Psychopharmacology and Counseling 

I appreciate how this video was able to take some very complex information and made it, not only understandable, but relevant to me as a future counselor. The fact is that we will see clients that are on psychotropic drugs, so having a general understanding of things to look for with these clients can help us advocate, educate, and monitor them. I also understand the importance of collaboration with prescribers to better help our clients. It is definitely an advantage to have some knowledge of psychopharmacology that will allow us to communicate effectively with prescribers.

This video does a wonderful job in clarifying the role of the counselor as it relates to working with clients who have been prescribed psychoactive drugs and medications. I found it really helpful that Dr. Grande makes a clear distinction between the role of the counselor and the role of the prescriber (i.e. psychiatrist, physician, nurse practitioner, and psychologist) so that we as counselors can avoid any confusion when attempting to treat a client who has been prescribed medication for their symptoms. In this respect, we can remain within our competency while still assisting our clients!

I love how this video gives you a break down of what psychopharmacology is and the history behind psychoactive drugs. The video also does a very good job in explaining exactly what the counselor's role is during this moments in the counseling session so that there will be no confusion.

I loved listening to Dr. Grande's discussion on the brief history of psychopharmacology. I especially enjoyed the section of the Role of the Counselor. I think it is important for us, who are budding counselors, to be aware of our roles as counselors. To understand that we are not prescribers and that we need to be vigilant of not overstepping our professional boundaries as counselors. To go back to The Role of Counselor, I appreciated Dr. Grande's description of how we as counselors tend to see the client more often than their prescriber. We as counselors can observe symptoms and behaviors and inform the prescriber of what is going on with the client. I liked the emphasis on having a collaborative relationship with professionals who will be treating my client, so we are all on the same page.

I think Dr. Grande did a nice job in giving you the history of psychopharmacology into the roles of the different providers (Doctor, therapist, etc...) I thought that Dr. Grande also did a good job in breaking down the responsibility as a counselor to our clients in making sure we are providing them with the care they need. I also found it very informative that we need to make sure we don't take the role of the MD in regard to our clients medications but instead make sure we are collaborating with there Doctors. It is always good to take a step back and look at our role as the therapist so that we are insuring that our clients are being served in there best interest. The video was very informative.

This video was extremely informative. As counselors, we have to keep what's best for clients in mind. We must support the client as much as possible without giving any personal advice. I really like how the different roles of a counselor were broken up. A counselor is an advocate. They know their client the best, because they are able to spend the most time with them. A client is sometimes only able to see their prescribers one every week or so. They are also on a tight schedule not allowing them to listen to all of the clients needs in detail. I think it is a great idea for the counselor and prescriber to work together to determine the best and most effective treatment for their client.

I enjoyed Dr. Grande's in depth explanation of the various roles of counselors in regards to psychopharmacology. Often I believe there is a disconnect between counselors and psychotropic medications due the inability to prescribe. However, this video does a great job of bridging that gap and thoroughly explaining how a counselor can become a key part into successful and effective use of medication for clients. Because a counselor typically has more direct and intimate contact with a client, it is imperative the the clinician is active and informed of the clients' use, symptoms and outcomes of medications so that they properly monitor, educate, advocate and collaborate with other providers to ensure the client is progressing towards achieving their treatment goals.

I found this video informative. I appreciated learning how long the industry for psychoactive drugs has been around, as opposed to the thousands of years that people have been exhibiting disorders. I also found the role of a counselor portion of this video helpful, because I did wonder what if anything a counselor could do to help a client benefit from psychotropics

I really enjoyed learning an overview of Psychopharmacogy and how we as counsellors fall on the continuum of patients being prescribed medications. It's helpful to know the various ways we as counsellors can help our clients. We play such an integral role in this aspect of the field that having concrete knowledge of how to effectively help clients and when we need to refer them to their prescriber was extremely helpful.

I really like that this video stresses the importance of the counselors collaboration with prescriber about medication. The counselor can see things that the prescriber will not because he/she does not work with the client enough. The counselor can then relay back to the prescriber about certain concerns and this can make for a smoother process when it comes to finding the right medication and dosage for the client. I was also happy to hear that the video emphasized that it is not the counselors job or duty to give advice to the client about the medication they are taking; i think this is an important point to emphasize.

I appreciate how this video emphasizes the significant role that counselor's play by being the "eyes and ears" for Prescribers in the field. I see how essential it is to act as a team while treating clients to guarantee they are getting the most up-to-date and appropriate care.

It is extremely important that the counselor is collaborative with those providing medications for the client. The counselor will be meeting with the client more often then the physician, so the counselor can talk with the client about the medication and if there needs to be an adjustment in dosage or the medication in itself. I also found it interesting that one's primary care physician can prescribe psychotropic medications. I've heard of a couple people having their primary care physician prescribe these medications and lots of people seemed shocked by that concept, so thank you for clarifying that in the video.

