Abstract

GARITA PULIDO, Ana Victoria. Mental Health Counseling: Thoughts on Defining a Professional Intervention field. Educare [online]. 2013, vol.17, n.2, pp.55-68. ISSN 1409-4258.

The purpose  of this paper  is to provide some thoughts on a series of points of view that will help us in defining mental health  as an intervention  field of counseling. Reference is made  to the epistemological positioning  adopted  to understand health, which is focused  on a contextual perspective.  A health  promotion  model  is proposed  to  support   the  counseling   activity.  The reasons  for limiting the intervention  to mental health  promotion,  which are related to theoretical and  methodological references  inherent  to the  discipline, are also explained. Recommendations are made  on the aspects  to be considered  for both  individual and collective approaches and for extending the professional practice of counselors  with an efficient performance  as mental health promoters.

Keywords : Counseling; health; ecological theory; intervention; mental health promotion; strengths; Costa Rica; Educare e-Journal.

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