Clinical Mental Health Counseling Research Articles

Exploring the Use of Music to Facilitate Counseling Student Development

ABSTRACT Novice counseling students can have difficulty connecting with foundational course content and developing their new professional counselor identity. In this phenomenological study, researchers explored the use of music as a creative teaching tool to facilitate learning and counselor development among clinical mental health counseling students enrolled in an introductory counseling course. Students reported the use of music deepened their affect, expanded their perspectives about course content, energized them to take responsibility and act, enhanced awareness of creative engagement for teaching and counseling, and facilitated classroom discussions.

Supporting Clinical Mental Health Counseling Doctoral Supervisors in Supervising School Counselors-in-Training: Challenges and Strategies for Integration

Supporting Clinical Mental Health Counseling Doctoral Supervisors in Supervising School Counselors-in-Training: Challenges and Strategies for Integration

A Path Towards Intersectionality-Informed Counseling Sexology: A Special Commentary

It is the goal of professionals within the field of counseling sexology and sexual wellness to provide clients with clinical mental health counseling through a sex-positive and affirming framework. To do so, clinicians must pay special attention to best practices in the field, especially as it relates to historically oppressed and minoritized clients. To do so, appropriate training is required to inform care. Furthermore, clinical practice is also informed by research, making it imperative that research is conducted related to various aspects of sexual wellness and treatment. This commentary will identify and discuss sexual health and wellness priorities within the field of clinical mental health counseling to outline future directions for the field.

Sex-Positive Clinical Supervision: A Special Commentary

This commentary focuses on clinical competencies, research frameworks, training implications that elevate the meta-competence awareness for the clinical supervisor. There is an identified need to expand sex-positive clinical supervision guidelines. The supervisory setting is created for the safety and personal-professional growth of the supervisee, where it is an opportunity to conceptualize the thematic development of our clinical evolution. In this space, we set a foundation for clinical frameworks to guide the applicability of specific intervention methods and strategies that allow for the critical formulation of a healthy therapeutic outcome. Without established and robust sex-positive frameworks in supervision, the clinical supervisor is exposed to incompetent practices that miss an adequate assessment, detection, and treatment, all critical elements of the conceptualization process. To make matters worse, the lack of training and preparation in sexual wellness and other sexual topics is transferred onto the supervisee, creating a circuit of uninformed clinicians and left to fend on their own when encountering a future client seeking treatment. Not only are we causing a disservice to our supervisees, but we are perpetually injuring the clinical community as a whole. This commentary will examine the clinical, research and training priorities in clinical mental health counseling.

Creating sanctuary: A programmatic approach for trauma integration in counselor education

AbstractMost individuals receiving mental health treatment have trauma histories, yet counselors and counselor educators trained in traditional counseling programs have insufficient background in trauma and trauma‐informed care. Here, we describe the literature‐supported approach we use to integrate trauma knowledge and competencies across the graduate clinical mental health counseling program.

Positive Psychology and Therapy Animals: A Conceptual Integration for Counseling Practice

Animal-assisted therapy in counseling (AAT-C) provides several key enhancements to counseling practice, including the promotion of emotional regulation and social skills. Various approaches exist for integrating counseling theories with AAT-C; however, the inclusion of therapy animals in positive psychology practice has yet to be explored in the counseling literature. In this article, we propose an integrated counseling treatment approach that blends AAT-C with the PERMA (positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment) theory of well-being. We review key concepts of PERMA and AAT-C, as well as delineate the beneficial mental health effects of human–animal interactions through the theoretical underpinnings of positive psychology. We then link animal involvement in AAT-C to specific intervention strategies and the understood mechanisms of change described in the PERMA model, followed by the description of a brief hypothetical counseling case example. We conclude with ethical considerations and implications for clinical mental health counseling practice and research.

Exploring substance use perceptions among Family Therapy and Counseling trainees upon entering an opioid use disorder treatment training program

ABSTRACT Little is known about Couple/Marriage and Family Therapy (C/MFT) or Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) trainees with respect to their baseline perceptions about substance use and other systemically relevant therapeutic concepts integral to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. Understanding trainee’s baseline perceptions upon entering a SUD-focused training program may allow for directed tailoring of the training to meet student’s educational needs in learning about how to work with families affected by SUD most effectively. To help address this gap, this study examined substance use perceptions of C/MFT and CMHC trainees upon initial enrollment in an opioid training program. Masters-level trainees completed a baseline survey assessing substance use/user perceptions, efficacy in working with substance-using clients, interprofessional collaboration, multicultural competency, and professional quality of life. Baseline data from n = 61 trainees were examined. Findings indicated substance use perceptions were related to trainee efficacy, multicultural competence, and professional quality of life. Further, there were group differences in drug perceptions based on previous substance use training and in trainee efficacy related to working with families affected by substance use, as well as and previous experience working with families affected by substance use. The current findings can inform development and refinement of substance use training within the behavioral health fields and develop the substance use workforce.

Advocacy and Creativity in Community: A Social Justice Project for Counseling Students

The proven effective teaching of social justice advocacy competencies while recognized as important by the counseling profession and counselor education programs, remains somewhat nascent in its implementation. Evidence suggests that experiential and constructivist approaches to the teaching of multicultural and social justice counseling competencies represent a worthwhile pedagogical foundation and set of tools in furthering multicultural and social justice counseling competencies in counseling students. The author relates, in detail, the implementation of an experiential, client/community-based, social justice and mental health advocacy project, the Advocacy and Creativity in Community (ACC) Project as a final class assignment in the last term prior to graduation within a CACREP-accredited clinical mental health counseling program in the Northwest region of the United States. Descriptions of student projects, the multitude of benefits for clients/participants and students as elicited from student reflections, and the author’s reflection after three years of implementing this project are presented. This project exemplifies the benefits within the literature of taking an experiential and constructivist approach to social justice advocacy training in counselor education programs.