This video was very fascinating and helpful in opening my eyes to the role that counselors play. Like many others, I learned more about who can prescribe medications. I also learned how counselors play such a crucial role in working with doctors and other medical professionals. At my work, the Drs. come in and ask the nurses what is going on with the patient (symptoms, side effects, mood, etc.). I realized that we also play a similar role as the nurses. We are in more contact with the patient and notice things that a doctor may miss, however we are all important to give the patient the best care.

This video has been very educational, particularly as it relates to the four roles of the counselor (advocate, monitor, educator and collaborator) as a member of the treatment team, charged with the care for a troubled client. I am quite grateful for the clear explanation of these roles and how they help in complementing the functions of prescribers.

This video was very informative and gave me a broader understanding of psychopharmacology and the many roles of a counselor. The four roles provide a well-rounded support for the client, which will be very beneficial to the clients growth as well as produce a valuable relationship between the client and the counselor. It was very interesting how psychotropic medications were discovered, and very important for Dr. Grande to highlight the importance of the limitations of a counselor when addressing a clients concerns about their medications.

I appreciate how this video really explains the counselors role in psychopharmacology. I had no idea of how this would relate to the career I want in counseling youth. I work with youth today and many of them are on a psychotropic drug. I can see how common the use of psychoactive drugs have increased and why it is important for counselor to have knowledge of psychoactive drugs and their effects. More importantly I agree that the collaboration with the prescriber will maximize the welfare of the client.

This video was definitely enlightening.In my opinion,the main themes of the video are the history of psychoactive drugs, roles of the counselor, and communication/ boundaries. It was very informative to find out that psychoactive drugs were discovered by accident. Usually there are strict rules and guidelines referenced before creating any type of medication. Moreover, it is shocking to know that the mechanisms of medications are not known for many psychoactive drugs. Basically the creation of these drugs 65 years ago were apart of a trial and era system. Furthermore, I do appreciate knowing and learning about the different layers counselors who work with patients who take psychotropic medications. The four roles____ advocate, monitor, educator, and collaborator work together in order to provide the best services for the client. In addition to the role of the counselor, communication is also important. Counselors are the voices of their clients in many ways. They communicate with the prescribers, but they do not overstep their boundaries. The aspect of not overstepping boundaries is extremely important. As counselors we work with a handful of medical professionals. Each individual has his or hers own agenda and tasks they must execute.

The video made the role of the counselor clear concerning client's that use medication, & ways that we could & should assist them. I liked that it made the distinction that it's not our position to advise clients on their use of medication, but that we should listen to their concerns, & help them to express & explain those concerns to the professionals who do prescribe medication.

I liked the fact that he clearly defines the role of the counselor when working with clients who are on psychotropic medications. I believe that it is extremely important for counselors to advocate, monitor, educate and collaborate for and with our clients to ensure that they are getting the best, most effective benefit from the medications.

Learning about the different psychotropic drugs and how many of them were discovered by accident was very interesting. Additionally, I enjoyed learning about the difference between drug action and drug effect. Before watching this video, I would have understood those two terms to be interchangeable and explain how the client reacts to the drug, which is not accurate. Two of the main takeaways for me from this video is to always be honest and discuss with all of one's doctors (ie- psychiatrists, primary care physicians, etc.) on which medications one is taking so that way those professionals can collaborate with one another in prescribing/adjusting medications appropriately. Next, a counselor is an advocate, collaborator, education, as well as monitor for the client in terms of assisting them in explaining their symptoms to an appropriate psychoactive drug provider so that they are guaranteed the best possible care/medications that they deserve. As a whole, this video was beneficial to me in explaining how counselors play an integral role with clients in relation to psychopharmacology.

I appreciate the educational value that this video has provided me on the topic of psychopharmacology. I was not aware that psychoactive prescription drugs were discovered by accident. This one one interesting fact that I took away from this video. I also admire how Dr. Grande broke down how important a counselors role is within collaborating with psychiatrists. Our role as counselors is to support and advocate clients. This video demonstrated exactly how that is done.

I appreciated this video for breaking down who can prescribe psychotropic medications and in what medical cases meds are prescribed. I found it surprising to find that some nurse practitioners and physician assistants are able to prescribe meds. The reason being is that I have not considered them to be in a setting where psych meds are necessary nor did I believe they had the experience to do so. In fact, just recently I spoke with my nurse practitioner and asked her if she prescribed meds and she said she did not and would never prefer to. I think it would be interesting to speak with a nurse practitioner that does prescribe meds and have a healthy discussion as to why some nurse practitioners do prescribe psych meds and others stray away from it. I also liked how the video broke down the roles of the counselor. It really put into perspective the part I would play in a patients treatment as a counseling professional. Advocating, monitoring, educating, and collaborating may all seem like simple tasks but in actually play a major part in a patients well being. Especially the role of educating the client. A few seasoned counselors have told me they did not have the opportunity to take a psychopharmacology course when they were studying for the profession. I find it worthwhile that as a counseling student I am receiving this information. How could I ever tell a patient what to expect while on medication or counsel them through issues relating to the medication if I have no knowledge of said medication? I believe gaining this information will be helpful once I am in the counseling profession.

