Assessing the social determinants of mental health in counseling practice

Abstract

Every counselor–client interaction is an opportunity for mutual learning through inquiry, listening, exploring, and understanding about a client's experiences with development and well-being. Given the convergence of multiple sociopolitical events and systems that impact mental health and well-being, we issue a call to increase promotion and uptake of preventative mental health strategies by assessing the social determinants of mental health (SDMH) in counseling practice. We contend that counselors are uniquely prepared to assess the SDMH at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental levels. Therefore, we review the parallels between counseling frameworks and the SDMH with the aim of explaining why and how counselors should assess the SDMH. Specifically, we describe ways that counselors can use their foundational skills and expertise in assessment procedures to identify client needs, as well as potential individual and community interventions. We outline a four-phased approach for assessing the SDMH in counseling practice and provide implications for improving counseling outcomes.