Use Your Counseling Degree to Reduce the Stigma of Mental Health Conditions

Stigmas are negative stereotypes attributed to an individual because of a personal characteristic they may possess. Stigmas are often tied to false beliefs about those personal characteristics. For those suffering from mental health disorders, social stigmas can be as severe as they are pervasive. But professionals whose careers center on clinical mental health counseling provide self-help steps and programs to enable individuals to overcome the fear of those negative perceptions—and seek the help they need for their underlying condition.

These statistics from the National Alliance of Mental Illness offer some insight into the scope of this particular issue:^*

• One in five U.S. adults—approximately 43.8 million—experiences a mental illness in a given year.
• More than half of the 20.2 million adults in the U.S. who experienced a substance abuse disorder had a co-occurring mental illness.
• 50% of all chronic mental illness begins by the age of 14, 75% by age 24.
• Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S., the third leading cause of death for those ages 10 to 14, and the second leading cause of death for individuals ages 15 to 24.

These same statistics also indicate how many people could suffer by not seeking treatment due to their fear of stigmas. Stigmas and a resulting failure to seek clinical mental health counseling can result in:^†

• Lack of understanding by family, friends, coworkers, or others who could otherwise provide support.
• Fewer opportunities for—or reluctance to seek—work, school, social activities, and even housing.
• Bullying, physical violence, or harassment.
• Health insurance that doesn't adequately cover treatment because patients are reluctant to disclose the full nature of their symptoms.
• Individuals’ belief that they won’t succeed at certain challenges, or can’t improve their situation.

Those statistics and the potential impact of not seeking treatment reinforce the need for accessible, expert mental health care—and can be a great motivator for anyone seeking a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling.

If you’re interested in helping those who suffer from mental health conditions, you may be interested in exploring the online counseling degrees offered by Walden University.

Walden University is an accredited institution offering a CACREP-accredited MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling degree program online. It is an ideal choice for working professionals who need the flexibility and convenience online learning offers.

*National Alliance on Mental Illness, Mental Illness By The Numbers, on the Internet at https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-By-the-Numbers.

^†Mayo Clinic, Mental Health: Overcoming the Stigma of Mental Illness, on the Internet at www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/in-depth/mental-health/art-20046477.

Walden University’s MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) as a mental health counseling program under the 2001 standards. CACREP is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), and CACREP accreditation is a requirement for licensure in many states.

The MS in Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is designed to prepare graduates to qualify to sit for licensing exams and to meet the academic licensure requirements of many state counseling boards. Walden Enrollment Specialists can provide guidance on licensure issues, however, it remains the individual’s responsibility to understand and comply with all state licensure requirements. Walden makes no representations or guarantee that completion of Walden coursework or programs will permit an individual to obtain state licensure.

Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.