Consultation And Advocacy Analysis

1148 Words5 Pages
The Role of Consultation and Advocacy Society may have the perception of mental health counselors working one-on-one with clients as a way of providing services and expertise toward treatment. Mental health counselors have various methods and opportunities to expand how effective they can be for the overall benefit of the client. Consultation and advocacy serve as processes that assist in this effectiveness and each has particular elements identifiable in application (Moe, Perera-Diltz, & Sepulveda, 2010). There are also benefits and barriers to client services where consultation and advocacy can assist clients with obtaining mental health care services. Strategies for impacting these barriers include mental health counselors understanding…show more content…
In general, consultation always has the intention of impacting a client while advocacy is action by the counselor that has an intention of impacting social change. Consultation in mental health counseling occurs when a counselor seeks out other relevant individuals or organizations in an effort to aid a client and to “improve functioning so that the counseltee can be more effective” with present and future clients (Carney & Jefferson, 2014, p.303). In general, each party is expected to be active for the well-being of the client. Alternatively, advocacy takes place when a counselor interacts with an individual, community, institution or organization in an effort to effect change on behalf of clients and client related issues. In addition, social justice advocacy occurs when a counselor reflects on their own privilege and seeks to promote social change for individuals that are marginalized in the larger society (Moe, Perera-Diltz, & Sepulveda, 2010). Advocacy, as an example, can be a counselor assisting a client, who is a transgender teenager, with getting access to additional resources to aid in their mental health care. This same counselor can also seek to contact community representatives to make a presentation regarding the need for allocation of resources toward transgender youth and mental health counseling. This is an example of…show more content…
Mental health counselors may seek out expert on a particular client-related issue. According to Carney and Jefferson (2014), seeking out expert consultation is a very common practice. An appropriate use of this type of consultation includes a mental health counselor seeking to collaborate with a dietician regarding a young female client’s eating disorder. The counselor would also consider working with her primary physician and a nutritionist. Advocacy in mental health counseling would be used to remove barriers around client-related issues that center on power and privilege. An appropriate use of advocacy includes a mental health counselor, seeing a pattern of young women from a particular community seeking out counseling around eating disorders, contacting and working with local community organizations to develop programs targeting and educating young women around proper diet and

More about Consultation And Advocacy Analysis

Open Document