Mental Health Technician
Mental health technicians have more formal training than aides. Technicians participate in both the planning and implementing of individual patient treatment plans. They may be responsible for admitting and interviewing patients, record keeping, assisting in administration of medication, and conducting therapy sessions. Mental health technicians and aides need to have good observation skills. They must recognize and report changes in behavior of patients to other team members. Personal characteristics that are important for this job are a stable personality, ability to work well with people and the motivation to help others.
Areas of Specialization
There are a number of opportunities for specialization in a particular aspect of mental health care. The mental health technician/aide may specialize in helping mentally disturbed children. Others may work in drug and alcohol abuse or crisis intervention. Another area of specialization is working in community mental health. These technicians may be primarily concerned with parental effectiveness, the elderly, or problems dealing with interpersonal relationships. With additional training, they may work with mentally retarded people.
Work Environment
Mental health technicians/aides work in a wide variety of settings including mental hospitals, community general hospitals, community mental health centers, psychiatric clinics, schools for mentally retarded, social service agencies, geriatric nursing homes, child or adolescent centers, and halfway houses. They generally work a 40-hour week. Because patients need care 24 hours a day, scheduled work hours may include nights, weekends, and holidays. They will spend most of their time on their feet. They are sometimes confronted with violent patients who must be restrained. This may be emotionally draining, but they may also gain satisfaction from assisting those in need.
Mental Health
