Counseling in the State of Arizona - Essay Example

? Counseling in the of Arizona The of Arizona izes and regulates the practice of mentalhealth counseling, and this impact within the borders of the state (Onecle, 2010). The licensure laws are championed by the Arizona Counseling Association, which is under the umbrella of the American counseling association (ACA).the licensure laws and regulations in Arizona requires that an applicant for licensure should demonstrate to the board of Arizona counseling associations that he/she has met the qualifications outlined in the state’s professional health regulations outlined in chapter 19.1. the qualifications include the applicant (Onecle, 2010): a) Has met the education and training qualifications for the licensure prescribed in section 32-2071 and the regulation under this section of the law propounds that the accreditation be done by regional accreditation agencies; b) An additional requirement for each applicant to license is the mandatory 3000hrs of supervised professional work experiences (Arizona Department of Education/Vocational Technological Division, 1990). The applicant shall demonstrate clearly how the applicant met that requirement. The applicant shall obtain a minimum of 1500hrs through an internship, and the remaining 1500hrs obtained through any of the combination prescribed by the board, such as supervised pre-internship professional experiences, additional internship hours and supervised pat doctoral experiences; c) Has passed any examination required including those examinations as the national examination established by the association of the state and provincial psychology board.an applicant shall then be considered to have passed the national examination if he/she scores equal or exceeds either 70% on the written examination and a scaled score of 500 0n a computer-based exam; d) Has professional record that indicates that the applicant has constitutes ground for disciplinary action against licensee; e) Has not had a license or certificate to practice for reasons that relate to unprofessional conduct; f) Has not voluntarily surrendered a license in another regulatory jurisdiction in the US or Canada while under investigation for conduct that retaliates to unprofessional conduct; and, g) Does not have complaint, allegation, or investigation pending before another regulatory jurisdiction in the US or Canada that also relates to unprofessional misconduct (Dwight, 2004; Onecle, 2010)). The board has discretion to refuse an applicant license if it comes to its attention that an applicant is in breach of, or has engaged in a conduct that would constitute grounds for disciplinary action in the state. The board may also exercise its discretion if it has satisfied itself that the conduct of such an applicant has been corrected, monitored or resolved before issuing a license. The board must act diligently to ensure that the mitigating circumstances exists that prevent its resolutions (Anshel, 1995). The Mental health profession has gained momentum in the state of Arizona and this could be attributed to the developments that have been carried in this field. The mental health professionals in Arizona State include psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, mental health nurse, and licensed professional counselors. These professionals are required to be registered by the Arizona department of health services and are licensed by the Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiner. The professionals are to comply with the regulations that are laid down by the board before beginning to practice within the state (Dwight, 2004). The mental professional health has been diversified in such away so as to meet the ever-growing need of the mental health services which have continued to gain additional focus across the country. The statistics carried out by the Arizona Departmental of Health Services shed light on this. The report by the board indicates that more than half of all the adults in the country will experience a mental illness during their lives. The national statistics are even more staggering where the ratio of those affected is on the increase. The state of Arizona, bearing this in mind has stepped in to boost the mental health profession by ensuring by encouraging individuals to undertake mental health programs and education, so that the mental health services is effectively and efficiently delivered to the Arizonans (Anshel, 1995). The Arizona department of Health Services is the oversight body that regulates and supervises the mental health profession. The major justification for regulating the professionals is to ensure effective and efficient services to the people and to protect the interest of uninformed mental health care consumers. Health professional regulations in Arizona restrict the entry into the profession by setting minimum levels of education and experience required to practice. In addition, the regulation set by the oversight boards also specifies the legally permissible boundaries of practice for the health care provider (Arizona Department of Education/Vocational Technological Division, 1990). The Arizona Counselors Association is the body that brings together professional counselors all over the state. The association requires that the professionals be registered, usually done annually, and have been accredited with certificate of practice. A number of developments have emerged under this field and the primary reason for this is that society is always changing, and with these changes happening, counselors have to always be prepared to deal with the new emerging issues (Lizardi & Klein, 2005). The Arizona counselors association has developed annual refresher courses, seminars and workshops, where they are able to be updated and kept informed on the emerging trends in the field. With these, they are well-endowed with knowledge that makes them relevant in the counseling field and are able to offer services that satisfy the needs of their client. The training for counselors has also been expanded to include human growth development, social and cultural foundations, helping improve relationships, career and lifestyle development, and research and program evaluation (Gupta, 2001). The programs are tailored to broaden the counseling services and have also been included in the Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) coursework requirements of Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners and professional counselors. Professional counselors in Arizona are also prepared to work effectively in community work. They do this by periodically making home to home visits to offer free counseling services and are also required to conduct periodic evaluations to those families they deal with. In doing these, they ensure that the community’s psychological needs are stabilized. It also offers a platform for the board to ensure that the counselors are maximizing the accomplishment of counseling goals and objectives(Onecle, 2010). With these developments, the state residents seek to benefit from the quality service delivery to the people. Counseling services will be accessible with minimal struggle as the counselors are obliged to periodically offer their service for free. The developments will also encourage research in the emerging issues that affect individuals, and the research carried will bring solutions on how best mental health counselors are to approach and tackle the emerging issues. The developments will also see the implementation of strategies to curb stigmatization that impacts on the victims of mental health (Arizona Department of Education/Vocational Technological Division, 1990). Today, research in the mental health system has helped improve medication and rehabilitation models with which to work and the professionals in this field know how to meet the needs of the people it is meant to serve. Many patients still do not access mental health services while the quality of care for facilitating recovery as well as successful integration into community lacks. This is being addressed by the Arizona department of health services, which seeks to bring the services closer to individuals, and to promote awareness of these services to the victims (Lizardi & Klein, 2005). The majority of the funding of mental healthcare is public, and also involves an exceptional provision of the local, state and federal monies. It is primarily the role of state agencies that must coordinate the funds and reimburse it to finance mental health care in the state. In Arizona, the department of health services serves as the primary financial supporters of mental health. The agency has forged close partnerships with other state Medicaid directors and other administrators, to ensure the pool of funds is sufficient to provide adequate mental healthcare (Gupta, 2001). References Anshel MH (1995). Psychology from Theory to Practice, Arizona: Gorsugh Scanbrick Arizona Department of Education/Vocational Technological Division, (1990). Arizona Competency-Based Guidance Workbook. Phoenix, AZ: Self Dwight W (2004) The Soul of Counseling: A New Model for Understanding Human Experience, Impact Publishers Gupta S. (2001) Career and Counseling Education, Gyan Books Lizardi H & Klein DN (2005). Long-term stability of parental representations in depressed outpatients utilizing the Parental Bonding Instrument. J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 193(3): 183 – 188 Onecle (2010) Arizona Revised Statutes- Title 32 Professions and Occupations - Section 32-2071.01- Requirements for licensure; remediation; credentials.. Retrieved on 24th February 2012, from: http://law.onecle.com/arizona/professions-and-occupations/32-2071.01.html Read More