The Importance of Education and Training in Mental Health

What are the Role of Human Service Professional for Psychologist Trainers.
 

Sane Australia is an organization based in Australia. It is on a mission to raise awareness on mental health as well as provide support by availing an online forum for the mentally ill. Education and training is provided to the officials in charge of mental health in sane organization. This is because of many problems being associated with lack of education in mental health sector (Spencer-Cavaliere, Kingsley& Norris, 2018). Workers are employed to provide education and training to the public. Employees are also trained in various activities that involve recreational services. Education and training is essential because it enhances quality services offered to clients. Sane Australia employs psychiatrists who have achieved a degree because they are in a position to provide education and provide treatment to a mentally challenged person (Awadzi-Calloway, Awadzi, & Awadzi, 2016). Appointment of psychologist trainers by the organization will help in providing medical training on behavioral variation. In order to provide adequate education and training, social workers are employed of whom some assist individuals to function effectively in their contexts. Others can give services to people while others strive to upgrade the social conditions to their patients.

 In addition, social workers can be licensed to operate in mental health organizations as counselling professionals. They provide group and individual therapy to their subjects. The organization employs health care educators who ensure that relevant outcomes are achieved from all the programs provided. Sane Australia employs sufficient workers with relevant knowledge and skills that enable them to effectively deliver services to clients (Spencer-Cavaliere et al, 2018). Workers employed possess skills on health matters, which help in caring of the vulnerable groups. Healthcare educators should include matters in their health programs. However, voluntary institutions like sane Australia lack funds to provide adequate education and training. Mental health specialists receive resources from voluntary organizations that help in training programs. During training periods, knowledge on human rights, diversity and equality should be addressed. It is also important to view a client as a person and not as a problem that will require treatment (Pearson, Walpole, & Barna, (2015). 

 Mental health professional play a very significant role in the society. First, human service employees evaluate needs and administer an effective treatment (Bridge, 2012). Secondly, they play a role as community workers who restore the dignity of individuals in the society. Respect for cultures and beliefs of a client’s life are very important to a mental health employee. As postulated by Meier (2017), a mental health profession should possess good listening skills by paying attention to others and taking enough time to listen to their patients. Critical thinking is an essential skill that a mental counsellor should possess. It helps in finding the weaknesses and strengths of mentally challenged individuals. Also, skills on management in reinforcing workers and utilization of community resources. The human service provider in the health sector should be a good decision making maker.it is evident in weighting different potential action and making the right judgement (Ginter, (2018). To effectively manage the tie of a client and their own schedule, a professional should have skills on time management. For exemplary performance by mental health professional, knowledge is very essential. Mustering information on psychology help in understanding human behavior. Individual differences in personality is put into consideration that helping treating behavioral disorders. In Sane Australia, mental health workers possess knowledge on Education and Training. It helps in training and educating the public on causes and treatment of   mental disorders. Perkins (2018) agrees that social perceptiveness helps a mental health professional to know action of their clientele would help to discover the reason why they are behaving in a certain way.

Skills Needed by Mental Health Professionals

Knowledge and therapy on principals of counselling helps a mental health professional to acquire ways of treating and correcting a mental dysfunction (Gotterbarn, Bruckman, Flick, Miller, & Wolf, (2018). In addition, knowledge on customers and services provider to an individual is important because it helps in meeting quality canons and determining the level of satisfaction in a client. Consequently, a profession on knowledge on sociology is in a position to understand group behavior change (Hardy, 2016). The professional should be able to tell the changes in behavior and societal trends impacts, the movement of people and cultural diversity. Philosophical knowledge and religion affects the values and standards of a particular individual. Ginter (2018) postulates that differences in thinking and societal practices can highly affect human culture. A mental health professional should possess knowledge on philosophy to deal with mental health individuals.  

Working with people from different cultural backgrounds requires knowledge skills and value in order to be successful. It is essential to identify different ethnic groups in a community. This is achieved through understanding their requirements and consulting the elders of a community. Skills on education and training to workers from diverse cultural backgrounds about cultural awareness (Romani, & Szkudlarek, 2014). Therefore, cultural training fosters the avoidance of misinterpretation among clients and the staff coming from different backgrounds. During training, it is relevant to make training practical. Community leaders are called to represent different cultural groups and share their experiences on different phenomena. For example, an interpreter is hired to translate information to clients from different language areas. Knowledge on various cultural practices enables a mental health professional to consider religious and cultural beliefs on their clients. Social perception is a skill that enables a professional to develop a conducive environment to a client. It will reflect that an organization has the ability to accommodate different cultures. It is also important to have an understanding to the values of people in the community, for instance the diverse ways of greeting and their dressing code whereby it defers from different kinds of people.

