# data[].attributes.body
My name is Hannah Brown and I am a candidate in the mental health and wellness counseling program. Upon graduation, my professional goal is to become an infant and early childhood mental health consultant. One personal goal I have for myself is to spend more time traveling with my family. I would like to leave this course with more prevention and intervention strategies for my toolbelt concerning crisis, trauma, and mental health issues.

# data[].attributes.body
I greatly enjoyed getting to connect with my peers in this course. It is always interesting to me to learn about the different stages of life we, as graduate students are currently in. We all have prior knowledge and lived experiences to bring to the coursework and provide a unique perspective to the course. Here is my post below:

My name is Hannah Brown and I am currently a graduate student in the Mental Health and Wellness Counseling program. I plan to complete my coursework in July 2024. I am a single mother of three children ages ten, six, and five years old. I was born and raised in San Angelo, Texas, and reside there. I am currently employed as a child care outreach specialist which means I support child care businesses within the Concho Valley in various capacities. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood and elementary education in 2013 from Angelo State University and received my teaching certification in elementary and special education. I have served as a special education teacher, service coordinator for individuals with intellectual disabilities, and early intervention specialist for children ages 0-3. I have a helping heart and a passion for educating and empowering others. I am choosing to further my education by pursuing a degree in mental health and wellness due to my passion for bringing more advocacy and awareness to the Concho Valley on infant and early childhood mental health. During my time as an intervention specialist, I worked with many foster caregivers, families involved with child protective services, and new parents struggling to provide for their families, while working to make sure their infants and toddlers were meeting developmental milestones. I observed the struggles these families were enduring, as well as navigated my own obstacles with being a single mother of three small children at the time. My ultimate career goal upon graduation is to provide infant and early childhood mental health consultation services to those in need and to provide education, awareness, and advocacy to the community on infant/early childhood mental health. For this course; Intro to Crisis, Trauma, and Mental Health Concerns, I hope to grow the current foundational knowledge I have for these three main topics. Through my past life and career experiences, I believe I have a small knowledge base on crisis, trauma, and mental health concerns; however, I am looking forward to continuing to grow my knowledge base to help my future clients reach their full potential. I also am looking forward to diving into more recent research and intervention strategies. I understand that now more than ever, mental health concerns are on the rise, and I want to prepare myself with the most current research to best support my future clients.

To be honest, prior to reviewing the course resources, I proceeded to take one of the quizzes to test my mental health knowledge. After completing the quiz and learning my results, as well as reviewing the course resources, my biggest “take away” from the information is the astonishing statistics related to mental health concerns and teens. I think two of the reasons I am shocked with this information is because I personally do not have a teenage child yet and my work experience has been primarily within the early childhood space. Learning that 50% of all lifetime mental illnesses begin by age 14, continues to show me how important it is to bring awareness and advocacy to mental health issues in the childhood years.

I completed the CDC quiz on mental health to test my prior knowledge. Two of the questions I answered incorrect had to do with mental health concerns for teens. To be honest, this information initially stunned me. Learning that “suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 10-24” and “half of all mental illnesses occur before the age of 14”, is very shocking to me considering my oldest child is age 10. Knowing these statistics now will definitely make me more aware of mental health concerns for teens and look for earlier warning signs. It will also contribute to my argument of how important addressing mental health concerns in the earliest years of life could help alleviate mental health concerns later in life. At a minimum, this knowledge could help bring more awareness to the importance of developing mental health prevention strategies earlier in life.

One of my main interests in pursuing a degree in mental health is to have a better understanding of how and why mental health issues affect individuals. Personally, at the age of 13, I developed an eating disorder. Through many years of counseling, I have learned that my eating disorder stemmed from underlying anxiety and extremely low self-esteem. An aspect of my own mental health that still perplexes me is the fact that I grew up in a very stable and loving home, yet I still dealt with extreme mental health issues. I also have been a victim of verbal, emotional, psychological, and sexual abuse from my ex-husband, again, despite growing up in a stable home. Having dealt with my own fair share of mental health concerns, I am determined and motivated to use my own experiences and the knowledge I gain through my degree to help others navigate their own mental health issues. In my future role as an infant and early childhood mental health consultant, knowledge of crisis, trauma, and mental health concerns will help me to better support the families I will be working with. I believe having a strong background in child development and education, along with expertise knowledge in crisis, trauma, and mental health will support me in navigating the issues at hand that my clients are faced with during the early years of their children’s lives. I also think having the most up to date data and research on mental health concerns and strategies will also help me better support my future clients.

