Mental Health Counseling Field (Social Work perspective) - Essay Example

Mental Health Counseling Field Mental Health Counseling Field Part A. Q 2 The Causes and Consequences of Poverty From a Marxist point of view, people are poor because of class inequality that exists in the society. The more advantaged in the society oppress the poor by exploiting them. In the mid-1800, the rich people utilized the services of the poor and made sure they pay them just enough, and not a bit more. This situation made the working people keep on depending on their employers. Karl Marx hypothesized that there exists no justice for the poor in the society; the socially disadvantaged class received dire punishment for smaller crimes as compared to the rich.

It is the belief of Marx that a struggle among social classes will engineer the change required (Marx, 2008).According to Kirst Ashman, structural reasons are common causes of poverty, which fall under the economic and political systems. The economic factor of poverty occur where wages are low for the working class and not adequately fulfilling the survival needs of the workers, hence they remain under the poverty line. The movements of industrialists to North America where there are cheap production costs have also increased poverty because the availability of employment has decreased (Ashman, 2010).

The consequences of poverty are declining healthcare where most of the employment paying their workers poorly provides no healthcare policies. Insurance policies have forbidding costs that the lower class people cannot afford to raise. Nearly 15 per cent of citizens in the U.S. do not have health insurance cover. Poverty in families causes poor educational quality. It is a fact that the highest number of cases of people dropping out of school are from the poor class in the society. The poor are not as educated as the rich are.

The housing conditions of the poor are also unaffordable since of them live in inferior housings. Their property owners neglect them. Many of the poor people cannot afford to pay their rent. According to the Marxist, a culmination of socialist revolution is to be expected.Part B. Q 1Generalist PracticeMoshack, 2011, defines generalist practice as the application of diverse professional skills and roles in social work practice. The generalist practice is an ethical model based on a knowledge base, where social work is developed and based on values enhanced by social work (Ashman & Hull, 2007).

Social workers utilize this practice to engage, advocate and educate clients. They work with both individuals and communities in various social work settings. General practitioners involved in mental health have the obligation to view clients from the perspective of strength. The purpose for this is to establish the unique nature of every person and to be able to recognize and the capabilities of every client. Social workers provide services to mental clients in settings such as rehabilitation and mental health programs.

Their preference is because they have training based on generalist practices (Ashman & Hull, 2009). The practices emphasize respect for the self-determination of clients and usage of the strengths of the clients with the expected outcome as client empowerment.A vital benefit of social workers in mental health is that they view people as within their respective environment, that is, as an individual, part of a community or family (Ashman, 2008). Social work in mental health is multi-faceted, a combination of mental and social elements.

Generalist practitioners in mental health have advanced skills in assessment, treatment and prevention of psychological, social, behavioral and emotional problems that negatively affect clients.ReferenceKirst-Ashman, K. & Hull, H. (2007). Understanding Generalist Practice. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.Kirst-Ashman, K. & Hull, H. (2009). Generalist practice with organizations & communities. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.Kirst-Ashman, K. (2010). Introduction to Social Work & Social Welfare: Critical Thinking Perspectives.

Belmont, Calif: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.Marx, K. (2008). The Poverty of Philosophy. New York: Cosimo Classics.Mosack, V. (2011). Psychiatric Nursing Certification Review Guide For The Generalist And Advanced Practice: Psychiatric And Mental Health Nurse. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.