Did you know that about one in every six people have some kind of mental health problem? Recent statistics suggest that over 5 million adults in the United States had some kind of mental illness in the past year. Almost 20% of those adults also had a substance use disorder. In the past year, more than a quarter of young people drank alcohol and one fifth used an illegal drug. The term mental illness refers to all mental disorders that have been diagnosed. The illness includes abnormal thinking, mood or behavior associated with diminished performance. This can disrupt daily lives and cause premature death.
Mental health professionals help people manage or conquer mental and emotional conditions. They listen to their clients and ask questions to help the client understand the problems they are going through and develop ways to improve their lives. Mental health counseling offers specialized care for many mental health conditions including depression, compulsive disorder, suicide prevention and more. Specific programs deliver personal care for each individual. Chemical dependency programs include detoxification, hospitalization, and intensive outpatient care. Specialty programs include programs exclusively for women, elderly patients as they become more susceptible to depression, paranoia and other mental conditions as well as behavioral pain management programs to help treat chronic pain. Patients learn how to limit their use of prescription drugs and learn how to cope.
Mental health professionals work in a number of different settings such as private practice or hospitals, mental health centers and even schools. All states in the United States require that mental health counselors have a master’s degree and a license to practice. According to the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are over 500,000 mental health specialists whose main emphasis is on the treatment and identification of mental health and substance abuse matters.
When looking for Mental Health Jobs in Houston, Texas the job outlook is encouraging in the coming decade. Specialists in specific fields have a better job outlook than those who are not specialists. Employment of mental health counselors is expected to grow by over 30% through the year 2020.
