The topic has reminded me that only clients/patients can solve their own problems

(unless they’re mentally unstable), because I’m only here to provide them with specific

information, risks, and benefits on how they can be helped through assessment and therapy so

they can make an informed decision. Being truly effective as a future helping professional will,

indeed, be a major challenge for me.

The first thing I learnt in assessment and therapy was to observe the client’s appearance,

orientation, speech, judgment, insight, psychological functioning, intelligence, mood, and affect.

And to effectively help a client and know that the treatment chosen worked (or is working), I

learned that a mental health professional must first conduct a clinical assessment of the client,

which entails gathering information and drawing conclusions (developing a diagnosis) through

observation, psychological tests, neuropsychological assessments, and interviews to determine

the client’s problems and presenting symptoms.

The real challenge for helping professionals, however, is the stigma attached to mental

health, particularly diagnosis. Because some people lack information, education, perception, and

having odd behaviors, diagnosis as a result of assessment and therapy is being used against

patients. Diagnosis will eventually put clients/patients in social and psychological danger as a

result of stigmatization in a way that stigma lowers self-esteem and deprives people of social

opportunities. Additionally, stigma can also make it difficult to seek treatment early on; many

people wait until their symptoms worsen before seeking professional assistance; others quit

therapeutic interventions or stop taking medications, which can all lead to relapse and make

recovery more difficult.

 Lastly, I believe that by normalizing the act of seeking help and promoting public

knowledge about mental health issues and awareness, helping professionals can help people

break the cycle of illness that results from stigma.