Crisis and Trauma Resource Padlet by B. dean

Introduction

blakedean090_ — 2024-09-01 19:17:39 UTC

My name is Blake Dean. I am getting my masters in Mental Health and Wellness Counseling and am hoping to transition into the LPC Bridge program. My goal is to be a counselor and serve rural populations providing clinical and telehealth counseling services. I am hoping that this course will teach me a little bit about crisis scenarios and targeted intervention. Though I work at a behavioral health hospital, I think I handle crisis work very poorly and would like to be better educated on de-escalation and creating safety plans.

Unit 1 Section 1 Reflection and Artifact

blakedean090_ — 2024-09-01 19:24:24 UTC

This assignment required the incorporation of an outside source. Following those instructions, I stumbled upon various articles detailing prevailing methods of internet-based therapy. It's very interesting because many of these structured programs allow therapy to be continued without a therapist, guiding the client to their goals. Many articles spoke of it as a replacement for therapist, but I think we should look at it as a supplementation, and encourage its use within treatment plans.

Unit 1 Section 2 Reflection and Artifact

blakedean090_ — 2024-09-01 19:26:35 UTC

This assignment took me at least a week to finish. I was very invested, having to prioritize my time to tackle every section. Perhaps it was a misunderstanding of rules but it felt overly extensive compared to other work in this class. I do think, though, that it did a lot to help me reference several disorders. Had the format been cleaner and less messy, I could see myself referencing this in the future of my professional career. I've learned of these disorders before, but I always find my comprehension lacking, a reference guide like this is very helpful especially when it's in your own words.

Unit 2 Reflection and Artifact

blakedean090_ — 2024-09-01 19:31:06 UTC

Throughout this multi-part assignment, I felt like it was overly extensive and repetitive. Forum posts 3 and 4 felt identical in a lot of ways, and forum post 2 was short and not that necessary. Despite this, I observed that getting to rewrite my knowledge on the subject over multiple forums and building up post after post, did a lot to help me better comprehend and retain information. I felt as though a bulk of my learning was done through rewriting and re-examining situations of the documentary as these forums progressed. Getting to examine a crisis situation will improve my own crisis assessment skills and perspective on these types of situations.

Legal Resources

blakedean090_ — 2024-09-01 19:36:24 UTC

The ACA Code of Ethics is an ethical code for all counselors and is much easier to reference than a lot of state codes, though they can also contradict each other so it's important to cross-check. It was created by the American Counseling Association and covers broad ethical considerations.

https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/ethics/2014-aca-code-of-ethics.pdf?sfvrsn=55ab73d0_1

The TAC, Texas Administrative Code, is a set of legal orders in Texas that contains several rules for counselors that affect how they operate in this state. Many stipulations exist like distinctions in legality and limits of practice exclusive to Texas.

https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.viewtac

This site is a general overview of HIPPA laws which are federally mandated laws for healthcare, including psychiatric. The bulk of its laws are to keep PHI, protected health information, safe, and protect clients' confidentiality and record keeping.

https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/laws-regulations/index.html

Unit 3 Assignment 1 Reflection and artifact for Psychological First Aid Online Certificate.

bdean8_2 — 2024-10-09 15:13:13 UTC

Through this assignment, I learned psychological first aid for a variety of crisis situations. The training offered practical skills and professional insight into crisis work. The course had sections focused on disaster care and how to speak to people who have recently experienced traumatic events, offering insight into how somebody in my role should console someone going through that.

Unit 3 Assignment 2 Reflection and artifact for Crisis Prevention and Threat Assessment

bdean8_2 — 2024-10-09 15:13:25 UTC

This presentation was a group effort where I mostly stuck to the legal side of treatment because that is where I'm most knowledgeable. I don't intend to specialize in adolescent clients, but learning of the legal codes that govern their records has expanded my knowledge of treatment. I'm not even very interested in substances abuse treatment either, but I think I gained a lot of professional knowledge from getting to contribute to a mock up treatment plan regardless of if it fit my desired role.

Unit 3 Assignment 3 Reflection and artifact for ABC Crisis Model

bdean8_2 — 2024-10-09 15:13:34 UTC

Performing this case study was interesting because a lot of the answers were up to interpretation. It depended on me to highlight and evaluate different aspects of the situation to determine the clients various needs, then form a conclusion on what actions both the client and counselor should take. Getting to deconstruct the story was an education process in applying practical counseling skills like attentive behaviors and open questions to build rapport and create a substantive narrative. It felt as though I was in the room counseling the client, and I can see myself applying such a format in retrospect of the patients I see in my practicum.

Referral process

bdean8_2 — 2024-10-09 15:14:09 UTC

Sometimes a client may be dealing with trauma that is either too acute or in an area that the counselor may not specialize in, such as disaster or war related issues. In those cases, it is within the counselors best interest to provide the client with referral sources and ensure a productive transfer of services (ACA, 2014, A.11.b). There are also times where external help is needed beyond what the counselor can offer, like, for instance, assistance with housing or financial support. Counselors are encouraged to offer support at an institutional and societal level, meaning that they should help coordinate referrals to specialized services and ensure the welfare of the client (ACA, 2014, A.7.a).

Local emergency and non-emergency support services.

bdean8_2 — 2024-10-09 15:14:58 UTC

Every county in Texas has a local mental health authority that provides a variety of services, ranging from non-emergent services like counseling and medication, to emergency services like crisis intervention. They also provide services to the uninsured. For other non-emergency services, Oceans Behavioral has an outpatient clinic and a medication clinic. It is best to check with them first to see if your insurance requires a referral.

Cultural Competence

bdean8_2 — 2024-10-09 15:15:13 UTC

Cultural competence is essential in delivering care to diverse populations. It can help avoid biases, stereotypes, and reinforce practices that are mindful of cultural differences, promoting values of beneficence and justice. Being culturally competent also ensures effective communication and the ability to build rapport for tailored interventions.