This video was very informative in explaining the four main ways that counselors can help clients who are prescribed medications for various disorders and the roles that counselors have in taking part of the client's care. The video really helped me to better understand what my roles as a counselor will look like and how my responsibilities will differ from other professionals, such as physicians. I liked how the video informed me and stressed how important it is not to wander outside of my area of expertise and not to advise clients about taking more of, less than, or changing their medication that was prescribed.

The part of the video that made me truly understand how important psychopharmacology is to counselors is when Dr. Grande explained the various roles of the counselor, especially the role as a monitor. Before the readings and the lectures for this class I believed that psychopharmacology was only useful to students who wished to have a profession in psychiatry. Hearing about the monitoring role made me completely change my mind.This subject is important for students who do not want to become psychiatrists because a large majority of our future clientele may be on some form of medication. By knowing and understanding the symptoms, side-effects, and methodology of various medications we can keep a watchful eye out for negative or positive results. Especially because the client will more than likely see us more than the prescriber.

I wasn't aware that the medications were discovered accidentally through trial and error. I was also surprised that the older drugs are now being investigated to determine how they actually work. My initial reaction in learning this is surprised, concerned and thought about the long term effects. However, realize that it is more important for the symptoms to be reduced or eliminated if functioning is impeded without them. I appreciate the distinction that our role as counselors are to advocate, monitor, educate and collaborate while the client is prescribed and taking medication keeping in mind the boundary of opinion or advising the usage is not our's to cross in the relationship. I certainly want what is best for the client in their overall care. The counselor-prescriber relationship requires consent by the client. That can be a mistaken assumption in the counselor-client relationship since the client's time with the prescriber is usually not alot. Great information in this video.

I found the video to be thorough and appropriate with respect to psychopharmacology and the counseling relationship. I enjoyed the comparison provided between finding the "maximum possible benefit" for psychotropic medication and counseling techniques. Personally, I agree that maintaining awareness of clients' medications, their purposes, and their associated symptoms can only help to better serve those individuals. I have held positions working with clients closely in the community, and I can say from personal experience how valuable it was to my therapeutic work to be in close communication and collaboration with psychiatrists, primary care physicians, and other team members in serving individuals.

This video was vital in explaining the counseling role involved in psychopharmacology. The back story of psychopharmacology was particularly interesting in explaining the differences between drug action and drug effect. I can appreciate that the goal of both counseling and psychotropic treatment is to maximize the positive benefits and minimize the negative effects. It is most certainly the role of the counselor to be an advocate, monitor, educator, and collaborator as support of the client. I agree that at no times should a counselor make suggestions to a client to modify prescribed medications. The could cause harm to the client which is a violation of the ethical standards.

This short video was packed with a slew of information for counselors. One interesting tidbit was discussed in the history of Psychopharmacology where psychoactive drugs were discovered by accident and can helped other mental disorders not originally prescribed for. I, also, found the roles of the counselor intriguing as we are usually the collaborators with other disciplines such as prescribers, PCP's, and other counselors.

Overall this video was very informative. Dr. Grande explained psychopharmacology in a simple way. One thing that stood out to me in this video was the breakdown of the four roles a counselor partakes in psychopharmacology. As counselors, we are essentially the link between the client and the prescriber. We can advocate for the client, help monitor their behavior while the client is taking their meds, educate the client on the medication they are taking, and collaborate with the prescriber in several ways. The overall focus is what's best for the client and their treatment.

This video serves as a thought-provoking introduction to the world of psychopharmacology. The fortuitous birth of psychopharmo revolutionized and heightened the field of mental health. Included in this piece was the significance of the counselor to this work. Although counselors are not permitted to prescribe medications it is evident that they still play a pertinent role in the client’s treatment. I favor the term used in the video- collaborator. I think this term really sums up the basis of who we are.

I like that this video explained the counselor's role in advocating, monitoring, educating, and collaborating with the client and the prescribing physician. I work in an outpatient mental health clinic and this kind of collaboration amongst counselors and psychiatrists is extremely important in treating clients. I also thought the point made about clients changing and no longer responding to medications or needing them adjusted as their symptoms change was important. Clients and their symptoms evolve over time so I think it is important for us to realize as counselors that their treatment must evolve as well.

