The social determinants of mental health and professional counseling: A call to action

Abstract

We live in a complex and interconnected world with individual- and community-level development and well-being shaped by numerous variables. Given this multi-deterministic nature of development, counselors are called to integrate the social determinants of mental health (SDMH) into key activities including clinical assessment, case conceptualization, treatment planning, prevention programming, education and training, and scientific inquiry. We discuss the consistency between the humanistic roots of the counseling profession with its values for developmental, preventative, and wellness-oriented care and practices associated with the integration of the SDMH. We also provide a supportive rationale for the integration of SDMH into counseling practice through review of several key concepts: (a) upstream, midstream, and downstream influences on mental health; (b) the social gradient of mental health; (c) integrating population-level perspectives on mental health and mental illness; (d) the functional roles of protective and risk factors; and (e) embodying a justice- and equity-focused orientation.