Mental Health Worker - A Human Service Professional

Running head: MENTAL HEALTH WORKER: A HUMAN SERVICE PROFESSIONAL
Mental health worker: A human service professional
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MENTAL HEALTH WORKER: A HUMAN SERVICE PROFESSIONAL1
Introduction
Mental health workers are human service professionals responsible for the
assessment, diagnosis and treatment of psychological and behavioural dysfunctions,
particularly related to mental health. As these professionals provide additional care and
assistance along with suitable therapy and support, their work is considered as a service to
humanity. This paper aims to understand the roles of a mental health worker, to demonstrate
and analyse the foundations, developmental changes and legal implications of it as an
occupation in society. The main highlights of the paper include a background of mental
healthcare as a career, its status in the society, analysis of the significant changes that the
profession has undergone, and the policies and legislation surrounding the profession.
Discussion
Developments in medical research have led to a new dimension of dealing with
illnesses, called the psychological or mental healthcare approach. This modern approach, the
biopsychosocial model, portrays health and diseases as a combination of biological,
behavioural and social factors. The biological factors include the genetic predisposition of the
individual, the behavioural factors include lifestyle and stress of the person, and the social
characteristics involve family background and cultural origin. This model provides a holistic
solution to the disease by incorporating the behavioural and social factors, which give mental
support to the patient diagnosed with an illness. With growing advancements in the
biomedical paradigm, good health is no longer associated with physical symptoms and
conditions only but also includes mental state and fitness. The influence of mental health
workers such as psychiatrists, psychologists and community-health assistants on society is
now understood in diverse organisations, communities and cultures (Freeman et al. 2017).

MENTAL HEALTH WORKER: A HUMAN SERVICE PROFESSIONAL2
Mental health support is gaining increasing importance in recent years, especially in urban
areas, for multiple reasons, apart from mental or physical illnesses.
Presently, the concept of body-mind-behaviour relation has drastically shifted from
the biomedical paradigm to the biopsychosocial model with the emerging dependence of
mental state in the physical health of an individual. The World Health Organization (WHO)
has also adopted this approach and termed a universal model. The growing consciousness on
the matter led to the growing focus on problems related to mental health. After World War I,
the value and recognition of parameters relating to the mental state increased and made more
significant strides after the second world war in an attempt to provide relief and mental
support to the survivors. Over the past 70 years, this field has grown enormously by
broadening its horizons and adding a professional colour to it after the Colorado Conference
in 1949.
While the profession of mental health workers is diverse, it has different meanings in
different fields. A mental health worker is a general title given to the individual who is part of
mental health systems. The primary roles include those of psychologists and psychiatrists, as
well as some social workers. The duties of a psychologist and psychiatrist are similar, which
include the application of practical knowledge to treat mental diseases and perform social
responsibilities by conducting research and education in schools and universities. Registered
psychiatrist nurses are another type of mental health workers responsible for ensuring
treatment and medication as prescribed by the doctor. Some social assistants work as mental
health workers assist mainly in family and relationship problems with more inclination
towards community service. These workers are either graduates or work under the
supervision of licensed experts. Alcohol and substance-abuse therapists also come under
mental health workers and help in recovery by counselling and residential treatment facilities.
Counsellors guide behavioural management and advice strategies to control emotions,