Is it possible to treat mental health without medicine?

Mental health professionals are a common practice and healthcare provider specialty in psychology. It focuses on how people individually cope with external situations and maintain their relationships at every age. Essentially, mental health addresses the emotional, social, work, school, and physical health concerns people face at different stages of life, including concerns about the future. This includes addressing both general life stressors and more serious issues. focuses on what people may struggle with, both individually and as part of families and groups. Psychologists who provide psychological counseling help people with physical, emotional and mental health problems to improve their sense of well-being, reduce feelings of distress, and resolve crises. They also provide evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of more serious psychological symptoms.

Specialized Knowledge

Across all stages of development (i.e., childhood, adolescence, adulthood and older age), counseling psychologists focus on:

• Healthy aspects and strengths of clients (whether being seen as individuals, couples, families, groups or organizations.
• Environmental/situational influences (how cultural, gender and lifestyle issues shape people’s experiences and concerns).
• Issues of diversity and social justice (e.g., advocacy).
• The role of career and work in peoples’ lives

Problems Addressed  ?

The problems addressed by counseling psychology are addressed from developmental (lifespan), environmental and cultural perspectives. They include, but are not limited to:

• School and career/work adjustment concerns.
• Making decisions about career and work, and dealing with school‐work‐retirement transitions
• Relationship difficulties‐including marital and family difficulties.
• Learning and skill deficits.
• Stress management and coping with negative life events
• Organizational problems.
• Dealing with and adjusting to physical disabilities, disease or injury.
• Personal/social adjustment.
• The development of one’s identity.
• Persistent difficulties with relating to other people in general.
• Mental disorders

Skills & Procedures Utilized

The procedures and techniques used within counseling psychology include, but are not limited to

• Individual, family and group counseling and psychotherapy.
• Crisis intervention, disaster and trauma management.
• Assessment techniques for the diagnosis of psychological disorders.
• Programs/workshops that educate and inform the public about mental health, school, family, relationship and workplace issues so that problems can be prevented before they start or reduced before they get worse
• Consulting with organizations.
• Program evaluation and treatment outcome (e.g., client progress).
• Training.
• Clinical supervision.
• Test construction and validation.
• Research methodologies for scientific investigations.