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Advocacy for Diverse Clientele

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Advocacy for Diverse Clientele
Advocacy for Diverse ClienteleName Capella University Advocacy for Diverse ClienteleOne of the populations that has a lot of culturally diverse individuals is the military and veterans. In veterans there is a lot of cultural diversity with individuals ranging in backgrounds from all over including African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American, and Caucasian-Americans. Veterans suffer from a wide range of mental illnesses including depression, PTSD, anxiety, suicide, and substance abuse. PTSD is one of the most common mental health problems that veterans face after returning from war. According to Loo (1994), individuals that are ethnic minority veterans tend to have higher rates of PTSD than white veteran counterparts. PTSD can manifest in a few different ways including recurring nightmares, difficulty sleeping, anxiety problems, and difficulty with normal activities or daily tasks. There is a clear need in the veteran population for better health care of these culturally diverse individuals, especially related to matters of mental health. An important way to get better mental health care for veterans is through the process of advocacy which will advocate for programs, services, and polices for the veteran population. This paper will detail the advocacy process for the veteran population, addressing institutional and social barriers that impede this process. The paper will talk about local, state, or national policies that impact the services, describing three strategies for working with and advocating for the veteran group, and list at least three community resources available for the veterans.
Advocacy Methods
Veterans deal with a variety of situations and experiences that are conducive to receiving counseling and mental health help. Instances such as PTSD, war related illnesses, even family circumstances like divorce that is brought on by the war are major situations for veterans that make it important to have counseling services well equipped to



References: Mental health matters" in advocacy. (2004). Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 15(2), 126-128. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/docview/211208480?accountid=27965Blair, E. (2007). Evaluating an issue 's position on the policy agenda: The bellwether methodology. The Evaluation Exchange, 13(1), 29.Dickens, B., Handa, S., Litz, B. and Vogt, S. (2010). Targeting Self-Stigma in Returning Military Personnel and Veterans: A Review of Intervention Strategies. Journal of Military Psychology. 22 (2).Erford, B. T. (2014). Orientation to the counseling profession: Advocacy, ethics, and essential professional foundations. (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Inc.Government Affairs: Current Issues. (2014). American Counseling Association. Retrieved from http://counseling.org/government-affairs/current-issues/position-papers/2013/03/26/counselors-continue-to-be-all-but-shut-out-of-the-va.-here%27s-what-you-can-do-to-helpLoo, C.M. (1994). Race-related trauma and PTSD: The Asian American Vietnam veteran. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 7, 1-20.

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