Community‐Based Interventions: A Return to Community Mental Health Centers' Origins

Abstract

Consultation services offered by community mental health centers (CMHC) have gone through several significant changes since the signing of the Community Mental Health Center Act of 1963 (The President's Commission on Mental Health, 1978). Initially, consultation and education services were an integral part of the CMHC mission. With the passage of additional legislation that promoted a shift in focus, consultation services declined. By 1981, with the passage of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (Cutler, 1992) national mental health policy was adrift. Consultation and education were no longer seen as central components of mental health services, which increasingly were tied to acute care hospitalization. With a renewed focus on consultation and education, a coherent mental health policy can be reintroduced at the community level.

Teaching Advocacy Counseling within a Social Justice Framework: Implications for School Counselors and Educators

“…Students in counselor education programs must be made aware that effective interventions when working with oppressed and disenfranchised clients will be conducted outside of their offices and in the communities, exacting change at the sociopolitical level. Mental health practitioners who rely heavily on traditional counseling and psychological paradigms and theoretical orientations that emphasize weekly, face-to face sessions have discovered inadequacies when addressing modern society"s marginalization of diverse groups and individuals (D" Andrea & Daniels, 2001;Green, 2005;Lewis & Bradley, 2000;Werner & Tyler, 1993).…”

Collaborative Consultant: A New Role for Counselors Serving At‐Risk Youths

“…The Community Mental Health Center Act of 1963 provided the impetus for establishing community mental health centers dedicated to offering accessible and comprehensive services (inpatient, outpatient, emergency, and partial hospitalization) that would be coordinated with other agencies, provide for a continuity of care, and emphasize prevention through consultation and education (Lewis & Lewis, 1989). In practice, however, ensuing changes in public policy prevented community mental health centers from obtaining the support necessary to fully implement the proposed consultation and education plans (Werner & Tyler, 1993). This resulted in many community counselors providing direct counseling services for a majority of the time.…”

“…Historically, counselors have espoused the need for collaboration and consultation (Borders & Drury, 1992;Schmidt, 1996;Werner & Tyler, 1993), but it is the integration of these processes across organizations and team members through the collaborative consultation model that is recent. Such integration is necessary when dealing with more complex school, community, and societal issues (e.g., violence, alcohol abuse, and drug use).…”