DQ 1. Have you ever suggested a psychiatric diagnosis to a staff member? Explain. If not, what are your thoughts on this topic?

Anyone needs to undergo counseling because mental health is important to our overall health and contributes to general well-being. It is important for a counselor to help anyone who is in need of their services, including our colleagues in the workplace. However, this has limitations on our part, and it is outlined in the code of ethics of the counseling profession that it is unethical to treat a close friend or a relative.

There was this one time I was faced with this situation, and I had to suggest a psychiatric diagnosis to a staff member who was also a close friend. At the time, she had just come from a traumatic personal issue. Whenever I looked at her, she looked as if she had symptoms linked to a mental condition though I did not have the accurate prognosis to term it depression. Whenever a colleague raised concern, she would say that she was fine, so I had to suggest a psychiatric diagnosis, and she was battling depression.

As councilors, we are entitled to helping out anyone in society; this includes those we share a workspace with. If I had not suggested the psychiatric diagnosis of my staff member, she would still be battling with a mental condition. My staff member is going through a session right now, and her condition seems to improve by the day. Sometimes we need to step up and work more than our clients to discover those who need our help in and out of session.

DQ 2. How has staff dealt with the death of a client? No, we have not at the facility where I am. I do have some training in American Sign Language (ASL). However, not enough to hold a conversation.

How people deal with death in any setting is devastating to our mental health. Good thing we have not recorded an incidence of a client passing away at the facility. If it did, I am sure that it would have been mentally devastating to the staff at the facility because we are attached to every individual client who comes in for treatment.

As a counselor, one should be knowledgeable in sign language because we work with different clients from all walks of life, including physically impaired clients. We owe these individuals our services because they are also humans. This is why it is important for a counselor to learn tools that aid communication with such clients. Some tools that aid in communication with clients that have hearing impairment include American Sign Language. I have some training in this language though it is not enough to hold a conversation.

It is important for a counselor to learn this language because hearing impairment is a leading cause of some chronic mental conditions. If some of these mental conditions in such clients happen, it could lead to further damage in such a client. To effectively communicate with these clients, a counselor should be knowledgeable in sign language. Hearing impairment is categorized as one of the most common chronic conditions that are linked to depression. Other mental conditions that are associated with hearing impairment are anxiety, schizophrenia, ad dementia. For a counselor to help clients with hearing impairment not suffer from mental conditions, they should know the ASL.

DQ 3. Does the intake at your agency ask for medical information? What medical questions do you think are the most important in evaluating a client at intake?

At the agency, we do issue an intake form for each new client that comes on board. An intake form is a questionnaire that we issue as an agency to essentially onboard our clients. This questionnaire asks a variety of random questions about the client to be admitted at the agency. These questions help us assess whether the client is a good fit for the services we offer as an agency. These questions also help us know whether we can develop a strategy that can fit their needs and interests. This is a critical step in developing a treatment plan since it sets a tone for the client, which will determine how you communicate for the rest of the sessions.

At the agency, we ask these random questions during the intake interview. During the intake, the questions established in the questionnaire are designed to establish or diagnose some problems that our client may suffer. During this time, we can determine a treatment plan for the client, or if a counselor feels that they are ineligible for handling that particular client, we can refer the client to another clinician.

The medical questions essential in evaluating a client at intake include why the client is seeking counseling, their history of drug and substance use and abuse, their mental health history, their former mental health provider, and the detailed information of the treatment. These questions are critical in assessing whether the client fits your description of services. Some help you formulate a prognosis of the condition they may be suffering from.