Psychologists deliver psychological services to individuals and groups in a wide range of settings. These include hospitals, primary health care, organized care, public university clinics, mental health facilities and other community-based treatment settings.
In most cases, the goals of therapy are to improve a person’s well-being. This may involve reducing symptoms, improving relationships and changing behaviors or lifestyles.
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a form of mental health treatment that can be helpful for a wide range of problems. It can help you develop coping skills, improve your relationships and gain a sense of self-awareness.
Psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed professional counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, psychiatric nurses and other licensed professionals with mental health training are all able to provide psychotherapy services. They will usually use their own theoretical perspective to understand your situation and how to best treat you.
Psychotherapy is often referred to as talk therapy, and it involves a dialogue between you and your therapist about the issues you are facing. It can also involve exercises, games and assignments that allow you to practice new coping skills or behaviors.
Counseling
Counseling is a type of psychotherapy that can benefit anyone who has concerns about their mental health and wellbeing. It involves talking with a therapist about upsetting or painful experiences that affect your life.
It also helps people overcome mental illnesses, such as depression and anxiety. These disorders can impact mood, thinking, and behavior and can lead to problems with relationships and work.
Symptoms of these conditions can include loss of interest in activities, sadness, grief, increased alcohol or drug use and difficulty regulating emotions. If these symptoms have persisted for more than two weeks, it may be time to seek help.
Therapy is a safe and confidential environment where you can talk about your concerns with a trained professional. It can help you gain a new perspective on your life and the issues you are facing.
Assessments
Psychological assessments are a range of evaluation methods used to obtain information about the individual being assessed. They can include standardized tests, rating scales, observations, interviews, and record reviews.
Counseling is a therapeutic process and the counselor must maintain an accurate understanding of the client’s situation (Juhnke, 1995; Whiston, 2008). Assessment supports the counselor’s ability to continue case conceptualization, treatment planning, and ongoing therapy.
Testing also offers a thorough documentation of the client’s history, symptom timeline, and impact on functioning. This information helps the counselor understand how to best meet the client’s needs.
There are a variety of tests available to the mental health professional, including MMPI-2 and the Rorschach. These tools can be useful in assessing cognitive and academic strengths and weaknesses, personality, social-emotional functioning, and more. They can also be helpful in identifying areas of risk in the client.
Case Management
Case management is a process of assessment, planning, implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation. It aims to transform lives through individualized services and care.
It involves working with the client to identify and prioritize their needs, provide services to meet these needs and achieve their goals, and ensure safe and effective transitions between services. It also entails advocacy for the client, their support system and their right to self-determination and autonomy.
The case management model is often based on strengths-based practice and is oriented around empowering clients and their support systems to overcome health barriers that are preventing them from meeting their goals. It is used by a range of professionals in the mental and behavioral health fields.
Case managers work in a wide variety of settings, including hospitals, mental and behavioral health clinics, substance abuse centers, homeless shelters, rehabilitation and housing facilities, and places of worship like churches. Their services are not limited to just these facilities, though; they can travel to the home of the patient or wherever else they feel most comfortable.
