Mental Health Providers

Mental health workers provide services for clients needing mental or social support. Professionals who specialize in behavioral health treat a variety of health concerns, from chronic homelessness to abandoned or abused children. Some mental health workers specialize in areas such as couples counseling or issues revolved around domestic abuse. No matter what mental condition or social influences a person experiences, mental health providers exist to serve the need.

Function

• Each mental health worker has a responsibility for patient health. Some providers counsel and treat those with chronic mental health conditions, such as depression and schizophrenia, or those with attention-deficient and eating disorders. Other issues revolve around family and parenting, cultural issues, and social class. Social workers providing mental health services may counsel patients and provide services for those suffering from homelessness and unemployment. Some cases may only need the services of one mental health worker, while other cases may need several workers such as a social worker and occupational therapist. Often, mental health workers rely on other types of workers to incorporate a treatment plan and monitor a client's progress. These workers oversee the patient's behavioral or social health.

Size

• Those needing the services of a mental health worker come from every demographic. School counselors provide services for school-aged children, while geriatric social workers provide the elderly with eldercare such as family grief and estate oversight. Adults aged 18 to 65 may receive occupational therapy with an Occupation Therapist. Although mental health workers provide services to every demographic, some may specialize in serving in a specialized area. For instance, some may treat only children, while others treat only displaced immigrants who commonly suffer culture shock.

Significance

• Some of the related issues include drug addiction, mental illness, child psychology, and those suffering from grief or low self-esteem. These workers improve the quality of life for the patient, while directly or indirectly helping those who interact with their patient. For instance, a patient may opt to have family counseling in addition to individual counseling, directly helping the patient and their family. An indirect benefit may help an employer when the patient performs better at work.

Types

• Mental health workers include a variety of disciplines related to behavioral health. For instance, psychiatrists provide medication to treat mental conditions, and social workers provide either counseling or case management. Other types of mental health workers include dance, occupational, or recreational therapist. Mental health aids and technicians work under the supervision of a doctor or a psychiatric nurse, who implements the doctor's treatment plan. A therapist may refer clients to other types of professionals outside the mental health arena. For instance, a psychologist may recommend a personal trainer for an athlete who wants to train for the Olympics. A psychotherapist treating a patient dealing with religious issues may recommend additional guidance from a pastor for this type of issue.

Effects

• The results of receiving treatment vary from one patient to the next. Some patients gain independence and lead productive lives. Other patients rely on constant care. Some mental health workers provide short-term care, while others treat patients over the course of many years. The outcome and success may rely on the patient's participation in care and the quality of care they receive. Many of those receiving long-term care rely on public funds, such as Medicaid. Medicaid pays far lower reimbursement rates than private insurance companies do, so many doctors do not accept this insurance, leaving those patients with low quality or absent services. Those with good insurance coverage and high participation rates usually receive the best outcome from their treatment plan.

Considerations

• Workers in hospitals and other centers may practice in accordance with a school of thought or other set of theories. Treatment that a patient receives in one setting may not be the same method of treatment offered at another. As society grows and becomes more diverse, the need for multidisciplinary and bilingual workers will increase. Mental health workers provide more than services to the mentally ill. They serve a variety of needs in the private and social setting. Some workers provide services to the community, such as classes for debt management, credit counseling, and smoking cessation.