This video was very informative and very clearly defined the counselors role when it comes to Psychopharmacology. By breaking down the counselors responsibilities as the advocate, monitor, educator and collaborator, Dr. Grande provided explicit boundaries for counselors to be aware of while working with clients who have been prescribed medications, considering medications or require a referral. As counselors we need to have at minimum a general understanding of Psychopharmacology in order to educate our clients. We must be willing to collaborate with other professionals as well as our clients to ensure we are effectively advocating for them as well. And we need to be monitoring our clients that are actively taking medications. As Dr. Grande mentioned, we may be seeing our clients on a weekly basis while the prescribing professional may only be seeing them on a bi-weekly or perhaps a monthly basis. Maintaining our boundaries will be necessary so we are not providing information or guidance to our clients that are outside of our expertise.

I found this video to be very down to earth and easy to follow. I have worked with this population for many years and enjoy learning about different ways that we can assist client with mental illness.

Demi I felt this initial video was extremely informative. It gave an understanding of the Psychopharmacology world in general but the Psychopharmacology world in relation to counseling also. I thought it was very interesting to learn that the psychopharmacology drugs as we know them have only been around since the 1950s. I am glad that Dr. Grande went into detail as to what the role of a counselor is relating to it such as: Advocating, Educating, Monitoring and Collaborating. The monitoring portion really gave a better understanding because as the video points out, the prescriber may only see the client every two weeks, three weeks, and so on and the counselor may see the client each week. Therefore the counselor can at least report back and monitor the behavior and symptoms. I often wondered about this. It’s important for us to remember as future counselors that our role is to Support the client. Not to provide them with direct advice about modifying their usage of prescribed medications. We are not medial professionals and its important not to cross over. We can empathize with them and counsel them around the issues they deal with taking the medications, but we cannot give them advice on their dosage or usage.

I appreciated that at the end of the video you discussed the importance of the counselors role in terms of medication. Although it may be implied, it is important to know that as counselors we should not give advice about medication because we are not the providers. Supporting and advocating for the client is important. Many sources, including the text, support the efficacy of therapy combined with medication and making sure to understand the boundaries of competence and roles as a counselor are very important.

This video was full of wonderful information on the ways to navigate through counseling the client who may be taking medication for mental health. The roles in counseling are changing over time and learning how to collaborate with other professionals for the advocacy of the client is becoming more prevalent as the role of counselor progresses. I liked the information on placing those boundaries on the counselor so that ethical lines are not being crossed as we care for our clients.

The role of the counselor as an effective, ethical counterpart to both the prescriber and patient alike really shines through in this video's explanation. The four contexts of Advocate, Monitor, Educator, and Collaborator creates a fun, brief mnemonic device: 'ACME', which reminds me of all of those old Merry Melodies cartoons. Acme is the one-stop shop for anything and everything you may need, and in a way the counselor becomes that universal assistant for clients (outside of advising for or against medication modification). With this said, we must always strive to stay on top of the newest research and findings in the arena of Psychopharmocology, so that we can consistently offer the most benefit to each client.

This video was very helpful even after reading the book. The video helped go deeper into the history of Psychopharmacology. I was not aware of how new psychopharmacology was. This video helped me to understand something's that were not clear to me even after the readings. I was not aware about some of the positives about medicating most information I heard or researched was always negative. The video helped me to understand that counselor should help educate their clients on these medications rather then act as though they do not exist.

It was informative to learn about the history of psychopharmacology. I enjoyed gaining knowledge of the roots. I thought it was interesting that the effects of psychoactive drugs were discovered by accident during the earlier years. It was interesting to hear Dr. Grande compare prescribers and counselors, identifying the similarities between the two professions. I think the role of the counselor (advocate, monitor, educate, collaborate) is important to realize and practice in order to provide the best treatment to the client. I also think this will allow the counselor to strengthen the therapeutic relationship between themselves and the counselor.

I appreciate this video as a good overview of psychopharmacology and how it relates to counseling. Differentiating between drug action & effect is a good reminder. I have some professional medical experience, so I am familiar with types of service providers with whom counselors communicate. However, reviewing our role of supporting the client through advocating, monitoring, educating, and collaborating is helpful, particularly acknowledging limitations as counselors, not medical practitioners. Observation of symptoms, degree of limitation, side effects, and compliance is important to communicate to the client and other service providers. Personally, I can relate to both the time limitations and effective communication with service providers as well as individual feelings of frustration of trial and error with medications, coordinating treatment, and bracketing personal beliefs.

This video was insightful in learning about psychopharmacological history and its progress into the now. I began to gain a new perspective on the collaborative efforts and the need to ethically collaborate with the agencies that prescribe client their medication. More specifically, if we as counselors are able to help prescribers conceptualize our common client more effectively, then the right prescription and its intensity can be determined.

I am appreciative of the information shared in this video especially the history of psychiatric drugs. I also found interesting the information on the role of the counselor when their clients have been perscribed psychiatric meds. I worked in a few outpatient mental health and drug facilities in the administrative capacity and have seen the collaboration of counselor and psychiatrist first hand, as I had to attend the weekly collaboration meetings were they discussed each client that was receiving treatment at our agency.

