FAMCD Focus. Counseling By Jessica Gonzalez, M.S., FAMCD President-Elect

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1 March 2014 Volume 3, Issue 2 FAMCD Focus Articles in This Issue: Medical Considerations in Counseling Page 1 Multiculturalism and the DSM Page 2 President s Pen Page 1 Max Parker Scholarship Recipient Page 3 FAMCD.FACES PDI Page 4 Event Watch/Contact/ Article Submission information Page 5 Medical Considerations in Counseling By Jessica Gonzalez, M.S., FAMCD President-Elect A person walks into your office and they are presenting with a mental illness, substance abuse issue, and are medically ill. These three factors: mental illness, substance abuse, and medical illness can positively or negatively impact one another. As counselors it may be intimidating to address medical illnesses with clients due to the humanistic nature of counseling s embedment within a wellness model. However, before a counselor can provide services for clients coping with co-occurring disorders, it is imperative to evaluate whether their basic medical needs are being met. The following questions may be a helpful guide for counselors to consider when providing services for clients with cooccurring disorders/illnesses. Client Based: - Who or what does the client consider to be their support system throughout their medical treatment? - Does the client need to be referred to a social worker or case manager to figure out transportation services or financial resources?. continued. on pg. 2 President s Pen As we continue the pursuit of cultural competence, we should be mindful that medical and mental health conditions co-morbidly exist. Our clients often have hidden medical disabilities. Hidden disability is a catchall phrase that simply means that a person s impairment or condition is not obviously apparent or visible. These conditions should be given as much respect as any other obvious medical or mental health concerns. It is fundamentally important for the culturally competent counselor to inquire about the medical and mental health of our clients. One counseling focus that has been near and dear to my heart is working with families with differently able children. During the course of my professional and volunteer work, I have found it important to help families to: Know the disability but also help them to keep a balance while acquiring information so that other aspects of their lives do not suffer Normalize their lives Not blame each other for a member s condition. (This is especially important with parents)

2 Multiculturalism and the DSM By Olivia Uwamahoro, M.S. FAMCD Graduate Student Representative As we transition from the DSM-IV-TR to the DSM-V we need to ensure that we are continuing to be ethical counseling professionals. Since the DSM was initially introduced into the mental health field there have been multicultural issues associated with it. There are diagnoses in previous DSM versions, and as well as the current, DSM-V, which are based on social and cultural biases (i.e. personality disorders). In addition, research has shown that some populations are more frequently diagnosed with certain diagnoses (i.e. young boys being diagnosed at a higher rate with ADHD or African Americans receiving a diagnosis of Schizophrenia more frequently). Although some changes have been made to the DSM, the diagnostic process remains the same. By diagnostic process, I am referring to the steps taken by a counselor to gather the necessary data/information, about the client(s), prior to making a clinical diagnosis using the DSM. Furthermore, we also need to educate our clients about the DSM and their diagnosis, when applicable. All of our members are highly encouraged to seek out formal training on the DSM-V. While working with clients be reminded that all counseling is multicultural counseling. That means to take into account all aspect of the individual(s) in front of you and to see each client as unique. President s Pen...continued Advocate for their child and not be intimidated by doctors, schools administrators, etc. Own and process feelings and emotions such as anger, disappointment, bitterness, fear Effectively express emotions Facilitate a positive outlook Take care of themselves and other members of the family Take care of all relationships Find programs for all the children Avoid pity Develop a plan to answer deal with persons who do not understand their family s needs or might be inconsiderate of them Recognize that they are not alone. As I rest the president s pen, I want to encourage us all to respect our clients and be dedicated to uncovering the differences within and among us. Medical Considerations..continued Client based: - Is the client presenting symptomatology from their medical illness or mental illness? Counselor Based: - What is your knowledge level about client s medical illness? - What are your personal biases or ties towards the medical illness your client is coping with? - Do I need to seek consultation from a medical professional to better understand my client s presenting symptomatology?

3 Max Parker Scholarship Award Recipient Rachel Henesy Rachel Henesy was recently awarded the first annual Max Parker Scholarship. Rachel is currently in her third year in the Master s/specialist degree program for Mental Health Counseling at the University of Florida. She has volunteered as a certified crisis line counselor for a local crisis center and as a children's tutor with a local advocacy group. Rachel is currently a member of two mixed-level research teams and she has worked as a student assistant on three grant-funded research projects. Additionally, she is completing her Master's thesis, a phenomenological study exploring the strengths and resiliencies of lesbian and bisexual females who experienced dating violence during adolescence. Rachel worked for the University of Florida as a Graduate Peer Educator for STRIVE, an educational group devoted to raising awareness about interpersonal violence and educating students about safe bystander intervention. She recently completed her counseling internship at an alternative school for adolescent girls, where she provided individual and group counseling to clients. She currently teaches Introduction to Educational Psychology at the University of Florida, has served as the co-president for the UF student chapter of Counselors for Social Justice for the past two years, and serves as co-chair for the Chi Sigma Iota Beta Chapter's Advocacy Committee. Rachel serves as the Student Representative for the American Counseling Association Awards Committee, is the newsletter editor for the Florida Association of Multicultural Counseling and Development, and is on the Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling Affirmative Counseling and Social Justice Committee. Rachel has presented and/or co-presented at annual conferences held by the American Counseling Association, the Association for Assessment in Counseling and Education, and the Florida Counseling Association. She plans to continue her education at the doctoral level with an emphasis on issues of social justice, trauma, and oppression in counseling with adolescents.

4 FAMCD and FACES Presents SUPERVISION: A Multicultural Process A professional development seminar Participate in a lively, informative discussion on multiculturalism in the supervision process. Supervisors, supervisees and counseling students will learn effective strategies to successfully navigate the supervision process, practicum and internship. Keynote Speaker: Dr. Carlos Zalaquett President of the Florida Mental Health Counselors Association Professor - University of South Florida Argosy University Tampa, Florida April 12, :00am 12:00pm Registration Fee $10:00 Online Registration:

5 EVENT WATCH American Counseling Association Conference March 23 30, 2014 Honolulu, Hawaii FAMCD & FACES Professional Development Institute Supervision: A Multicultural Process April 12 Argosy Campus Tampa, Florida Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/famcd Website: famcd.wordpress.com/ Florida Association of Multicultural Counseling and Development (FAMCD) Newsletter Submission Guidelines: Submit up to 500 words related to multicultural counseling to FAMCD20@gmail.com FAMCD EXECUTIVE BOARD Detra Bethell (President) Detra_Bethell@hotmail.com Michelle Bradham-Cousar (Past-President) Michelle.Bradham@gmail.com Jessica Gonzalez (President-Elect), jessgo43@gmail.com Jermia Smith (Secretary), jermia.smith@gmail.com Colette McCleod (treasurer) cmcleod@rollins.edu Clarence Anthony (Legislative Chair), canthonyjr7@gmail.com Olivia Uwamahoro (Student Representative) olivia.uwamahoro@knights.ucf.edu Jessica Martin, jessicamartin@knights.ucf.edu Rachel Henesy (Newsletter Editor) rkhenesy@gmail.com