3.6 – Help Clients Manage Mental Health

Purpose & Context

Career Development Professionals (CDPs) collaborate with clients to understand their current mental health and to identify and implement strategies to improve, or sustain mental health. CDPs help clients recognize that all individuals have periods when their mental health is above or below its usual level.Mental health is distinct and differentiated from mental illness. CDPs recognize that symptoms of mental illness, as well as stigma associated with it, will need to be accounted for in the career development process. While providing assessment, treatment or clinical support for mental illness is beyond the scope of a CDP, they may work with the client on career development issues together with other professionals providing treatment and support for the mental illness.

Effective Performance

Competent career development professionals must be able to:

P1. Maintain a relationship of trust, respect and open communication, i.e. working alliance
P2. Assess current mental health by exploring factors with client, such as their sense of contribution to society,perceptions of coping/mastery, feelings of meaning/purpose, quality of relationships, and sense ofsatisfaction/happiness
- Recognize if client mental health is improving or deteriorating
- Recognize commons signs of mental health challenges
P3. Normalize typical fluctuations along the continuum of mental health, for example:
- Nervousness about an upcoming event
- Sadness about a recent loss
- Frustration about recent challenges
P4. Identify aspects of client’s life that may contribute to poor mental health, e.g. lack of sleep, poor diet, stress
P5. Identify factors within client’s control that may contribute to positive mental health, e.g. healthy diet, regular
sleep pattern, meditation, journaling, breathing exercises, physical activity
P6. Develop and implement an action plan to reduce activities/situations that contribute to poor mental health and
increase activities/situations that contribute to positive mental health
P7. Reassess client mental health and adjust action plan, as needed
P8. Refer cases beyond scope to external service provider

Knowledge & Understanding

Competent career development professionals must know and understand:

K1. Significant issues commonly faced by clients that could affect their mental health, e.g. poverty, systemic racism,
post-traumatic stress, learning disabilities, unstable/unsafe housing, food insecurity, physical health challenges,
addictions
K2. Factors underpinning mental health, e.g. sense of contribution to society, their coping/mastery, feelings of
meaning/purpose, quality of relationships, and sense of satisfaction/happiness
K3. Distinction between mental health challenges and mental illness
K4. Common symptoms of mental illness, e.g. hallucinations, delusions, compulsive behaviours
K5. Community resources and other support services available to clients from community partners and other agencies,
including:
- Eligibility criteria for these services
- Quality of these services
- Referral process for these services
K6. Legislation and regulations relating to employment, e.g. Human Rights Legislation, Canada Labour Code, Privacy Act,
Workers Compensation Act and Employment Standards, Health and Safety regulations

Contextual Variables

Competent career development professionals must be able to perform this competency in the following range of contexts:

Clients may present with multiple mental health challenges which will add complexity in performing this competency.

Glossary & Key References

Terms

Industry-specific terms contained in the standard defined here, where applicable.

Informed consent: client’s right to be informed, understand and agree to the services to be provided, roles and responsibilities of the service provider, including how and for what reasons information collected during the process may be released to others.. Informed consent is obtained at the beginning of a process and may be required if the nature of the services provided are later updated or revised. A signed form or statement of consent is required as proof of consent

Information Sources and Resources for Consideration

Redekopp, D. E., & Huston, M. Strengthening mental health through effective career development: A practitioner’s guide. Toronto, ON: CERIC, 2020.

Keyes, C.L.M. The mental health continuum: From languishing to flourishing in life. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 43, 2002, pp 207–222. https://doi.org/10.2307/3090197.

Context Rating Scales

Criticality

Q: What is the consequence of a professional being unable to perform this skill according to the standard?

Moderate risk: CRITICAL

Frequency

Q: How frequent and under what conditions is this skill performed?

Routinely, regular course of procedure

Level of Difficulty

Q: Under routine circumstances, how would you rate the level of difficulty in performing this skill?

Moderate difficulty or complexity

Time Required to Gain Proficiency

Q: What is the average length of time or number of repeated events that are minimally necessary for an individual to become proficient in performing the skill to the standard?

A competent career development professional requires a minimum of one year of experience with at least 40 different clients, representing a broad range of individuals.

Autonomy

Practitioners typically perform this competency without supervision, and alone.

Automation

It is unlikely that this competency will automate.

Requisite Work Aids, Tools, Equipment or Materials

None