Florida Requirements to Be a Mental Health Counselor, Marriage, and Family Therapist - Coursework Example

Florida requirements to be a mental health counselor, marriage, and family therapist Mental health counseling addresses sensitive needs of the public and there would be needed an established code of ethics and requirements that would help have in place the right kind of professional counselors handling this responsibility. This would serve to advance the counseling profession, an element that would help fulfill the noble call to promote and conserve respect for human dignity and development. These professionals should have a place for diversity and strive to embrace a multicultural approach to addressing the needs of the public. Integrity in all areas would be paramount while duties are executed in a competent and an ethical manner. Florida Mental Health Counselors Association has always been keen to offer guidelines and provisions that define the requirements for anyone who want to serve as mental health counselor (American Counselling Association, 2014). Moreover, it regulates marriage and family therapist based on American Counselling Association (ACA) Ethical Guidelines (2014). Qualification and competence of the counselor is an area of concern. Florida underscores the need to have check in the counselling process. The patient has a right to be guaranteed of privacy and discretion. The counselor should conduct himself professionally and relate well with other professionals. He should be able to evaluate and assess the situation of the client. Events of administration and teaching should be done impartially and professionally. The counselors should be able to conduct study and share the findings with the public. Their counseling should be diverse and not restricted to face-to-face counseling. They should be committed to resolving any ethical dilemmas while involving all parties concerned. Counselling provides well-defined guidelines on licensing requirements. It offers a set of statutes and rules and elaborates on requirements and regulations regarding clinical, counseling and entire psychotherapy services (Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, 2014). It offers a segment that underscores expectations of the health profession and elaborates what the occupation entails. The Administrative Procedure Act details on how to conduct the required leadership during the counseling exercise. The practitioners are guided on how to proceed in cases related to children and base procedures on the evidence code. Mental health is well underscored and the licensing requirements demands competence and approved qualifications (Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, 2014). The board is inspired by the code of ethics stipulated by the American Counselling Association. Florida Mental Health Counselors Association expresses concern about a need for a healthy counseling relationship between counselors and the clients (American Counselling Association, 2014). The idea of trust is underscored where the client should feel comfortable in terms of confidentiality and privacy (American Counselling Association, 2014). The counselors should be committed to understanding the client without room for bias and appreciate diversity in culture and beliefs. The counselor should be keen to avoid judgment that would be based on his cultural values and backgrounds. The clients’ welfare should be safeguarded by all means necessary while his dignity is respected and promoted without incidences of being demeaned ( American Psychological Association, 2002). The counselor is expected to maintain records and ensure proper documentation to offer a reliable source of client’s progress and the range of services extended to him. The counseling plans settled for should be viable and open to change based on the needs of the client. Their effectiveness should be assessed to ensure that the client gets best possible assistances. The counselor is expected to provide a line of support network that suits with the client’s condition. Integrating the community and religious leaders, as well as other network, would better the client’s condition. Client’s consent should be an area observed to ensure that his rights are not violated. Any agreements should be well documented to underscore the choices made by the client (American Counselling Association, 2014). Counselors should be committed to avoid any dual relationships that would prove harmful to the clients. Their professional decision is key to the development of the client. Tendencies to abuse the client are dissolute and intolerable. Sexual affections amid counseling are forbidden. Intimacies would be only acceptable two years from the date of termination of the counseling relationship ( American Psychological Association, 2002). Florida board of mental association underscores the need for the counselor to be committed to protecting the clients in the event of group work. Vulnerable clients should be protected from psychological and physical trauma. They have a right to know the financial commitments that come with the entire counseling plan and clear explanations in the event of changed financial agreements ( American Psychological Association, 2002). The counselors should offer a clear period for the therapy process. Counseling should be terminated amicably while need to carry on with the procedure should be communicated and structured in a manner that fits patients’ needs. Inability of the counselor to address the needs of the client should not be an open door to abandon the client. The counselor should refer the client to the right professional and do a follow up to ensure that the client is afforded some assistance (American Counselling Association, 2014). The need to observe concealment of information is underscored. The information provided by the clients should not be shared with the public to avoid cases of humiliation of clients and violation of the right to confidentiality. The practitioner should be trustworthy and express concern about the need to safeguard the desires of his client among his subordinates. However, clients data can only be shared with his or her consent if it is to be shared to the public. Group counseling should not compromise client’s