family ties and their ability to mingle with other people, find housing, and work. It makes it more difficult to avoid mental health issues, promote mental well-being, and provide appropriate treatment and care. It also contributes to violation of human rights. Social workers have tried to fight stigma and discrimination by trying to reach out to those in need, providing necessary resources and support, and by educating people about mental health issues. However, they have lacked support for the implementation of policies and activities to fight this problem.
Rehabilitation is one of the social needs that mental health social work seeks to address (Saeterstrand & Holm, 2013). It strives to lessen the impacts of any disorder by providing retraining and rehabilitation services so that the individual can make the most use of his or her remaining abilities. Rehabilitation activities in a mental health setting focus on individuals, families, and groups of people who have mental illness by providing skills and knowledge, residential areas that are specialized, leisure resources, and programs to change community attitudes. Prevention is another social need that mental health services address (Mendenhall & Frauenholtz, 2013). It attempts to prevent the occurrence of a disease in a population by altering stressful circumstances and improving individuals coping abilities. Prevention entails preventing and maintaining good health by education and taking special precautions against identified hazards. Preventive actions include public education about emotional self-care and good relationships, social action, and community development.
Despite mental health social work being a well-being-promoting program, there are controversies that lead to different challenges that make social work in mental health face a lot of challenges. These controversies include arguments against promoting mental health, and this leads to the stigmatization of those affected and the social workers (Saeterstrand & Holm, 2013). This can be managed by providing educational programs to the public addressing the importance of mental health to eradicate this notion.
In conclusion, mental health social work involves addressing issues in society like depression, anxiety, family troubles, and stigmatization. It also faces a lot of challenges, like working with vulnerable people, and it is a demanding activity. It is one of the social works that promote the welfare and well-being of society, and people need to invest in their mental wellness for them to be productive in their daily activities.
References
Mendenhall, A. N., & Frauenholtz, S. (2013). Mental Health Literacy: Social Work’s Role in Improving Public Mental Health. Social Work, 58(4), 365–368. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swt038
Saeterstrand, T., & Holm, S. (2013). 627 – Mental health workers play different roles in mental health service. European Psychiatry, 28, 1. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0924- 9338(13)75886-3
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Question
This week, you have viewed lectures on mental health professionals and social workers. Discuss the differences in training and scope of practice by comparing two of these professions, e.g., mental health counseling, psychologist, psychiatrist, and social worker. You must discuss at least 3 differences for full credit. The original post should be
Mental Health & Social Work Careers
1-2 paragraphs in length. In your reply, you should point out something that surprised you or add to the discussion with information from another quality resource.
Lectures: Careers in Mental Health and Social…
Lecture on clinical mental health counseling (including an overview of the other licensed mental health professions)
Aaron Norton, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and Adjunct Instructor at the University of South Florida’s Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling program, provides an overview of the clinical mental health counseling profession for undergraduate students in a pre-recorded guest lecture for the Health Sciences program at USF.
