To Prepare:

• Review the information presented in the Learning Resources for using the Walden Library, searching the databases, and evaluating online resources.
• Begin searching for a peer-reviewed article that pertains to your practice area and interests you.

Question:

Using proper APA formatting, cite the peer-reviewed article you selected that pertains to your practice area and is of particular interest to you and identify the database that you used to search for the article. Explain any difficulties you experienced while searching for this article. Would this database be useful to your colleagues? Explain why or why not. Would you recommend this database? Explain why or why not.

Here’s the peer review article I selected: Sleep regularity in healthy adolescents: Associations with sleep duration, sleep quality, and mental health.

Citation:
Castiglione, F. C. E. G., Schaufler, S., Wild, S., Hamann, C., Kaess, M., & Tarokh, L. (2023). Sleep regularity in healthy adolescents: Associations with sleep duration, sleep quality, and mental health. Journal of Sleep Research. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13865

Selecting one of the six topics, you will be required to submit a 300-word minimum main topic posting. Your initial posting should be analytical, persuasive, or reflective in nature.

Topic 6: Mental Health: A Little Advice

Calhoun, M. W. (2019). Mental health: A little advice. American Jails, 32(6), 5–71.

Question: Improving access to mental health services for adolescence in the United States

Definition of the Problem:

Document the need for the program by describing its background and significance. Clearly and logically argue for the need for the program. Include data and relevant citations from the literature to support the significance (e.g., incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality, cost, etc.).

The issue is suicide is the second-leading due to the lack of resources .

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3731155/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5033306/

https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/access.html#improving-strategies

ADVOCATING FOR SOCIAL CHANGE AND IMPACTING LEGISLATIVE ACTION

Your ultimate goal of becoming a clinical mental health counselor means working with clients to help them understand and work through their issues and strengthen their overall well-being. A critical part of your development as a counseling professional involves learning about emerging issues your clients may be facing and using your unique position to impact positive social change.

Advocating for social change starts with choosing your message and getting the word out. The methods for making the public aware have progressed from flyers, brochures, and poster sessions at conferences to advocating online, including blogs, wikis, and social media. However, the central goal of these communications remains focused on presenting the issue and the goal as clearly and succinctly as possible. Using these skills to advocate for change, especially legislative action, can have widespread impact on you and your current and future clients.

This week’s Discussion has two components. First, you will develop skills to become an effective agent for social change by creating an informational product advocating for a particular population or issue that interests you. Then, you will take the next step by contacting an elected official to share your material and advocate for legislative action.

Post a brief reflection on the impact of your actions (3-5 sentences) and paste the content of your letter or email into the discussion board (do not submit as an attachment). Use the following questions to guide your reflection summary:

• How do your personal actions as a professional counselor (such as writing a letter to your congressperson) impact your current and future clients?
• How do these types of actions reflect Walden’s commitment to social change?

Include an attachment or link to your Social Change informational product with your discussion post and advocacy letter.

References

• Erford, B. T. (Ed.). (2018). Orientation to the counseling profession: Advocacy, ethics, and essential professional foundations (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
  • Chapter 14, “Advocating for the Counseling Profession” (pp. 435-457)
  • Chapter 15, “Advocacy Counseling: Being an Effective Agent of Change for Clients” (pp. 458-485)
• American Counseling Association. (2012). Home pageLinks to an external site..Links to an external site. Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org
• American Counseling Association. (n.d.-a). ACA branches.Links to an external site. Retrieved March 13, 2018, from https://www.counseling.org/about-us/divisions-regions-and-branches/branches
• American Counseling Association. (n.d.-b). ACA government affairs: Overview.Links to an external site. Retrieved March 13, 2018, from https://www.counseling.org/government-affairs/public-policy
• Longley, R. (2019, October 2). Tips for writing effective letters to Congress.Links to an external site. ThoughtCo. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/write-effective-letters-to-congress-3322301
• Multicultural Counseling Competencies Revisions Committee. (2015). Multicultural and social justice counseling competencies Download Multicultural and social justice counseling competencies.  Download .Retrieved from https://www.counseling.org/docs/default-source/competencies/multicultural-and-social-justice-counseling-competencies.pdf?sfvrsn=20

Respond to both responses:

Hello group mates,
Our topic and how we plan and implement our program will truly help many adolescents in the state. I hope that it gets adopted nationwide. Depression and other mood disorders are associated with interference in work, school, social life, and relationships (Parikh et al., 2018). I found an article that had the same that conducted a school-based program in Michigan named Peer-to-Peer Depression Awareness, aiming to decrease mental illness and promote well-being among high schoolers. The researchers had goals to improve the environment regarding mental health, directing students to resources and encouraging students to seek help if needed. The researchers went to 10 high schools and campaigned for peer-to-peer depression awareness to include changing attitudes toward depression, identifying signs and symptoms of depression, referring peers to resources as needed, and reducing the stigma about mental health illnesses. They utilized school staff and students “champions” to teach and attend peer mentorship classes. Through this school initiative, each school created a comfortable environment for students in the ten schools wherein they could talk about mental illnesses comfortably. We can learn from the research methods and hopefully use some of them in our program.

Respond to both responses:

Group 3,

After reading over our description of the program, I believe it is evident that mental health programs, specifically for adolescents, need to be implemented into schools for children to receive adequate help and treatment. The program discussed above does indeed provide adolescents with resources that include education and discussion regarding what mental illness is, as well as resources for those who are struggling with their own mental health. Furthermore, I like how this program involves the school counselors. This is an important aspect of the program as the counselors are ultimately the people that see the students the most and potentially have a better understanding of what is going on with the students when the program’s team of professionals is not around. However, it can be quite overwhelming and challenging for counselors to take on such a heavy student population. According to the American School Counselor Association, the recommended ratio of students to counselors is 250-to-1. However, in the state of Virginia in 2022, for example, the average ratio was 307-to-1. Moreso, several studies have noted that smaller ratios support increases in standardized test performance, attendance, GPA and graduation rates. Again, while decreasing the ratio of counselors to students is very difficult, implementing this program in schools can assist the counselors in aiding the students further in what they need and getting them the right mental health treatment.

One recommendation I would add to the program’s description is that it needs to be determined how we will refer or treat students who need further workup and/or care outside of school, meaning possibly in a clinic or even inpatient. This could involve having to get parents involved as well as insurance and finances that the students may not have or qualify for. To further this discussion, I would like to ask other classmates if they have any recommendations for this program as far as financial resources and/or free treatment centers that students could go to if the severity of their mental illness progressed to this point?

Thank you for the feedback in advance and please leave responses to the question below.