privacy. Records and documents should be safeguarded and disposed appropriately. The client should approve transmission of records from one individual to another. Counseling sessions should not be electronically recorded not unless the client is comfortable with the arrangement ( American Psychological Association, 2002). Counselors’ relationship with other professionals in Florida is addressed to ensure that persistent communication among professionals yields effectiveness in their services. The counselors must maintain professionalism in all areas and avoid accepting referral fees ( American Psychological Association, 2002). Professional responsibility is an area addressed in Florida. Counselors’ boundaries of competence should be well shared with the board to improve efficiency. Professional qualifications should be shared with the board before accreditation. The counselor must pursue further education and studies to ensure they remain competent (Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, 2014). The counselors should avoid offering services when their professionalism is impaired by their conduct or there is a case of public concern. They should offer clear information about themselves when advertising their credentials. The counselors should avoid abusing their attachment with institutions to engage in private practices. Groundless gains are unacceptable and practitioners are allowed to use their positions to seek such advantages. Seeking sexual favors should never happen and should avoid harassing clients sexually (American Counselling Association, 2014). Practitioners are allowed to share knowledge out of their research with their colleagues to ensure that clients’ needs are catered professionally. The therapists have a responsibility to inform their employers of any negative circumstances that may harm recovery of a client. They should help in having the right conditions and obtaining competent subordinate staff. Such subordinate staff should not be exploited or taken advantage over. Counselors should be in a position to evaluate and assess the client’s condition and offer a valid interpretation. The staff complicated should be in a position to address the necessities of the client competently. Practitioners should avoid basing their approvals on obsolete tests. Therefore, proper elucidations facilitate the recovery of the client (American Counselling Association, 2014). Florida is a home of research on health issues. The therapists are expected to be in a position to conduct research in the most standard ways to better the field in question. Such research should be conducted professionally without compromising the choices of the participants. Thus, their concealment should not be bleached while being subjected to physical or psychological harm. The counselors interpret gathered data correctly without bias. They should be committed to providing accurate research results. They should be willing to share the findings with relevant parties and give credit to the contributors (Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, 2014). Florida mental health association is keen on training, teaching and supervision. They should respect their students and exploit not their positions. Such students should obtain acknowledgement for their contribution to any scholarly project. The counselor supervisor should be competent enough in terms of methods and techniques to apply. The learners should be furnished with the requirements of the training program and evaluated based on their actual performance ( American Psychological Association, 2002). The counselors must always be committed to resolving ethical issues that come up in the line of duty. They must base their judgment on ACA code of ethics. Violations should be resolved amicably and reported if need be. The psychoanalysts should look up to pertinent committees and collaborate with them. All complaints should be addressed without bias or discrimination (American Counselling Association, 2014). The American Counseling Association code of ethics offers clear guidelines on how counselors should execute their duties. The code underscores the key areas of the occupation and is keen to touch on all participants of the field involved. The client and the counselor are key elements while the idea of relevant committees, other professionals and trainees create a range of shareholders. The code has sound strengths especially where it opens doors for distance counseling over technology-based avenues (Blaszczynski, 2010). This enables the fewer abled people to access such services at ease. Interaction with social media can be private and enhance client recovery (Barak & Grohol, 2011). Some counselors make money from such research without recognizing the contribution made by the participants who many times happen to be their clients. Counselors should observe integrity in their services. The American Counseling Association should provide clear guidelines on how to handle counselors who exploit clients sexually and financially. Some counselors have abused their positions for long and should not get away with it. The code of ethics for mental health counselors in Florida and the world over is an important component in health services provision. The code has sound strengths, but slight improvements would make it better. References American Psychological Association. (2002). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of ethics. American Psychologist, 12-30. American Counselling Association. (2014). American Counselling Association. Retrieved March 17th, 2015, from ACA: http://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf Barak, A., & Grohol, J. (2011). Current and future trends in Internet-supported mental health interventions. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 150-190. Blaszczynski, G. S. (2010). A systematic review of Internet-based therapy for the treatment of addictions. Clinical Psychology, 400-499. Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, M. &. (2014, July 24th). Licensed Mental Health counselor. Retrieved March 17th, 2015, from Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy and Mental Health Counselling: http://floridasmentalhealthprofessions.gov/licensing/licensed-mental-health-counselor/ Read More