The research article I would like to discuss covers the topic of trauma on an infant’s brain. https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/distillation/what-does-trauma-do-to-a-babys-brain/

The reason this information is relevant to my future career goal is because it provides foundational knowledge on why and how trauma affects an infant’s brain. The article discusses the long-term effects of trauma on an infant’s developing brain and how chronic trauma rewires the neural pathways making it more difficult over time for a child to access their cerebral cortex or “thinking brain.” In severe cases, the cerebral cortex becomes less developed than it would be without toxic stress. If children experience too many traumatic events, their brains become primed to react to the world in fear. The research I have done on the effects of trauma on a developing child’s brain, and the experiences I have had through my past and present career, are the basis of my desire to become an infant and early childhood mental health consultant. The following article reviews what infant and early childhood consultants do and why they are extremely important.

https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/infant-and-early-childhood-mental-health-consultation-a-briefing-paper/

# data[].attributes.headline
Reference Guide for Mental Health Disorders

# data[].attributes.subject
Reference Guide for Mental Health Disorders

# data[].attributes.body
For the reference guide for mental health disorders assignment, I feel this is a very practical tool I will be able to use in my future work with clients and their families. It will serve as a quick reference guide (with an ample amount of information and research already conducted), should I need to refresh my memory regarding a wide array of mental health disorder facts. I will be able to refer to this document should I have any questions regarding the definition, cause, early intervention information, and various sub-categories regarding depression, anxiety, psychosis, substance abuse, and eating disorders.

# data[].attributes.body
For the discussion post assignment, I chose to watch and reflect on the Netflix documentary, Amanda Knox. After viewing the film, formulating my discussion posts, and reading and responding to peer's posts, I believe I have walked away from this assignment and experience, with a much stronger knowledge base regarding trauma and the effects it has on individuals.

# data[].attributes.body
Hannah Brown- hstokes2@angelo.edu

325-245-7676

Antoinette Henry- ahenry16@angelo.edu (409) 951-0111

Brenda Lopez- blopez54@angelo.edu

(956) 426-4348

Lexus Perales- lperales@angelo.edu

832-475-7727

# data[].attributes.body
Mental Health America

http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/mental-health-screening-tools

Depression Screening

www.depression-screening.org

National Alliance on Mental Health

www.nami.org

National Institute on Mental Health

www.nimh.nih.gov

Anxiety and Depression Association of America

http://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/panic-disorder-agoraphobia/symptoms

Obsessive-Compulsive Foundation

www.ocfoundation.org

Brain & Behavior Research Foundation

www.bbrfoundation.org/

Schizophrenia.com

www.schizophrenia.com

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.

www.ncadd.org

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

www.niaaa.nih.gov

National Institute on Drug Abuse

www.nida.nih.gov

National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders

www.anad.org

National Eating Disorders Association

www.nationaleatingdisorders.org

Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA.

https://adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/multimedia/can-breathing-reduce-anxiety-and-prevent-panic-attack
Mayo Clinic-Phobias https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/specific-phobias/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355162

U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs National Center for PTSD https://www.ptsd.va.gov/index.asp

Treatment - Obsessive-compulsive disorder

https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/obsessive-compulsive-disorder-ocd/treatment/

Substance Use: Anxiety and Depression Association of America. https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/co-occurring-disorders/substance-abuse

What is Schizophrenia? American Psychiatric Association. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/schizophrenia/what-is-schizophrenia

Bipolar disorder. National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/bipolar-disorder#:~:text=Bipolar%20disorder%20(formerly%20called%20manic,day%2Dto%2Dday%20tasks.

Schizoaffective disorder. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/schizoaffective-disorder/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20354509

Alcohol use disorder. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alcohol-use-disorder/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20369250

Understanding alcohol use disorder. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/understanding-alcohol-use-disorder

Anorexia nervosa.

Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/eating-disorders/anorexia-nervosa

Bulimia nervosa: Symptoms, causes & prevention .Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9795-bulimia-nervosa

# data[].attributes.body
Categories of Trauma:

1. Primary (direct) Trauma

2. Secondary (indirect) Trauma

3. Acute Trauma

4. Chronic Trauma

5. Complex Trauma

6. Burnout

7. Vicarious Trauma

8. Organizational Stress

9. Organizational Trauma

Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. (2018). Trauma Categories: There are Different Types of Trauma. https://www.ok.gov/odmhsas/documents/HH%20OKSOC%20Trauma%20Categories%20Types%20of%20Trauma.pdf

Trauma Types. (2018, May 25). The National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/trauma-types

Van Der Kolk, B. (2015). The body keeps the score: Mind, brain and body in the transformation of trauma.

