Mental Health: Screening and Assessment

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The way and the conditions when screening is used

There is a great number of different problems which people face in their life. High tempo and constant stress can result in serious issues that can make the life of a person unbearable. With this in mind, there is no use denying the fact that these problems should be discovered, and a person should be helped to get rid of them. However, sometimes it is very difficult to determine what exactly disturbs a person and how he/she can be helped. That is why the practice of screening exists.

The main purpose of this practice is to determine whether a person needs assessment or not. Being similar, screening and assessment, though, have some obvious differences. Screening is the basic procedure that helps a specialist to determine main problems and questions which should be considered. In other words, it prepares a person and a professional for the following procedure of assessment, which, in its turn, is aimed at gathering some certain information about a person in order to create a unique plan of treatment (Kaplan & Saccuzzo, 2012).

Screening involves asking questions carefully designed to determine whether a more thorough evaluation for a particular problem or disorder is warranted (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2009). Moreover, it does not demand a great level of proficiency, and that is why it is not so complicated. However, it still can be taken as one of the most important and efficient instruments which a counselor has as the work with a patient usually starts with this very practice. In order to determine which procedures can be applied to a patient, a counselor should necessarily master the practice of screening.

The legal and ethical parameters related to administering and interpreting assessment tools

However, a counselor should be very careful while trying to determine the main reasons for some problems of a patient. First of all, he/she should take into account some peculiarities of the character of a person, his/her views, and beliefs. Moreover, the purpose and behavior of the processes of screening and assessment should be explained. A person should understand that it is done in order to help him/her, and that is why his/her answers should be absolutely frank. Moreover, in some cultures, private questions can be taken as inappropriate, especially if a patient and a counselor are of the opposite sex. “Screening and assessment must be approached with a perspective that affirms cultural relevance and strengths” (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 2009, p. 58).

That is why it is recommended for a counselor to use methods, questions, and practices that have already been tested and which are known to be appropriate for people with different peculiarities of culture. Additionally, in some cases, a person can be poor at English, and this fact can destroy understanding between a patient and a counselor. With this in mind, it is better when screening and assessment are conducted in the native language of a patient. Besides, a counselor should also mind that all information gained with the help of these procedures cannot be used by him/her for some personal purposes.

Moreover, he/ she is not able to share it as it is illegal. There are certain laws that regulate the activity of counselors and provide severe punishments for different violations. With this in mind, it should be said that a good counselor should take into account the cultural peculiarities of a patient and mind the possibility of punishment in case of different violations.

The sanctions and educational requirements for a professional to administer and interpret assessments as governed by the North Carolina state as well as the guidelines of the American Counseling Association (ACA)

There is no use denying the fact that information obtained by counselors in the process of screening and assessment is very private and can damage a person seriously. That is why there is a special code that regulates the functioning of the whole system. ACA Code of Ethics is the set of main rules and recommendations which are necessary for all specialists who work in this field. First of all, this Code states that everything should be done for the benefit of people who are served by counselors. Moreover, informed consent must be obtained. Additionally, this Code provides description and punishments which could be applied in case of violations.

A counselor can be punished for disclosure of research information (American Counseling Association, n.d.). Usually, a specialist does not have the right to disclose research information as it can lead to the identification of a person and his/her dissatisfaction with the whole process. The Code also suggests a description of the main demands of a counselor and his/her level of knowledge. It is obvious that a good counselor should have good knowledge of all standards which are peculiar for this sphere and, moreover, his/her personal competence should be obvious.

There is a special practice of monitoring the efficiency of counselors, which helps to evaluate the level of knowledge and understand whether a counselor is good as a specialist or not. Additionally, the Code outlines the necessity of the constant self-development of counselors as new approaches appear regularly. Having analyzed the main points of the ACA Code of Ethics, it is possible to state the fact that there is a great number of different demands to a counselor as his/her work is very important and needs a high level of knowledge.

References

American Counseling Association (n.d.). Code of ethics. Web.

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.(2009). Chapter 4: Screening and Assessment. In Substance Abuse Treatment: Addressing the Specific Needs of Women. (Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 51.). Web.

Kaplan, R., & Saccuzzo, D. (2012). Psychological Testing: Principles, Applications, and Issues. Boston: Cengage Learning. Web.

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Mental Health: Screening and Assessment

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