Who are allied mental health and human services professionals?
Allied Mental Health and Human Services Professions encompass the fields of Behavioral Analysis, Educational Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy, Mental Health Counseling, and Rehabilitation Counseling.
Licensed applied behavior analysts seek to produce socially significant improvements to the behavior of individuals through the use of environmental modifications and instructional systems. License applied behavior analysts develop treatment plans which often use contextual factors, antecedent stimuli, positive reinforcement and other consequences to foster new behaviors, increase or decrease existing behaviors, and elicit behaviors under specific environmental conditions. Behavior analysts often treat individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders and developmental disabilities. They also often work with families of diagnosed individuals and engage in behavioral coaching.
Licensed educational psychologists provide professional services to individuals, groups, organizations or the public. These services include applying psychological principles, methods and procedures in the delivery of services to individuals, groups, families, educational institutions and staff and community agencies for the purpose of promoting mental health and facilitating learning. The services may be preventive, developmental or remedial and include psychological and psycho educational assessment; therapeutic intervention; program planning and evaluation; research, teaching in the field of educational psychology; and consultation and referral to other psychiatric, psychological, medical and educational resources when necessary.
Licensed marriage and family therapists apply principles, methods and therapeutic techniques to individuals, family groups, couples or organizations for the purpose of resolving emotional conflicts, modifying perceptions and behavior, enhancing communication and understanding among all family members and preventing family and individual crises. Individual marriage and family therapists may also engage in psychotherapy of a nonmedical nature with appropriate referrals to psychiatric resources. In addition, professionals engage in research and teaching in the overall field of human development and interpersonal relationships.
Licensed mental health counselors render professional services to individuals, families or groups. They apply principles, methods and theories of counseling and psychotherapeutic techniques to define goals and develop a treatment plan of action aimed towards the prevention, treatment and resolution of mental and emotional dysfunction and intra or interpersonal disorders.
Licensed rehabilitation counselors apply principles, methods and therapeutic techniques of the rehabilitation counseling profession such as client assessment, job analysis, vocational assessment, counseling and job development. Rehabilitation counselors work to maximize or restore the capacities of physically or mentally handicapped individuals for self-sufficiency and independent living,(including vocational and social functioning), and to create conditions favorable to this goal. The objectives of rehabilitation counseling are to assist individuals, families or groups; serve an advocacy role with communities or groups toward the provision or implementation of rehabilitation services; and carry out research and teaching in the field of rehabilitation counselor education.