Penguin Books.

Cohen, J. A., & Mannarino, A. P. (2011). Supporting children with traumatic grief: What educators need to know. School Psychology International, 32(2), 117–131.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034311400827

Fast Facts: Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences. (2023, June 29). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/fastfact.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fviolenceprevention%2Facestudy%2Ffastfact.html

Starecheski, L. (2015, March 2). Take the Ace Quiz - and Learn What it Does and Doesn’t Mean. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/03/02/387007941/take-the-ace-quiz-and-learn-what-it-does-and-doesnt-mean

The Science of Early Childhood Development. (2007). Center on the Developing Child Harvard University. www.developingchild.harvard.edu.

# data[].attributes.body
ACA Code of Ethics Purpose

The ACA Code of Ethics serves six main purposes:

1. The Code sets forth the ethical obligations of ACA members and provides guidance intended to inform the ethical practice of professional counselors.

2. The Code identifies ethical considerations relevant to professional counselors and counselors-in-training.

3. The Code enables the association to clarify for current and prospective members, and for those served by members, the nature of the ethical responsibilities held in common by its members.

4. The Code serves as an ethical guide designed to assist members in constructing a course of action that best serves those utilizing counseling services and establishes expectations of conduct with a primary emphasis on the role of the professional counselor.

5. The Code helps to support the mission of ACA.

6. The standards contained in this Code serve as the basis for processing inquiries and ethics complaints concerning ACA members.

American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA code of ethics. https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/2014-code-of-ethics-finaladdress.pdf

# data[].attributes.headline
Concho Valley Mental Health Resources and Support

# data[].attributes.subject
Concho Valley Mental Health Resources and Support

# data[].attributes.body
MHMR of the Concho Valley Crisis Line serving Coke, Concho, Crockett, Irion, Reagan, Sterling, and Tome Green County

325-653-5933

-or-

1-800-375-8965

The MHMR Concho Valley 24/7 Crisis Hotline is answered by qualified and highly trained mental health professionals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Access to immediate assessments, support services, and assistance connecting with a professional to address your needs, is provided when calling the hotline.

Mobile Crisis Outreach Team (MCOT): A team of highly qualified mental health professionals available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for immediate response to all 7 counties. MCOT provides timely crisis assessments and treatment plans where the crisis is taking place: home, school, local emergency room, place of business, or anywhere the crisis is taking place.

MHMR Respite Crisis Unit: A 12-bed voluntary Crisis Respite Unit, serving all individuals throughout the 7 counties. Well-trained staff assists individuals in crisis, through assessments and evaluations to determine the most suitable care plan for recovery. The average length of stay for individuals is 7 days. During this time individuals are linked to resources, provided skills training, group therapy, and psychiatric stabilization for individuals to successfully return to their community.

Community Based Inpatient Crisis Stabilization: This service is provided to individuals at the time of crisis as a last resort if a less restrictive option is not available. MHMR Concho Valley contracts with local behavioral health hospitals in San Angelo & the West Texas area. The goal is to assist a person through a crisis, when they are presenting as an imminent danger to self or others, or at risk of continued decline of mental health. Providing services in the least restrictive environment is the ultimate goal, while protecting the individual’s rights and helping the person through the crisis situation based upon their needs.

Mental Health Deputies: Law enforcement are often the first to respond to a mental health crisis. MHMR CV partners with six local counties (Tom Green, Reagan, Sterling, Concho, Coke, Crocket) who have certified deputies in Mental Health Officer Training who are better equipped to interact with individuals in behavioral health emergencies.

325-653-6741  Shannon Medical Center, 120 E. Harris Ave., San Angelo

325-949-5722  River Crest Hospital, 1636 Hunters Glen Rd, San Angelo

325-949-9511  Shannon Medical Center South, 3501 Knickerbocker Rd

325-944-2561  West Texas Counseling and Guidance

325-659-7300  Shannon Behavioral Health

325-658-5339  La Esperanza Clinic Behavioral Health

325-234-5599  Concho Valley Biblical Counseling

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

We can all help prevent suicide. The 988 Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States.

# data[].attributes.body
Psychological First Aid (PFA) Online is 5-hour interactive online course that helps participants learn the core actions of PFA and describes ways to apply them in different post-disaster scenarios and with different survivor needs. This course also covers provider well-being before, during, and after disasters. This course is relevant for new providers who are wanting to be oriented to PFA, as well as for seasoned practitioners who want a review of the PFA concepts.

I am grateful for the opportunity to take the Psychological First Aid course. After completing the coursework, I feel more confident in my ability to handle post-disaster scenarios. I know I am better equipped to assist those who have varies needs before, during, and after disasters occur. The certification is another tool I have in my mental health and wellness toolbelt.

