Clinical Mental Health Counseling: An Introduction to the Profession and Practice

As the need for mental health services increases dramatically, the need for competent, effective counselors has risen in tandem. Clinical Mental Health Counseling: An Introduction to the Profession and Practice provides future counselors with a clear, focused orientation to the field. The text helps readers understand the evolution of the role of the mental health counselor and the value served by those within the profession. The book's primary focus is on fostering the development of the reader's professional identity as a clinical mental health counselor. Section I of the text reviews the history and foundation of the profession and highlights the factors that make mental health counseling unique among mental health professionals. In Section II, readers are introduced to the theories and models that guide mental health counselors' practice in case conceptualization and treatment formulation. Section III examines the various roles, settings, and populations served by clinical mental health counselors. The final section discusses those elements that come together to make clinical mental health counseling a profession. Clinical Mental Health Counseling is designed to align with contemporary CACREP competency standards and features coverage of best practices, current laws and regulations, and the impact of technology on practice delivery. The book is ideal for foundational courses in clinical mental health counseling.