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This infographic is by the Child Health Task Force and provides insight to the mental health conditions of children and adolescents. 

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My name is Julie Martin, I am currently in the mental health and wellness counseling program at Angelo State University. My goal is to become an LPC working in a nonprofit organization as a counselor. I am currently working in a nonprofit organization, MHMR, and hope to work at this or another nonprofit organization for several years. I am hoping to continue to work in nonprofit and provide accessible services and care to individuals who would not normally have access to care due to financial concerns, insurance, housing, transportation, and many other barriers to treatment.

Through this course, Intro to Trauma Concerns, I am hoping to learn further information and resources about trauma to better my current role as an Intake Specialist and future role as an LPC in a nonprofit organization. I want to become better informed on the different types of trauma understanding the impact counseling can have on individuals who have experienced trauma.

Through my current role as an Intake Specialist, I have experienced the stories on several individuals who have experienced trauma and that have been unable to receive care due to not knowing how to access it. I come from a family that has mental health concerns and experienced mental health difficulties in close friends. I hope to continue to provide accessible care to communities and work with children, adolescents, and young adults throughout the years.

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Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council

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Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council

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The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (2023) enforce the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) for counseling professionals. Following the laws as written through TAC are necessary for an LPC due to legal concerns that can arise otherwise. LPC's are able to utilize TAC and understand importance of confidentiality and processes for providing services. In my future role as an counselor in a nonprofit organization, it is important to understand confidentiality while working alongside various other professionals.

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The ACA Code of Ethics (2014) follows the codes of TAC and provides an ethical understanding that counselors should follow along it while providing services to individuals. As an LPC, following the code of ethics means understanding informed consent, providing adequate services that do not cause further harm to others, and understanding ethical dilemmas that may occur during treatment processes with an individual. Utilizing the ACA Code of Ethics can provide further understanding and protection from legal concerns.

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Section 1 Reflection: Introductions and Assessing Prior Knowledge

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Section 1 Reflection: Introductions and Assessing Prior Knowledge

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Through assessing prior knowledge, I was able to learn about the lack of availability for mental health counselors to individuals. I was able to understand the difficulty in statistical perspective of how difficult it is for adolescents to receive mental health services. This assignment assisted with my current role as a Mental Health Intake Specialist because I can have a better understanding of the population I serve. It also assists in my future role as a mental health counselor in a nonprofit organization because I understand the purpose of my role and the importance of providing assessable, affordable, and safe services to the community.

A great resource to have for understanding the local mental health authorities and knowing the crisis centers associated with them is through the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (2023). It provides deeper insight to be aware of the resources available to people for nonprofit mental health services. It provides the accessible services to the community without restricting access due to financial situations or insurance.

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Unit 1 Reflection: Reference Guide For Mental Health Disorders

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Unit 1 Reflection: Reference Guide For Mental Health Disorders

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This guide provided great insight of the differences in types of mental health disorders in relation to a main one. It provided a different perspective of the different types of depression, anxiety, substance use, eating disorders, and psychosis. This assists in my current role as a Mental Health Intake Specialist due to providing client's with a preliminary diagnosis under the guidance of my boss and co-workers. It also assists in my future role as a mental health counselor due to providing care through these various diagnosis or providing resources to another professional that may specialize in them.

Another great resource for this topic, to better understand the overview of mental health disorders is through the American Psychiatric Association. They provide insight to how mental health disorders may affect an individual in their daily living functioning, physical health, and thought processes. It also provides insight to some statistics of when mental health disorders may develop how many individuals it may affect (Njoku, 2022).

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Unit 2 Reflection: Developmental Discussion on Trauma

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Unit 2 Reflection: Developmental Discussion on Trauma

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Over the course of this module, I was able to be provided insight into the personal stories of individuals and families affected by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School shooting on February 14, 2018. This documentary followed the individuals and families until the next school year. This assisted for my future role as a mental health counselor in a nonprofit organization due to many of the families/individuals being interacted with through volunteering mental health professionals. It provided insight to the complexity and difficulty that is faced by individuals and families in a traumatic event.

This module also provided insight to the different categories of trauma that may affect individuals through the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (n.d.):

Primary Trauma

Secondary Trauma

Acute Trauma

Chronic Trauma

Complex Trauma

Burnout

Vicarious Trauma

Organizational Trauma

This assists with my future role as a mental health counselor due to the various traumas that individuals may experience and may be seeking services for. It is important to be aware of the differences and the different types so the individuals may receive the appropriate type of treatment or referrals.

A written reflection (one to two paragraphs) and artifact for each completed section in every unit.

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Unit 3 Section 4 Reflection: Psychological First Aid Online Certificate

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Unit 3 Section 4 Reflection: Psychological First Aid Online Certificate

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Through the training for Psychological First Aid (PFA), I was able to learn about the different types of resources and support that are provided for individuals experiencing a major traumatic event, such as a hurricane. The training is a 5 hour training that allows the trainee to learn about how to communicate with individuals who have experienced a major traumatic event. Through the training, I was able to learn about how to know when an individual may need assistance, how to prioritize needs, and communicate only what is known and available to individuals. This can assist my future role as a mental health counselor through understanding the different impact a traumatic event can have on an individual. It allowed me to understand how to utilize resources and refer individuals to other professionals that may assist in other ways, such as knowing resources/referrals to clothing closets and medical assistance. Another great aspect of the training was the section about self-care and professionals who provide support needing to utilize self-care. This is beneficial in my future role as a mental health counselor because it reminds me to take care of myself to provide adequate care for others.