This video was informing and very easy to follow. There words weren't too technical which can be a problem for some when explaining a topic. I think it is important for a counselor and client to discuss how certain drugs are affecting him/her. This video explicitly explained the role a counselor can take on to help his or her client which is important. Especially because the counselor may interact with the client more than someone who is prescribing medicine. While we can't prescribe medicine we can keep track of behavior and report that.

I'm glad that counselors are being encouraged to learn about psychopharmacology because it is so important to understand your client fully. I think it is important to understand the symptoms a client is experiencing as well as the side effects in order to help the client make progress with their struggles. If a counselor is aware of the client's medications as well as the side effects and the symptoms they are meant to treat, the counselor can understand why client is feeling the way that they are. A client may be feeling a certain way and not understand that it is a side effect from the medication they are taking. When the counselor understands that, they are able to work with the client and they prescriber in order alleviate those symptoms. I am glad that it is becoming a common requirement to learn about this topic as counselors.

The video on Psychotropic Drug Usage was refreshing. I have many years experience interacting with clients whom are prescribed all these medications. Many I recognized right away and many I was familiar with but needed more insight. This video was very informative and helpful. I would like a "cheat sheet" of this video as it would come in handy at my current jobs. All these different medications can be overwhelming to remember but experience will help. There are always new medications coming out and we as counselors must be vigilant and remain current on these medications. It will be in our best interest to be proactive in educating ourselves of the newest drugs, legal and illegal ones.

What stood out the most after watching this lecture is how fluid psychopharmacology treatments can be. Due to variables such as changes in the patient, acquired tolerance, or new stressors being introduced, treatment can and will need to be flexible. As Dr. Grande states, it's often necessary to modify treatment to maximize benefit. From a psychopharmacology standpoint, it has the potential to be an ongoing effort to find the right "cocktail" that the patient needs. I imagine it would be quite frustrating for that to be constantly in flux.

I have enjoyed learning about pharmacology much more than I thought I would. I really enjoy the interaction and connection with the client that occurs in a counseling environment. I tended to stress more over the psychopharmacology aspect. However, I really like the idea of being an advocate for the client. I currently work with children and there have been several times where I have stepped in and advocated for a child concerning psychotropic medication. Working in an IOP program I have witnessed several times where the environment effects a child's behavior, but often caregivers look to medication to enable a child to deal with an environment, instead of modifying the environment to best fit the child.

Although we as counselors will not be prescribing medication for our clients, it is very important that we understand how medication will effect our client. You clearly outlined the role we as counselors have as advocate, monitor, educator and collaborator. We act as a safe guard for our clients.

Due to the nature of counseling and the possible clients that will be treated, I feel it is very necessary to have a psychopharmacology course. Future counselors should know the basics of the medications their clients may be prescribed. Though unrelated, the way the medications interact with the neurotransmitters has always fascinated me since my first psychology course. Thank you.

This was such a great video that went into detail about pharmacology. I would recommend this to anyone looking to learn more about this topic.

I was happy to hear the history behind psychoactive drugs! I have heard some information here and there about people throughout history altering one's behavior, but I have always found history interesting and it was cool to learn that people in the past used natural and herbal remedies for different symptoms! That, along with learning that the psychopharmacological industry has only been around since the 1950's really made me wonder if people ever try these natural remedies before turning to pharmaceutical drugs in today's time. Continuing on throughout the video, I began to wonder if it is ever difficult for counselors to collaborate with medical prescribers about a client's medication. I was not aware that counselors really did this in their line of work. Dr. Grande made it clear that as a collaborator, we need to maintain a positive relationship and keep up communication with those who prescribe the medication for our clients, and with that, I wonder if there is ever any difficulties or problems doing so? -Rebecca Meece

This video help me understand who exactly can prescribe psychoactive drugs. I was originally under the understanding that the only person who could prescribe medication were psychiatrist. This video also helps me understand our role as counselors and how play a bigger role in helping advocate for the client with there prescriber and helping them get there voices heard when there are concerns since we spend much more time with the client then the prescriber.

Having worked inpatient psychiatric care and in mobile crisis I realize how important it is for the person gathering the information from the client to get as accurate of a snap shot from past to present medications including those that worked in the past and those that did not.

This video was very helpful and brought clarity to some of the topics in the psychopharmacology book. It is shocking that these medications started in the 50's and with so many controversies there hasn't been a new method created to treat

I have worked in the field as a Case Manager for several years and what Dr. Grande said about collaboration really is key. I have worked with clients and their counselors or prescribers had not maintained communication and the clients are the ones that suffer. This video only reiterated the importance of ensuring that everyone working with the client is on the same page and working together.

