Clinical mental health counseling encompasses the services that trained professionals provide to clients who seek help in dealing with issues that affect their lives. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), those issues can include personal problems or issues of a behavioral, emotional, marital, vocational, rehabilitative, educational or life-stage nature. The APA further describes counseling services as the help that professionals such as psychologists, licensed counselors, nurses and social workers provide through government, mental health or social service agencies. Professionals offer those services to groups, families and individuals.
An overall description of what clinical mental health counseling is could be summed up as follows: as clinical diagnosis and treatment. To become a certified clinical mental health counselor, the National Board for Certified Counselors requires individuals to have education in areas such as the diagnostic process, psychopharmacology, treatment planning, mental examinations and psychosocial evaluations.
Certified clinical mental health counselors also have specialized expertise in areas such as human sexuality, family and couples counseling, substance abuse and addiction counseling or counseling for victims of trauma and abuse.