Meaningfulness and selecting clinical mental health counseling as a career: A cross‐sectional pilot study of master's students and recent graduates

AbstractMaster's students and graduates in two Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) clinical mental health counseling programs participated in the Role of Meaningfulness Survey. The results indicated that a sense of meaningfulness and being true to yourself may particularly be important for those who choose a high “burnout profession,” as it can contribute to their resiliency.

The Lived Experiences of Clinical Mental Health Counseling Internship Students Providing Home-Based Therapy

The Lived Experiences of Clinical Mental Health Counseling Internship Students Providing Home-Based Therapy

Introduction to the Special Edition: Policies and Practices

Introduction to the Special Edition: Policies and Practices

The Need to Consider Requiring Trauma Training in Entry-Level Academic Training Programs in Clinical Mental Health Counseling

The COVID-19 pandemic and heightened awareness of racial injustice and discrimination in the United States are likely to have a negative impact on mental health. This is concerning, given the already alarming prevalence rates of trauma exposure and adverse childhood experiences in the U.S. general population prior to the current pandemic, their immediate and long-lasting effects on human development across the life span, and their documented effects on adult chronic health conditions. For clinical mental health counselors (CMHCs) to respond effectively to the needs of the U.S. general population, entry-level counseling programs must provide comprehensive trauma training and education. The purpose of this article is to provide information about clinical competencies and relevant training requirements for CMHCs in trauma prevention and treatment to highlight the need to require comprehensive trauma training in entry-level academic training programs for CMHCs through relevant research and policy.

Assessment of clinical mental health counseling competencies for preparation programs

AbstractThe evaluation of clinical mental health counseling competencies is essential for preparation programs. Therefore, our article (a) reviews the developmental nature of counselors‐in‐training, (b) presents the importance of quality evaluation measures, (c) introduces the Assessment of Clinical Mental Health Counseling Competencies, and (d) offers implications for research and practice.

Counselor Educators' Perspectives on Helpful Learning for Clinical Mental Health Counseling Students

Thirty‐two counselor educators completed Q sorts measuring beliefs about helpful learning for clinical mental health counseling students. Four viewpoints developed: Preparing Scientists of Counseling, Preparing Agents of Change, Preparing Lifelong Learner‐Practitioners, Preparing Artists of Counseling. Implications for teaching and curricula within counselor education programs and future research directions are discussed.

Implementing a Latinx Counseling Concentration Within a CACREP Program

Latinx individuals represent one of the fastest growing cultural identities in the United States. The hegemony of White Eurocentrism in traditional counselor education requires programs to innovate to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to address the mental health needs of Latinx‐identifying clients. This article outlines the steps taken by one clinical mental health counseling program to design and implement a Latinx counseling concentration within the existing curriculum. Outcomes achieved and lessons learned in the first 3 years are offered as recommendations to other institutions recognizing the need for a similar concentration within their counselor preparation programs.

Advocacy, Social Justice, and Counselor Identity During the Black Lives Matter Movement

Advocacy, Social Justice, and Counselor Identity During the Black Lives Matter Movement

Perceived Stress and Self-Care in Graduate Students Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: This study examines the perceived stress and self-care behaviors of graduate students as impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Students who participated had varying degree concentrations, with the majority of participants having a Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Couples and Family Therapy, Dance Movement Therapy, or Clinical Psychology focus. This study is particularly relevant to health care workers, especially those whose focus is mental health. Markedly elevated prevalence of reported adverse mental and behavioral health conditions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the broad impact of the pandemic and the need to prevent and treat these conditions. This study sought to examine the presence and significance of a relationship between perceived stress, self-care strategies, and participant characteristics and the impact of COVID-19.

Outcomes of “Integrated Behavioral Health” Training: A Pilot Study

The purpose of our study was to investigate the effects of training in integrated behavioral health in the primary care (IPC) setting and evidence-based practices (EBPs) on graduate level clinical mental health counseling students’ knowledge and skills for working with children and youth. This study utilized a mixed method design by recruiting a sample of 12 students from a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) accredited urban ethnically diverse university in the northeastern region of the United States. Quantitative analysis indicated a positive and increased change in knowledge and skills associated with IPC and EBP training to work with children, adolescents, and transitional youths. Thematic analysis of the reflection journals of training yielded the following three categories: increased awareness and knowledge, increased sense of competency, and personal feelings came up after training. The implications for training counselors, counselors educators, and students are discussed.

Examination of Family Counseling Coursework and Scope of Practice for Professional Mental Health Counselors

This study examined couple and family counseling coursework in the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)–accredited clinical mental health counseling (CMHC) programs and scope of practice related to couple and family counseling based on each state’s licensure regulations for mental health counselors (MHCs). Required and offered courses in couple/family-related content areas for 331 CACREP-accredited CMHC programs were analyzed. In addition, state licensure regulations for all 50 states and Washington, DC, were examined to determine whether MHCs can conduct couple and family counseling based upon licensure regulations. The results of this study indicated a mean of 1.1 couple/family-related courses required and a mean of 2.3 of these courses offered within CMHC programs. All but one of the 51 licensure regulations analyzed either permits or does not specify whether couple/family counseling falls within the scope of practice of MHCs; these 50 state/territory regulations also lack concrete guidelines related to required training or supervised experience in couple and family counseling to provide this service competently as an MHC. Limitations and areas for future research and training opportunities are discussed in light of these results.

The accelerating profession of clinical mental health counseling

The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) supports licensed clinical mental health counselors (LCMHCs) and is dedicated to advancing the clinical mental health counseling profession through professional development, educational publications, continuing education and training, career guidance, standards of practice, research, advocacy and other resources, such as networking opportunities.