My first professional job was working with people with chronic and severe mental illness living in the community. At the time, it was a Community Continuum of Care Program (CCCP) but they are now referred to as Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) programs. I was able to see how effective it can be when the case manager, counselor, and psychiatrist work together for the benefit of the client. Although I was a case manager, I played the roles of the counselor as described in the video. I have seen the other side too, when there is no collaboration and the only person to suffer is the client. We should bare in mind the human being, the client, being impacted the most by taking psychotropic medications.

This was a very informative video. It is interesting that these drugs did not occur until the 50's when I'm sure mental health issues were around for longer. It was also a good reminder for me that although I may not be the one prescribing the medications I still need to have knowledge of them in order to give my clients the proper care. Collaboration with the other professionals the client sees is imperative in keeping with the continuity of care and making sure all parties involved are using and maintaining the best practices for the client.

Thank you for taking such an overwhelming topic and directly explaining my role as a (upcoming) counselor. The 4 major roles were clearly explained, and I have a better understanding of my place in this process. I realized while watching that I may have a bias to work through, as I currently believe that we, as a society, often over-medicate. Perhaps that is a symptom of the recent "rational drug design" that you mention. It seems that now that we believe we have honed in on purposeful development of these drugs, we have a go-to answer for client symptoms. However, like you mentioned, each client is unique with a plethora of variables to consider. I will take this information and reflect as I move forward in my training. Thank you.

this video was a very helpful addition to the classroom lecture and book reading. Dr. G does a very good job of elaborating on the different topics in a very technical field of mental health counseling.

Dr. Grande- I agree that it is important for counselors to advocate, monitor, educate and collaborate to make sure the client receives the most effective treatment possible. Importantly, I like the role (with consent of the client) to get the extra added treatment (if needed of psychoactive drugs) and to be educated on medication so that the client feels secure with working with the prescriber that allows conjunction for a greater outcome. Furthermore, I also enjoyed learning that this all started in the 1950's (which does not seem very long ago) and scientifically - the medication is still individualized as everyone has different effects within the body. I really enjoyed learning some background information on psychopharmacology and counseling.

As I am relatively new to the concepts and terms related to Psychopharmacology, I certainly found this video to be extremely helpful in determining the proper roles and responsibilities of counselors within this field. While counselors are not qualified to prescribe psychoactive drugs, it is now clear that counselors have a significant role in the process of psychoactive drug usage, specifically concerning the welare of clients. Especially important is the responsibility of the counselor to advocate, monitor, educate, and collaborate. I have surely learned that although we are unable to prescribe medication or offer advice and instruction concerning the use of psychoactive drugs, we are required to support patients throughout their experience in an attempt to promote a postive outcome and healthy well-being.

I thought this video did a great job of breaking down the role of the counselor when it comes to psychopharmacology; Advocate, Monitor, Educator, and Collaborator. What I found to be most important in this video was our role as a Collaborator. It is essential for us as counselors to reach out to the prescribers of our client's medication(s) and form relationships so we can better relay symptoms, compliance/noncompliance with medications, etc. as well as coordinate our treatment with our client's specific symptoms. This can help us to maximize the time we have with our clients. Another thing I really like about this video was Dr. Grande's warning toward the end where he mentions that our job as counselors is to support the client: It is not our job to provide direct advice about the modification or usage of a prescribed medication. I thought this was extremely important to remember because, after all, we are not medical professionals and our clients should heed to the recommendations of the prescriber.

As a future counselor I had many concerns about my role when working with clients using medication. After watching this video I feel confident that I will be able to advocate, monitor, and education for and with my client without crosses boundaries outside of my competency.

I appreciate this video's emphasis on counselors' roles in a client's medication monitoring, even though counselors cannot prescribe. I believe it is of utmost importance for counselors to provide psychoeducation and encourage medication compliance since prescribers do not spend as much time with clients. However, I wonder what the most appropriate way is for a counselor to discuss medications with a client who has not provided consent for the counselor to coordinate care with the prescriber.

I thought this video was very informative, especially the section on the role of the counselor. I had just kind of brushed off psychopharmacology because I didn't understand what my role would be as a counselor. Advocating, educating, monitoring, and collaborator were things that I hadn't really thought about. I was thinking just in the sense of prescribing medications. So this video was really helpful in allowing me to understand how there is a role for counseling. As mentioned in the video, people don't usually have a lot of time in front of their doctor to let them know exactly what is going on. So the counselor has a role in gathering the information and symptoms that the doctor may not have the time to get.

I found this video very insightful. As a future mental health counselor, it helped to clarify my role with regard to patients who are being prescribed medication. We have learned that there is value in many instances to a patient being prescribed medication as well as being able to pursue therapy in conjunction with the RX. Understanding what is expected of us helps us to gain better insight into how we should communicate with our clients and where our focus should be. It also reinforced the notion that we need to remain in a collaborative relationship not just with the patient but with the medication prescriber as well.

