Lesson 2: Is the Mental Health field the right career for me?

Attention

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

  • Discuss the difference between Mental Health and Mental Illness
  • Discuss if the field of Mental Health is the right career path.
  • Reflect upon the concepts of diversity, multiculturalism, and unconditional positive regard as it applies to the role of the student and to mental health rehabilitation practice.

Teaching

What is Mental Health?

(Watch this video)

 

This is a great video on the topic of Mental Health and what it takes to be a mentally healthy person...the KVCC Mental Health program is designed to provide you with the skills and knowledge necessary to work with individuals who have Mental Health diagnoses, or Mental Illness.

What is Mental Illness?

Mental Illnesses or Mental Disorders are diagnosable medical conditions that directly or indirectly impact a person's Mental Health. The field of Psychology defines "Abnormal Behavior" in a number of ways:

  • Statistics - Abnormal behavior is relatively rare.
  • Sociocultural - Abnormal behavior is often subject to sanctions (punishment) by a society. Meaning, it is not "acceptable" behavior.
  • Function - Abnormal behavior interferes with the effective functioning of a person in their environment.

There are a lot of human behaviors that fit into these categories.

  • Schizophrenia is relatively rare, but so is the ability to remember vivid details from an event ("photographic memory").
  • Yelling at strangers in a store is not condoned by many cultures, but chewing with your mouth open may be unacceptable as well!
  • Being so scared of other people might keep you from talking to them directly, but some have found a way to have productive careers working in the woods far from people.

What each of these examples shows is that "Abnormal" is defined not only by the nature of the behavior but also by its context in a society and how it impacts a person's life.

Mental Illness, as we address it in this field, can be said to meet ALL of these criteria. Mental Illness is said to be chronic (it lasts a long time), persistent (it may never go away or it may continue to come back in cycles), and pervasive (the symptoms are so severe that they impact many major life functions.)

Recovery and Rehabilitation

The basic premise of the field essentially follows along the lines of these statements:

  • The mental illness and some symptomatology may never go away...we have to learn to live with these symptoms.
  • The mental illness and the symptoms do not define the entire person, but they are profoundly impacted by them.
  • Treatment comes in many forms. Medication and other medical interventions are only part of the treatment.
  • By focusing on ENVIRONMENTAL changes (housing, vocation, friends and networking, financial support, wellness support) we create the circumstances under which individuals will be more able to live with the pervasive and persistent symptoms of their mental illness.
  • Recovery can be said to be a lifelong process of skill and resource development that will allow a person to maximize their independence to live in the environment of their choice.

Diversity

In this field you will encounter a wide diversity of individuals. This diversity expresses itself in economic differences, values differences, political differences, gender and sexual orientation differences, religious differences, criminal history, health and psychiatric history, etc.

The general viewpoint of professionals in the helping fields comes from the work of Carl Rogers and his concept of Unconditional Positive Regard.

Read this Wiki on Unconditional Positive Regard.

What does it mean to work in Human Services?

The field of Human Services is a broadly defined one, uniquely approaching the objective of meeting human needs through an interdisciplinary knowledge base, focusing on prevention as well as remediation of problems and maintaining a commitment to improving the overall quality of life of service populations. The Human Services profession is one which promotes improved service delivery systems by addressing not only the quality of direct services, but by also seeking to improve accessibility, accountability, and coordination among professionals and agencies in service provide to clients.

The field is deeply connected to a profoundly "liberal" point of view in terms of service provision and the responsibility for government funded services to be available to persons in need. The system is imperfect and those of who work in it need to understand that not all those who get services and benefits need them and that not all who need them, get them.

Human Services Professionals

"Human services professional" is a generic term for people who hold professional and paraprofessional jobs in such diverse settings as group homes and halfway houses; correctional, intellectual disability, and community mental health centers; family, child, and youth service agencies, and programs concerned with alcoholism, drug abuse, family violence, and aging. Depending on the employment setting and the kinds of clients served there, job titles and duties vary a great deal. The primary purpose of the human services professional is to assist individual and communities to function as effectively as possible in the major domains of living.

A strong desire to help others is an important consideration for a job as a human services worker. Individuals who show patience, understanding, and caring in their dealings with others are highly valued by employers. Other important personal traits include communication skills, a strong sense of responsibility, and the ability to manage time effectively.

Where Human Services Professionals Work?

Working conditions vary. Human services workers in social service agencies generally spend part of the time in the office and the rest of the time in the field. Most work a 40-hour week. Some evening and weekend work may be necessary, but compensatory time off is usually granted. Human services professionals work in community-based settings move around a great deal in the course of a workweek. They may be inside one day and outdoors on a field visit the next. Human services professionals work in residential settings generally work in shifts. Because residents of group homes need supervision in the evening and at night, 7 days a week, evening and weekend hours maybe required.

Despite differences in what they are called and what they do, human services professionals generally perform under the direction of professional staff. Those employed in mental health settings, for example, may be assigned to assist a treatment team made up of social workers, psychologists, and other human services professionals. The amount of responsibility these workers assume and the degree of supervision they receive vary a great deal. Some workers are on their own most of the time and have little direct supervision; others work under close direction.

Human services professionals work in community, residential care, or institutional settings provide direct services such as leading a group, organizing an activity, or offering individual counseling. They may handle some administrative support tasks, too. Specific job duties reflect organizational policy and staffing patterns, as well as the worker's educational preparation and experience.

Changes in the reimbursement criteria for Case Management and Community Integration services in the State of Maine have brought about changes in the kind of work that MHRT/Cs will do. Different agencies may define these roles in different ways.

So, is the Mental Health field the right career for you?

That is the question in front of you right now. In my experience the following criteria are critical to take into consideration when contemplating this question:

  1. I enjoy helping people get the services they need.
  2. I find the psychology of mental illness and human behavior fascinating.
  3. I have a high tolerance for a degree of "abnormal behavior."
  4. I understand that the system is imperfect and that it is sometimes not fair...and I can live with them...and change it when I can.
  5. Even if I have personal traumatic or mental health history, I am reasonably well recovered that I can be of help to others.
  6. I have a reasonable stable home setting, or plan on having one by the time I enter the workplace.
  7. I am open to changes in the workplace in regard to my job duties, responsibilities, and the use of technology.
  8. I am optimistic about life, personal change, and my ability to help others change.
  9. I am fully aware of the limits of my real power to bring about change in others.
  10. I am humble in regard to my own knowledge, experience, and abilities and embrace a lifelong learning perspective.

If these 10 characteristics seem to resonate with you, then this field may very well be for you!

Assessment

Lesson 2 Quiz

Please answer all of the questions in this quiz. They relate to the Lesson and any links within the Lesson.

Lesson 2 Survey

This survey has you rate yourself on a scale in regard to the 10 criteria discussed at the end of the teaching session above. Be sure to record your results on this survey and discuss them below.

Lesson 2 Discussion A

Describe the differences between "mental health" and "mental illness" both from your own perspective and from what you have learned in the video. Share a bit about the personal experiences you have that help you to understand mental illness or may even limit or bias your understanding of mental illness.

Lesson 2 Discussion B

Based on the results of the survey and the reading in this Lesson, discuss how your personality and values are a fit (or not) in the field of Mental Health. Do you feel that this is a field that you are interested in and can do well in?

Consider the diversity that you will encounter in this field (among clients and fellow staff alike). Do you think you can embody the concept of Unconditional Positive Regard in your professional practice?