Importance of time management varies among different cultures. In this case, a mental health expert should be able to acquire knowledge on time management. The value of time plays an essential role in the lives of people. In Australia, people are expected to work from nine o’clock to five in the evening. However, in other countries, time management is more flexible. During event planning and dealing with mental health clients, it is important to educate them on time management (García-Barrios, García-Barrios, Waterman, & Cruz-Morales, 2011). Speaking skills assist in conveying information to people from different language groups. In addition, knowledge in English language is significant during mental programs. Mental health trainers should not be discouraged if they meet people with minimal English knowhow. English being an international language, it helps to break language barriers. Knowledge on different religious backgrounds promotes cultural sensitivity. Different clients possess unique cultural values. Inner mental health institution, the mental health experts should know the type of food to serve to clients and flexibility during prayer times (Noriega, & Drew, 2013). Events are planned in a manner that will not disrupt the proceedings of the clients. It is also important to consider client volunteers who take part in religious practices like Ramadhan. 

Cultural Diversity in Mental Health Practices

Ethical dilemmas emerge when there is a disagreement between individual opinions. In a mental health organization, ethical dilemmas are evident because individuals come from different cultural backgrounds and possess different beliefs (Meredith, 2005). For example, sexual harassment of a client is unethical. Mental health professional should not sexually harass their clients and action should be taken against individuals who take advantage of the clients. In addition, discrimination is an unethical conflict when a professional favor a certain group of people and neglect others. It is therefore important to allow the client to make their own choices and prioritize their resolution. A mental health professional should not question the client’s personal beliefs, whether they believe in it or not. An expert in mental health should present available options and allow the subject to make decisions. The subjects are governed by personal beliefs regarding mental health in the society.

Self-determination can conflict with confidentiality if the mental health expert tends to endanger them. For instance, when a client wants to kill a person, the mental health worker will be forced to neglect privacy of the matter. Before sharing any information of the matter, a mental health expert should ensure that the subject signs a consent form. It is essential for a mental health expert to acquire client’s consent prior to treatment. It involves service provided and the payment obligations. In a case where the subject is underage, parents and legal guardians are consulted. In addition, Noriega, & Drew (2013) believe that mental health patients should be informed of other treatment methods that can be provided to them.

An ethical dilemma can occur if a mental health professional does not ensure the limit of treatment in areas they are licensed for. Since clients come from diverse cultural backgrounds, a professional may be bias, hence reducing the client’s success. However, there should be extra consultation in case it is needed by a patient. If a mental health expert does not determine the length of time needed for a therapy to work, it leads to ethical conflicts. Sometimes, the treatment might not be working which requires termination of the process. A mental health practitioner should always record their work with clients exposing the names of the subject will be violating their confidentiality. Ethical dilemmas are evident when a practitioner does not protect the privacy of the clients. A positive relationship ought to be maintained between experts and the subject (Aguirre, 2004). 

Ethical Dilemmas in Mental Health

A human service establishment is governed by professional codes of ethics focusing on the values of practice, which fuses the behaviors, and notions of workers (Meredith, 2005). Codes of ethics foster confidentiality, respect and negotiations. It allows their clients to acquire their right for self-determination and conversant accord. Mental health workers should always respect the privacy of their clients. Mustering information that is needed to provide services by avoiding intrusive activities (van Breda, 2016). Respect for diverse cultures and values that are significant to a client’s life should be highly considered. The human service workers should consider the inequity of ability between the subject and expert. Code of ethics expects a mental health worker to avoid unhealthy relationships. Improper relationships may lead to sexual behavior and use of indecent language.

During research and evaluation practices, the worker should be competent. The worker should not claim an ability, which he or she does not possess. Assignments should not be accepted by a person who lacks competence in the given area of research, it includes the use of new methodologies, which are not familiar. During education and training, the mental health practitioner is expected to teach the subordinates and avail opportunities required for professional growth. When working with individuals, the worker should avoid biasness. Personal discrimination should be negated. Technical standards that are acceptable to the community should be embraced. All tasks should be performed in agreement to acceptable social policy.

 Confidentiality of information should be considered. Mental healths workers are required to organize and store their reports to avoid lose or unauthorized access (Aguirre, 2004). If a worker wants to release any confidential information, they should consult their clients. When working with the community, a worker should ensure there is unequal access to services and opportunities in the community. Services should be provided without consideration of race, gender and disability (van Breda, 2016). The organization provides accurate information when requested by community. When the colleagues are incompetent, a worker is required to assist them to take necessary actions. In cases of unethical conducts, workers should discourage, identify and prevent it. The resolution is achieved through discussing the concerns when it is likely to succeed. While working with families and partnerships, workers should not falsify the repetition of other companies.

Conclusion

In conclusion, human service workers implement a lot of work that help in accomplishing the work of their subjects. Therefore, workers are held by code of ethics, which defend the dignity, and rights of their patents, human service organization employ workers who focus on emerging issues of society. The workers perform their duties closely with clients. Generally, ethics foster respect and confidentiality between specialists and their clients. However, ethical dilemmas can be experienced. Pearson et al (2015) claims that favoritism and sexual harassment is refraining from ethical codes of conduct. Education and training play a very important role when determining professionals who will care for the mentally challenged. Social policies affect healthcare quality. 

Reference

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