I particularly appreciate the break down of the counselor's role when it comes to psychopharmacology. At first look it seems like an overwhelming responsibility and while it does not take a way the importance of the counselor's role. The breakdown of being a monitor, educator, advocate and collaborator at least better explains the expectations of what all we should do as counselors.

I found this video very interesting. I had no idea that Psychotropic drugs went back so many years. I thought the most important part of this video was the role of counselors. I liked that Dr. Grande broke it down into 4 easy to understand parts: Advocate, Monitor, Educator and Collaborate. I loved that Dr. Grande stressed how important the advocate role is and even said that this role “might not seem like much”, but it is. I think the counselor/prescriber relationship is very important. In order for one to achieve balance it is of extreme importance that everyone is on the same page. I thought the tip about coordinating treatment with the prescriber to incorporate those discussions into session was also important. I am glad Dr. Grande added the warning at the end of this video. We are not medical professionals and we cannot advise clients on modifying medications. It is important to remember that.

During this video I learned the differences between drug action and drug effect, and also how they use many different trial/error concepts when trying to identify the right medication for a certain individual. I also found it interesting that in some states Psychologists could prescribe medications, this is something I was not aware of before. Also in this video I learned there are four major roles of a counselor when it comes to Psychopharmacology and these roles include being an; advocate, monitor, educator and collaborator.

I found the Psychopharmacology and Counseling video refreshing as well. For the drug industry to have started in the 1950's was new to me. I did not realize this. It was startling to hear that most of the effects of these drugs were discovered by accident. To think about all the clients that were adversely affected during the "trial run" of psychotropic medications is disturbing. It was good to hear that these older medications are being studies now. I have interacted with clients who have been on some of these older medications and have seen the negative effects they have on them. I hope the MH filed continues to strive to find the most effective medications with the least harmful side effects.

I like how this video emphasized the importance of the counselor working in collaboration with the physician. I can see how the counselor would be able to get more information out of the client, since they work together more frequently than the client and physician.

When watching the video I was shocked to learn about how long psychoactive medications have been around for; I thought that they were more of a recent discovery. I also found it interesting to learn that most of these drugs were discovered by accident and people now are going back to learn what are in these drugs that help certain symptoms. I was shocked to learn how many people could prescribe these drugs; I always thought that only psychiatrists could, but clearly I was wrong. I also liked how Dr. Grande stressed how important the role of the counselor is when working with clients on psychoactive drugs. Even though counselors cannot prescribe these medications they do play a very important role. I have always believed that if you are on a psychoactive mediation then you should be in counseling as well. Counselors help the client understand what the medication does and helps the client monitor if the medication is working properly.

I think that this video was very informative and got me thinking about things I hadn't thought of before. I really enjoyed the bit of history that Dr. Grande gave. I found it interesting that psychotropic drugs as we know them have only really been around since the 1950's. It's amazing to think how far we have come with these pharmaceuticals in such a short period of time. I also found it interesting that we are now more looking towards medications to treat specific symptoms by using rational drug design instead of making most of these discoveries by accident. Lastly, had never thought of working around client medication side effects, such as being tired in the morning by scheduling appointments in the afternoon. I think that it's a great idea to make sure we are seeing clients when they are going to be less affected by side-effects if possible.

I think this video is really help me understand the of counselors when working with clients that have been prescribed with psychotropics. Working in collaboration with other mental health professionals is paramount to help these clients and provide the support they need.

I appreciate the information on the role of the counselor, especially the collaborator. I can see the benefit of networking and communicating with an individual's prescriber. This provides an opportunity to report symptoms that the client may be having. I also like how Dr. Grande emphasized the importance of not providing advice about medications that is not our role as a counselor.

This video was very informative especially in shining light on how the field of pharmacology and counselling are intertwined. The role of a counselor is clearly stated, and as a counselor it is good to have knowledge of psychoactive medications and drug effect on the body because sometimes symptoms can be worsened or improved by the use of psychoactive medication. By advocating, monitoring, educating and collaborating with providers, we are better placed to provide the best care for our clients.

It's interesting that we don't know how the mechanism of the medications work but they work, so we use them. Also it would be nice to see counselors added to the list of referrals Primary care physicians make, you mentioned neurologists, surgeons and other specialists beyond their expertise. Having a counselor on the team is an asset!

In the video it was stated that the pharmacology world used to be trial and error but in some ways I think it still is. Now, for the most part, we do know what medications work for what illness but there are many factors to consider when one is being medicated. You later stated that choosing the dose and type of medication for the client can be a trial and error process because each person is unique. Also I did need t know that some states allow psychologists to prescribe psychoactive medications. It is very important for there to be some type teamwork between the counselor and client in order to come up with the best possible outcome. As a school counselor I have to advocate for my students all the time some it is nice to know that I can continue this role with my clients. Those are just a few things that caught my attention but all in all, this was a very informative video.

