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Introduction
The economic status of an individual, family, or community significantly influences their social and mental well-being. There is a relationship between an individuals financial stability and mental health (Gilroy et al., 2021). Most people with low economic status are likely to have low health status. With rising gas and food prices, the Aboriginal community has been feeling the pressures of the cost of living. More people are homeless, hungry, and in need of warm beds at night because they cannot afford to pay for their utilities. Based on this, since poverty increases the risk of mental illness, it is important to understand the communitys economic status. Therefore, considering the financial status of the people living in the community will impact the therapy.
Cultural Factors
Culture has a major impact on many aspects of mental health, such as how people perceive health and illness, how they act when they need help, and how they deal with stress. It affects how people deal with everyday and more serious problems (Gilroy et al., 2021). When supporting an Aboriginal communitys mental well-being, it is critical to recognize the strengths and protective aspects of culture, kinship, and family. It is equally crucial to understand that feelings of trauma and loss are usually passed from one generation to the next. The accumulated pain and grief will likely have an intergenerational impact (Howard, 2016). A good understanding of the communitys cultural factors will enhance the therapys effectiveness.
Environmental Factors
The environment and experiences have an impact on the mental health of a community. Natural disasters can be devastating and make it hard to cope with life. People directly affected by natural disasters like floods may get hurt badly or lose loved ones and friends. Direct people may have trouble sleeping, have anger, irritability, or feel guilty. The community is susceptible to mental illness due to natural disasters. Based on this, a good understanding of the impact of environmental factors will help recognize the degree of damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the series of floods. As a result, the ecological aspect is integral because it increases an individuals knowledge of the problem.
Practical Approaches
Cognitive Behavior Therapy
Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is an approach to treatment that has successfully treated a wide variety of mental and emotional health conditions, including anxiety and depression. The goal of CBT is to teach people skills for effective self-help and enable them to recognize and fight problematic thinking. All counseling approaches are intended to bring about instantaneous improvements (Pease, 2020). CBT may benefit anyone who requires assistance in challenging unhelpful thoughts, hindering them from achieving their objectives or living the life they want. This approach effectively manages the case of the Aboriginal community because it will help eliminate the negative perception of life brought about by the events.
With this approach, I will organize town hall meetings in the community to educate them on effective coping strategies. This will give them the devices they need to confront negative thoughts and replace them with more positive and realistic ones. It will inform people that they can control their thoughts, feelings, and actions. CBT helps people question and get rid of automatic beliefs. In addition, it will give the community members ways to change or modify their behavior to fit the challenges. The result will be that people feel better, making them think and act better. I will ensure that every community member is taught how to develop the appropriate mindset to cope with the challenges they may experience.
Formation of Support Groups
Support groups connect individuals who are experiencing or have experienced comparable circumstances. It is a group of people who talk about their problems, experiences, and ways to solve them. Talking to other people who have been through the same illness or condition as you can help people feel less alone (Green, 2019). A social group allows individuals to discuss their personal experiences, emotions, coping mechanisms, and first-hand knowledge about diseases and treatments. For example, people facing problems caused by COVID-19 are supposed to connect with those who went through the same situation and overcome the issues. Therefore, a support group comprised of individuals who share similar experiences may serve as a bridge between medical and emotional needs.
Since social groups are integral in managing mental health issues, I will ensure that the community members are linked with individuals who have experienced the problems. I will schedule regular meetings in hospitals, community centers, town halls, and council meeting rooms. There will be keynote speakers and time for people to talk about their lives. There will also be refreshments and time to get to know each other. This will offer psycho-social support to people with mental problems in the community. In addition, I will ensure that people who effectively overcome mental issues are part of the team focused on helping the community cope with the problems.
Personal Skills and Knowledge
There are several personal skills and knowledge that I will bring to the organization and the community. Empathy is the first skill that I bring forth to help the community. It is understanding and feeling what someone else is going through, even if they do not tell what they are thinking or feeling. A good therapist can understand the choices and feelings of many different people, even if they do not agree with those choices or feelings (Maidment & Bay, 2012). Second, I will bring social and communication skills to the organization to help manage the situation. The skill and knowledge I acquired will enable me to interact with community members effectively, understand their problems, and communicate appropriate solutions. Therefore, empathy and communication skills will help the organization achieve its intended purpose in the community.
Moreover, I bring with me problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. Problem-solving is a technique that enables an individual to find solutions to problems effectively. With this capability, I will help the organization and the community manage their issues. Critical thinking is an important skill in psychology, such as research, therapy, and teaching. Since many different parts of psychology are subjective or seem to be, critical thinking is important in psychology to tell the difference between bad logic and unavoidable uncertainty. In psychology, it is important to think critically because psychologists need to decide for themselves if the conclusions are true or not.
Critical Reflection
My values and beliefs will significantly impact my practice as a therapist in the community. I have a flexible attribute, which will be integral when attending to the community. I must adapt to my clients unpredictability to be an excellent counselor. Some clients will be late or cancel appointments, and people will request emergency sessions. Based on this, I will be able to tolerate the behaviors of the clients to ensure that the intended purpose is achieved. As a good counselor, I must have a flexible attitude and unconditional positive respect to guarantee that my clients feel comfortable and understood, which is conducive to forming a therapeutic partnership.
I will use my values of being respectful and non-judgment during practice. As a good therapist, I must accept each clients thoughts and challenges and never impose my beliefs and values. Self-disclosure must be used cautiously and only when required to advance the therapeutic partnership. The therapeutic alliance is one of the most significant predictors of success. Normally, a healthy therapeutic relationship is defined by trust, agreement on therapeutic goals set collectively on the treatment plan, and a collaborative effort to accomplish these goals.
Conclusion
To conclude, the practice will benefit from the cultural background that I provide, as well as the strength that I wield. Helping people who are less fortunate or vulnerable is an important practice. Based on this, I will concentrate my efforts on assisting people struggling with mental health issues by employing the proper intervention. I will be able to organize meetings in the neighborhood to educate the members of the community on efficient ways to cope with the situation by utilizing the influence that I have inside the organization. In my role as a counselor, I will collaborate with community leaders, social workers, and other individuals who may have an interest in assisting the community in finding solutions to its issues.
References
Gilroy, Dew, A., Barton, R., Ryall, L., Lincoln, M., Taylor, K., Jensen, H., Flood, V., & McRae, K. (2021). Environmental and systemic challenges to delivering services for Aboriginal adults with a disability in Central Australia. Disability and Rehabilitation, 43(20), 29192929.
Green. (2019). Social work and cultural support. In Bennett, S. Green, B. Bennett, & S. Green (Eds.), Our voices: Aboriginal social work (Second edition., pp. 175189). Macmillan International Higher Education.
Howard, A. (2016). Rural, regional and remote social work: practice research from Australia. Routledge.
Maidment, & Bay, U. (2012). Social work in rural Australia. A&U Academic.
Pease, B. (Ed.). (2020). Doing critical social work: Transformative practices for social justice. Routledge.
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