Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling presents a broad overview of the field of clinical mental health and provides students with the knowledge and skills to successfully put theory into practice in real-world settings. Drawing from their experience as clinicians, authors Joshua C. Watson and Michael K. Schmit cover the foundations of clinical mental health counseling along with current issues, trends, and population-specific considerations. The text introduces students to emerging paradigms in the field such as mindfulness, behavioral medicine, neuroscience, recovery-oriented care, provider care, person-centered treatment planning, and holistic wellness, while emphasizing the importance of selecting evidence-based practices appropriate for specific clients, issues, and settings. Aligned with 2016 CACREP Standards and offering practical activities and case examples, the text will prepare future counselors for the realities of clinical practice.
Michael K. Schmit, PhD, LPC is an assistant professor in the department of counseling at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Dr. Schmit has over six years of clinical experience working with persons across the lifespan in a variety of clinical mental health settings. Prior to his current role as a counselor educator, Dr. Schmit was a program administrator at an integrated community mental health center. As an active member of numerous national, state, and local professional counseling organizations, Dr. Schmit is most proud of his service to the Journal of College Counseling as an associate editor and the Journal of Counseling & Development, the flagship journal of the counseling profession, as a reviewer. In recognition of his contributions to the profession, Dr. Schmit was recently identified as an emerging leader in the field by the Association for Assessment and Research in Counseling (AARC) and the recipient of two national awards, the Glen E. Hubele National Graduate Student Award, in 2016, and the Best Practices Research Award, in 2018, provided by the American Counseling Association for his research on integrated care treatment.
"A great book that really goes into detail about the field of mental health counseling and that discusses current controversial topics like the ethical concerns related to social media."--Kathryn Dziekan "This book covers an impressive scope of material! Comprehensive, well-written, and with helpful examples of real-world situations, I think this book lays a solid foundation of professional knowledge and identity as a mental health counselor."--Arie T. Greenleaf "This text is timely, relevant, and provides practical examples that students can directly apply into their field placement settings."--Melissa A. Odegard-Koester "This text would be an excellent resource for the clinical mental health class. Each chapter offers case studies and practice exercises that serve as great teaching tools. Overall, it is a comprehensive textbook that students will refer to beyond the course."--Jenny Wagstaff "Introduction to Clinical Mental Health Counseling covers a wide range of important issues to practice as a clinical mental health counselor. It provides foundational information to provide a good introduction to the material and has numerous case examples and questions to help dig deeper into the material. This will provide students with a solid background on many topics that are important in clinical practice."--Ben T. Willis
