Question

For this assignment, imagine you have been contacted by an agency in your community to provide consultation on how they might improve their services to clients. The agency is concerned that clients with serious counseling issues are "falling between the cracks" when they are referred to others in the community for intensive treatment. Furthermore, the brief aftercare they provide is not accessible enough to sufficiently support clients as they re-integrate into the community.

1) Identify a population with mental health counseling needs as well as other needs, for example:

- People experiencing chronic or severe mental illnesses who also experience homelessness.

- Children with medical needs who also experience high anxiety.

- Elderly individuals who are socially isolated and depressed.

- Chemically dependent persons with recurring mental health crises.

2)Evaluate how the group you identified has been served in the history of clinical mental health counseling.

Answer 1

Part-1: Here a population of chemically dependent persons with recurring mental health crisis is identified those need mental illness counselling as well as other needs like social support. Supose an agency is formed for this group that is concerned about the neglect ("falling between the cracks") of these clients and aftercare of them after hospitalization or when they entre the social setting after treatment. First of all let us discuss about the mental health issues of this population.

Chemical dependence can be of different types, it can be drugs dependence or other substances (opiods, heroine, cannabis etc.) dependence. People with chemical dependence can have anxiety, depressive and suicidal tendencies, psychotic illness (hallucination and delusions) etc. these illnesses can be sever or life threatening if person takes chemicals in excess. These people are neglected by society, family and friends. They might have financial, social crisis along with sever health issues. There are many deaddiction institutions for their support but getting admitted in the institution and completing treatment is challenge among this population. Relapse is major challenge among people with chemical dependence. After treatment as they again get expose to the same chemical, chances of relapse increase or we can say success rate is low. And because of failure in treatment and high expenses they are neglected by family, friends and centres as well. Motivation level of the client also comes down because of all these reasons. Chemical dependence affects all areas (personal, social, and professional) of the person and therefore a treatment plan to deal with all these areas is need to implement.         

An agency formed can look into the following area,

• Providing complete treatment.
• Implementing relapse prevention treatmnet in social setting or after hospitalization.
• Creating support system for the client.
• Implementing social and family changes requires for the client.
• Doing follow up of the clients under treatment.

Part-2: Clinical counselling history of people with chemical dependence: As discussed earlier, people with chemical dependence are bieng neglect in past but now as awareness is generated even at adolescent age (more prone to chemical abuse), scenario has been changed. Many noen governmental organizations are coming forward for the same. Many volunteers are there to help clients with substance dependence. Data is different for different countries. In USA, you can refer a research paper by Willium White, William Miller (2007) on the use of confrontation in addiction treatment: History, science and time for change.