On the Front Lines of Mental Health | ArticleBro.com

Although psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists are all essential roles in helping people with their mental health, there is a lesser known but equally important position in any mental health organization. This position is most commonly known as the ?psychiatric technician,? although there are many slight variations, such as ?mental health technician?. Whatever their formal title in any given facility, psychiatric technicians are the ground troops of their organization.

Psychiatric technicians are directly responsible for patients? day-to-day well being. One of their common responsibilities is to attend to patients that are kept in the facility, helping these mentally or developmentally challenged individuals with such tasks as taking their prescribed medications or handling personal hygiene. While a doctor or psychiatrist will come up with the actual treatment plan, the psychiatric technician will often be largely in charge of administering it. They also may have input into a continuing treatment plan, since they have daily contact with the patient, which the doctor may not, depending on the plan and on the facility.

Psychiatric technicians do not work only in mental health facilities or hospitals. They have a variety of options depending on what type of patients they wish to focus on. Outside of mental health facilities, some common options are rehab centers and in-home care of developmentally disabled individuals.

The position of psychiatric technician allows individuals to move into their field and start helping people sooner than becoming full psychiatrists or psychologists. The American Association of Psychiatric Technicians states that only a bachelor?s degree is necessary for the position. This is a great job for someone who wants to immediately begin to make a difference in the lives of mentally or developmentally disabled patients. Because training for this position involves an understanding of psychology and pharmacology (in order to appropriately administer prescriptions) it can also be a good step on the way to becoming a fully licensed psychiatrist, and a way to gain valuable hands on experience in the field before completing academic studies.

There are many traditional and online courses that specialize in providing the kind of training needed to be a psychiatric technician. As mentioned before, this includes pharmacology and general psychology, as well as psychology classes and lessons focused on application, such as being able to recognize aggression or instability in their early stages in order to keep patients calmer and healthier. In addition to these courses, there are certifications available, both nationwide and at the state level, that can make individuals more employable or lead to higher pay, so those should be investigated after finishing classwork.

No mental health organization would be able to function without many people at the level of psychiatric technician. These are the workers who interact constantly and directly with patients, monitoring them and helping them with day-to-day tasks and helping provide physicians and psychiatrists with the information they need to better help their patients. For anyone frustrated with waiting for practical experience or just wanting to help people as soon as possible, psychiatric technician is a rewarding, well-paid and in demand beginning level mental-health career.

Source: http://articlebro.com/2012/health-fitness/on-the-front-lines-of-mental-health/

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