# data[].attributes.body
The Dream Team!

Your school’s team of mental health professionals

Domestic violence (also referred to as intimate partner violence, dating abuse, or relationship abuse) is a pattern of behaviors used by one partner to maintain power and control over another partner in an intimate relationship.

Domestic violence doesn’t discriminate. People of any race, age, gender, sexuality, religion, education level, or economic status can be a victim (or perpetrator) of domestic violence. That includes behaviors that physically harm, intimidate, manipulate, or control a partner or otherwise force them to behave in ways they don’t want to. This can happen through physical violence, threats, emotional abuse, or financial control (The National Domestic Abuse Hotline, 2023).

I enjoyed working on the Crisis Prevention and Threat Assessment Presentation-Domestic Violence. As a former victim of domestic violence, I learned valuable information I wish I personally would have had ten years ago. I now feel better equipped to help others faced with domestic violence situations.

I enjoyed working with my group members. Group work is usually something I dread; however, each of my group members made the process very pleasant and everyone equally pitched in to make the process very seamless.

# data[].attributes.body
The ABC Model for Crisis Intervention is a real-life exercise to help better prepare me for future clients and/or situations I may face.

Breaking down the case study into physical, emotional, social/relational, and cognitive/mental sections assisted me in recognizing the different areas needing attention, and how as the counselor, I could best assist the counselee. I will take the knowledge I have gained and the techniques used to deploy helping strategies to my future clients.

# data[].attributes.body
American Counseling Association. (2014). 2014 ACA code of ethics.

https://www.counseling.org/docs/default- source/default-document-library/2014-code-of-

ethics-finaladdress.pdf

Blackhurst, R. & McGinn, B. (Director) (2016). Amanda Knox [Film]. Netflix.

Cohen, J. A., & Mannarino, A. P. (2011). Supporting children with traumatic grief: What

educators need to know. School Psychology International, 32(2), 117–131.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0143034311400827

Erford, B., Eaves, S., Bryant, E.., & Young, S. (2010). 35 Techniques Every Counselor Should

Know.

Fast Facts: Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences. (2023, June 29). Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention.

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/fastfact.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%

2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fviolenceprevention%2Facestudy%2Ffastfact.html

Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation: A briefing paper. (2017, August 2)

Zero to Three. https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/infant-and-early-childhood-mental-

health-consultation-a-briefing-paper/

Ivey, A.E., Gluckstern, N.B., & Ivey, M.B. (1997). Basic attending skills, 3rd edition.

Microtraining Associates.

Kanel, K. (2014). A guide to crisis intervention. Cengage Learning.

Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. (2018). Trauma

Categories: There are Different Types of

Trauma. https://www.ok.gov/odmhsas/documents/HH%20OKSOC%20Trauma%20Cate

gories%20Types%20of%20Trauma.pdf

Starecheski, L. (2015, March 2). Take the Ace Quiz - and Learn What it Does and Doesn’t Mean. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/03/02/387007941/take-the-ace-quiz-and-learn-what-it-does-and-doesnt-mean

The Science of Early Childhood Development. (2007). Center on the Developing Child Harvard

University. www.developingchild.harvard.edu.

The Importance of Cultural Competence in Mental

Healthcare. Newport Healthcare. (2023,

February 15). https://www.newporthealthcare.com/resources/industry-articles/cultural-

competence-mental-healthcare/

Trauma Types. (2018, May 25). The National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/trauma-types

Van Der Kolk, B. (2015). The body keeps the score: Mind, brain and body in the transformation

of trauma. Penguin Books.

What does trauma do to a baby’s brain? (2023, April 27). Zero to Three.

https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/distillation/what-does-trauma-do-to-a-babys-brain/

Why is cultural competence important in mental health

care?. Fountain House. (2022, October 14). https://www.fountainhouse.org/news/why-is-cultural-competence-important-in-mental-health-care

# data[].attributes.body
To me, cultural competency means considering all aspects that make up the individual and effectively treating the individual with dignity and respect. When delivering responsive services, cultural competence could be the difference between having the client trust you or not. Culturally competent care allows clients to feel safe and to have someone there who can respect their journey. We as individuals may not be able to relate to everyone, but we can do our best to value and respect someone else’s experience. Being culturally competent creates safety and connection and it increases the likelihood that the people we work with feel heard and are supported.

# data[].attributes.headline
My Motto- "You can't pour from an empty cup."

# data[].attributes.subject
My Motto- "You can't pour from an empty cup."