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2014 American Counseling Association Code of Ethics

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2014 American Counseling Association Code of Ethics

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This is the current official code of ethics provided by the American Association of Counselors. This code explains in detail the relationship of the counselor with the patients, the confidentiality, privacy, professional responsiblity, relationship with other professionals, the guidelines for evaluation, supervision, research, distance counseling, and how to resolve ethical issues. This code of ethics is directly related to my future work because I am planning to become a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Texas, and I will need to learn all this to be able to provide therapy in a legal and efficient way (American Counseling Association, 2014).

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Section 1 - Unit 1 Reflection and Artifact for Introductions and Assessing Prior Knowledge.

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Section 1 - Unit 1 Reflection and Artifact for Introductions and Assessing Prior Knowledge.

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After doing this activity about introducing myself and assessing my prior knowledge, I could identify better current and future goals both as a Mental Health and Wellness M.A. student and as a person. I want to become a Licensed Professional Counselor after finishing the LPC bridge and I am very excited to see what is coming during this stage of my life.

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Section 1 - Unit 1 Artifact for Introductions and Assessing Prior Knowledge.

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Section 1 - Unit 1 Artifact for Introductions and Assessing Prior Knowledge.

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This article gives valuable information about crisis counseling for people of low socio-economic status (Tidwell, 1992).

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Section 2 - Unit 1 Reflection and Artifact for Reference Guide for Mental Health Disorders.

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Section 2 - Unit 1 Reflection and Artifact for Reference Guide for Mental Health Disorders.

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After doing a thorough research on the different mental health disorders for this assignment, I was able to summarize, understand better and have a general idea about several disorders from every category. Substance abuse disorder is a disorder that refers to the dependency on substances and significant distress that an individual experiences in different areas of their life. Depression is a disorder with different subtypes that affects the functioning of the individuals experiencing it, and has very serious risks such as self-injury and suicide. Anxiety is a disorder with subtypes that also causes distress and impairs areas of functioning and is characterized by irrational fear and various physiological symptoms. Eating disorders are different disorders that cause distress, affect areas of functioning, and are characterized by altering the behavior related to eating, diet, and exercising. Psychosis is a set of symptoms that can include delusions and hallucinations and are most commonly present in disorders such as schizophrenia and psychotic depression. All these disorders can overlap with others thus, causing individuals to experience comorbidity.

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Reference Guide for Mental Health Disorders

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Age at onset of mental disorders worldwide

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Section 2 - Unit 1 Artifact for Reference Guide for Mental Health Disorders.

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Section 2 - Unit 1 Artifact for Reference Guide for Mental Health Disorders.

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This article provides valuable information about the age onset of mental health disorders worldwide (Solmi e tal., 2021).

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Section 3 - Unit 2 Reflection and Artifact for Developmental Discussion on Trauma.

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Section 3 - Unit 2 Reflection and Artifact for Developmental Discussion on Trauma.

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After performing a research about the developmental discussion on trauma and having watched a documentary and searched other resources I was able to understand the effects of trauma in people, different agencies and organizations that support people suffering these traumas, and I am more motivated to help many people in the future as a future Licensed Professional Counselor. Adverse Childhood experiences are a very important factor to consider when evaluating someone for a trauma, since these experiences can have serious consequences in adulthood as well. Primary trauma, secondary trauma and acute trauma are the main types of trauma for me to focus as a future LPC. I also think all healthcare professionals should have at least minimal training about handling trauma. The documentary I watched is called "Good Girls Don’t Tell", and is about the experiences of several victims of sexual abuse in west Texas. With this documentary I got more empathetic about the suffering from all these victims and I am more motivated to make an effort in becoming a Psychotherapist to help those in need. Cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy and additional resources, as well as collaborations with and referrals to other professionals will play a vital role in my future role.

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Section 3 - Artifact for Developmental Discussion on Trauma.

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Section 3 - Artifact for Developmental Discussion on Trauma.

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This article is a helpful resource to know more about scientific evidence about Adverse Childhood Experiences (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019).

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Psychological First Aid Field Operations Guide 2nd Edition

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Section 4 - Unit 3 Reflection and Artifact for Psychological First Aid Online Certificate.

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Section 4 - Unit 3 Reflection and Artifact for Psychological First Aid Online Certificate.

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I completed the Psychological First Aid

(PFA) online course from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (Brymer e tal., 2006). In this online course, I learned very important things to consider to support people when a crisis event occurs . The mental health of these individuals is more likely to be affected than people that do not experience these events, and knowing the aid strategies is essential to facilitate communication, support and to provide the resources related to their mental health and well-being. Being empathetic, attentive, a good listener, and remaining calm, as well as not judging any person during this event is crucial to do the job in the best way possible.

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Section 4 - Unit 3 Artifact for Psychological First Aid Online Certificate.

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Section 4 - Unit 3 Artifact for Psychological First Aid Online Certificate.

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These are the Psychological First Aid Field Operations Guide 2nd Edition List of Appendices (Brymer e tal., 2006).

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Section 5 - Unit 3 Reflection and Artifact for Crisis Prevention and Threat Assessment.

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Section 5 - Unit 3 Reflection and Artifact for Crisis Prevention and Threat Assessment.

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In this section, two of my classmates and I performed a research about crisis prevention and threat assessment in which we developed a plan to support people suffering from dating and domestic violence. We defined what is dating violence, which consists of a person committing violence against someone when a romantic or intimate relationship is present. We performed a referral process in which other professionals that could help the victims were referred. We also tackled the cultural competence necessary to help these people, as well as the special populations to consider. We included the ethical requirements for Licensed Professional Counselors in the United States (American Counseling Association, 2014), as well as the School Professional Counselor Texas Requirements (Texas Counseling Association, n.d.), and training to prevent teenage dating violence (VetoViolence, n.d.).