Another great resource by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2023) provides further understanding of self-care, signs of fatigue, and self-care strategies. Through the article, there are extra resources that provide access to stress management and more. It also is beneficial in my current role as a Mental Health Intake Specialist and future role as a mental health counselor because it can decrease the chance of burnout and secondary traumatic stress.

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Psychological First Aid (PFA) Online_Certificate

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Unit 3 Section 5 Reflection: Crisis Prevention and Threat Assessment

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Unit 3 Section 5 Reflection: Crisis Prevention and Threat Assessment

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This group assignment was about dating violence in relation to crisis prevention and threat assessment. Through working as a team, the topic of dating violence was discussed and utilizing research on the topic, resources and prevention strategies were assessed. This project was beneficial in learning further about dating violence and it being a part of intimate partner violence (The Office on Women's Health, 2021). Dating violence, also known as teen dating violence, is a topic that might be brough up while working with individuals. Through understanding the topic, it is beneficial to known the different resources available to clients and who may be good collaborators in providing support.

Dating violence impacts many individuals who may not receive support for a long time (The Office on Women's Health, 2021). Collaborating with others to support individuals who have experienced (or are experiencing) various types of trauma is is important in my future role as a mental health counselor. Counselors work with other professionals to provide resources and support in various needs. Through working on this assignment as a group, it was beneficial to see how each member can provide support through knowledge, research, and experience.

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Unit 3 Section 6 Reflection: ABC Crisis Model

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Unit 3 Section 6 Reflection: ABC Crisis Model

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The ABC Crisis Model is important in understanding how to build a relationship with a client and assist in the client processing their trauma. Through this assignment, I was able to look into the story of Rosa and learn about the different factors that have caused her trauma, stress, and worry. This assignment was beneficial due to learning about how counselors would communicate with a client, develop coping strategies, and beneficial resources. One of the largest take aways from this assignment was the break down of needs and trauma and understanding the priorities and processing of the event/situations. This is a beneficial assignment for my future as a mental health counselor because working with the clients to identify needs and working through processing is a large part of counseling. Even in my current job, the client is the one that is explaining their goals and I help them identify needs and understanding how to prioritize those needs.

A written reflection (one to two paragraphs) and artifact for each completed section in every unit. One of the most beneficial parts was utilizing the video to understand through counselors, the process (The Counselling Channel, 2010).

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The referral process of a mental health counselor in a nonprofit organization, involves collaborating with psychiatrists, case managers, care coordinators, crisis services, and substance use services (Texas Health and Human Services, n.d.). Utilizing the assistance of others to provide the right amount of support for clients can be beneficial in practice and understanding limitations of my own scope of practice. The different referrals can provide housing support, transportation support, substance use counseling and/or resources, and crisis assistance. According to the ACA Code of Ethics (2014), referrals may also occur if the client is not receiving adequate care or is looking for a different specialized service.

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According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (2016),

"Cultural and linguistic competence is a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals Introduction to Cultural Competence that enables effective work in cross-cultural situations. 'Culture' refers to integrated patterns of human behavior that include the language, thoughts, communications, actions, customs, beliefs, values, and institutions of racial, ethnic, religious, or social groups. 'Competence' implies having the capacity to function effectively as an individual and an organization within the context of the cultural beliefs, behaviors, and needs presented by consumers and their communities," (pp. 5-6).

Cultural competence is important in mental health counseling due to working with individuals with various cultures. It is important to be aware of different cultures without bias, assumption, or trying to integrate one's own values onto the client. Cultural competence also can make the counseling process more comfortable for the client. This can include providing services in another language, the client's preferred or spoken language, and being aware of differences when it comes to treatment (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, 2016).

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National Suicide Hotline: 988 (text or call)

Crisis Hotline Denton County: 1 (800) 762-0157

National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1 (888) 373-7888

Crisis Text Line: Text 741741

Emergency Line: 911

Non Emergency Hotline: 211

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This infographic is by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and provides insight to trauma in childhood.

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

Njoku, I. (2022). What is Mental Illness?. American Psychiatric Association. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/what-is-mental-illness

Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. (n.d.). Trauma Categories: There are Different Types of Trauma. https://oklahoma.gov/content/dam/ok/en/odmhsas/documents/a0001/hh-oksoc-trauma-categories-types-of-trauma.pdf

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration. (2016). Quick Guide for Clinicians. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/sma16-4931.pdf

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2023). Compassion Fatigue and Self-care for Crisis Counselors. https://www.samhsa.gov/dtac/ccp-toolkit/self-care-for-crisis-counselors

Texas Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Local Mental Health Authorities. https://www.hhs.texas.gov/providers/behavioral-health-services-providers/local-mental-health-authorities

Texas Health and Human Services. (2023). Health and Human Services Commission Crisis Services Guide. https://www.hhs.texas.gov/sites/default/files/documents/about-hhs/process-improvement/improving-services-texans/hhsc-crisis-services-guide.pdf

The Counselling Channel. (2010). Introducing Counselling (Part 1 of 2) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z169y_yNIIk

The Office on Women's Health. (2021). Dating Violence and Abuse. OASH. https://www.womenshealth.gov/relationships-and-safety/other-types/dating-violence-and-abuse