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Section 5 - Unit 3 Artifact for Crisis Prevention and Threat Assessment.

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Section 5 - Unit 3 Artifact for Crisis Prevention and Threat Assessment.

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This is an online course to educate teenagers about healthy relationships and prevent dating violence (VetoViolence, n.d.).

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Section 6 - Unit 3 Reflection and Artifact for ABC Crisis Model

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Section 6 - Unit 3 Reflection and Artifact for ABC Crisis Model

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In this section, I practiced my therapeutic skills in the case of a victim of domestic violence and sexual abuse that also had economic difficulties and concerns about her children. After I graduate I will become a Licensed Professional Counselor, hence, this assignment was very important to know how to treat my future patients. Building an appropriate therapeutic relationship is essential, because there has to be respect between the counselee and the counselor. It is very important to listen attentively, and show body language that communicates interest and attention to the patient. Providing resources and references for other professionals that can help the patient is also necessary. In this case, psychiatrists, physicians, and social workers were among the professionals that could provide additional help for her. Physical, social/relational, emotional and mental/cognitive needs have to be addressed as well.

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Section 6 - Unit 3 Artifact for ABC Crisis Model

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Section 6 - Unit 3 Artifact for ABC Crisis Model

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There are 35 techniques that every counselor should know to provide the best counseling services as possible (Erford e tal., 2010).

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Referral Process Within and Outside Clinical Counseling

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Referral Process Within and Outside Clinical Counseling

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One way to support people with mental health issues is providing references for healthcare workers. An example of this services are psychotherapy services from West Texas Counseling and Guidance, a clinic in San Angelo, Texas that charges based on the income of the client (Open Counseling, n.d.). West Texas Counseling and Guidance also has several mental health hotlines for individuals in crisis, one number is 325-944-2561 (West Texas Counseling & Guidance, n.d.)

There are also medical services available in San Angelo, Texas by La Esperanza Clinic. They charge patients based on their income and family size (La Esperanza Clinic, n.d.).

There are case management services available in San Angelo, Texas, that also charge based on patients income and family size. La Esperanza Clinic also provides case management services (La Esperanza Clinic, n.d.).

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There is a hotline in The United States available to support people with risk of committing suicide, available 24 hours a day, the 7 days of the week. The phone number is 988. (988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, n.d.).

There is another hotline for crisis in the United States responsible for helping victims of rape, abuse, incest, and other crimes. One of the hotline numbers is 800-656-4673.

(Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, n.d.).

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Cultural Competence on Mental Health Services

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Cultural Competence on Mental Health Services

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Patients with mental health issues can be quite diverse, and every professional that will help them must not discriminate anyone based on their characteristics including their sexual orientation, gender, sex, nationality, ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, physical appearance, different abilities, language, or employment status. Mental health professionals and healthcare workers in general, also need to accept and know more about the differences among people, to avoid prejudices, and provide the best services as possible.

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References

American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 American Counseling Association Code of Ethics. https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf

Brymer, M., Jacobs, A., Layne, C., Pynoos, R., Ruzek, J., Steinberg, J., Vernberg, E., & Watson, P. (2006). Psychological First Aide Field Operations Guide 2nd Edition. National Child Traumatic Stress Network and National Center for PTSD.

Brymer, M., Jacobs, A., Layne, C., Pynoos, R., Ruzek, J., Steinberg, J., Vernberg, E., & Watson, P. (2006). Psychological First Aide Field Operations Guide 2nd Edition List of Appendices. National Child Traumatic Stress Network and National Center for PTSD.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES): leveraging the best available evidence. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://cantasd.acf.hhs.gov/wp-content/uploads/preventingACES.pdf

Erford, B., Eaves, S., & Young, S. (2010). 35 Techniques Every Counselor Should Know. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

La Esperanza Clinic. (n.d.). Patient Information. https://www.esperanzahealth.org/patient-info

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. (n.d.). 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

https://988lifeline.org/

Open Counseling. (n.d.). West Texas Counseling & Guidance. https://www.opencounseling.com/united-states/san-angelo/counseling-agency/west-texas- counseling-guidance

Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network. (n.d.). National Sexual Assault Hotline: Confidential 24/7 Support. https://www.rainn.org/resources

Solmi, M., Raduà, J., Olivola, M., Croce, E., Soardo, L., De Pablo, G. S., Shin, J. I., Kirkbride, J., Jones, P. B., Kim, J., Kim, J. Y., Carvalho, A. F., Seeman, M. V., Correll, C. U., & Fusar‐Poli, P. (2021). Age at onset of mental disorders worldwide: large-scale meta-analysis of 192 epidemiological studies. Molecular Psychiatry, 27(1), 281–295. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-021-01161-7

Texas Counseling Association. (n.d.). Texas Administrative Code. https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.ViewTAC? tac_view=5&ti=22&pt=30&ch=681&sch=C&rl=Y

Tidwell, R. (1992). Crisis counseling: A right and a necessity for members of the underclass. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 5(3), 245–249. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515079208254469

VetoViolence. (n.d.). Dating Matters Toolkit. https://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/apps/dating-matters-toolkit/content/get-started

West Texas Counseling & Guidance. (n.d.). Need Immediate Help / In Crisis?

https://www.sanangelocounseling.org/crisis