Reading through the textbook and articles, information regarding medication that previously seemed ambiguous when in conversation, appeared more clear. However, when watching this presentation, I felt the information was more relevant to us as counselors, because although we will need to be knowledgeable about medications, we need to also incorporate the other aspects-advocate,monitor,educator and collaborator to ensure continued success of our clients. Additionally, I thought it was really interesting to hear that even though we have come so far with technology, many effects are still attempted to be understood and positive results are still sometimes happening by accident, just like they did back in the 1950s.

This informative video was very helpful and useful. I was not aware that psychotropic drugs have been used for thousands of years. Very interesting! Also, it was helpful to note that counselors are not prescribers and that it is completely unethical to provide advice on doses or medications!

There were a few good points in this video that stood out to me under the "Role of the Counselor" section. First, advocating for the client is very important because there will be times when a client is not fully able to express what is going on with them to the prescriber and counselors could certainly be of help. Second, monitoring is also important. I think so because not only are counselors able to monitor behaviors and symptoms, but they could also encourage the client to stay on top of their plan of treatment including their prescribed medications. Last, educating the client is equally important. Usually there are not many people on the outside that a client can comfortably discuss their situation with, without being judged and I think the counselor-client relationship would be an appropriate way of bringing insight to the client.

I thought that this video was very helpful, and very easy to understand. After reading the book needed for psychopharmacology my head was spinning and this video helped me understand it better. I really think it is so interesting how all of the different drugs interact so differently and how easily one can work for one client while that same drug can be ineffective for others.

This video was very informative. I enjoyed hearing a bit about the history of psychotropic drugs. I found it interesting the way the various roles that a counselor plays in helping clients deal with taking psychotropic drugs is broken down. I specifically noted hat even though the monitor and collaborator roles overlap, the real difference between them is that the monitor focuses on talking to the client about the drugs and the collaborator talks to the prescriber.

Im shocked at how little information was once offered to students studying to be counselors. This information is so important. As counselors we have to be familiar with the basics of pharmacology and how medications may or may not benefit out clients. We have to be careful when/if we suggest medications as an option but not push or give advice. Its also important that we have a good network of resources we can recommend for our clients and make sure that we thoroughly research any prescribers we refer our clients to. I like the outline of our specific role in all of this as a counselor. It makes it clear how much and how little we are to be involved in this area of our clients lives.

It was interesting to note how relatively young the psychopharmacology industry is, and that for some older psychiatric medications, the biochemistry behind their efficacy is still unknown. Is this a common reality for medications in general? Also, before this video I had a general idea about what the role of the counselor was in relation to their client and psychopharmacology, but the "four roles" outline was helpful in emphasizing each area that we should consider when thinking about this subject.

I work at an outpatient mental health agency that has counseling and tele-psychiatry. Due the the fact that the psychiatrist is over a webcast, it's extremely important for her to speak with the counselor to have more insight into the patient. I can see exactly why it could be helpful to collaborate with a psychiatrist to better assist the client in treatment.

I found this video to be insightful in that it allowed me to identify key aspects the responsibilities for clinical counselors in regards to psychopharmacology. Clinical counselors should be keeping up with their knowledge on new drugs and treatment. They should already have a solid understanding of current psychoactive drugs and their side effects. They should be able to consider the many layers of treating a client on these psychoactive drugs. Be able to address dangers of mixing the drugs with other substances. Provide the best therapy for the client to be used alongside of the psychoactive drugs. And be able to knowledgeably communicate with the client’s psychiatrist when available. This allows the counselor to advocate, monitor, educate, and collaborate with their clients. It is also important to note that we are not medical professionals and we should understand the clear boundaries between what is inside of our competency.

I can see how important it is for counselors to know about the use of Psychoactive drugs and the effects of them on moods, sensations, thinking, and behavior. As counselors, all 4 of the aforementioned is a huge part of what we are paying attention to. We should be tuned in to all of those mentioned in an effort to best understand the client and to also serve them in a professional manner. Understanding these effects will help us to better understand the client and to determine the best course of action as well as therapy choice. Collaboration with the PCP, psychiatrist and others will be at the best interest of the client and support this client by considering us as part of the "team" to their care.

I found this video to be very informative. I have very little background education on psycho pharmacology so I have been looking forward to this class and learned quite a bit from this video. Particularly, I had been unaware that nurse practitioners and in some state, psychologists were able to prescribe medications to individuals.

I learned a lot of new information in this video. I really appreciated the connection that Dr. Grande made between counselors and prescribers. I feel, in the field of counseling, we often spend so much time making distinctions between counselors and prescribers that we forget that there are similarities too. The collaboration role of counselors was stressed in this video as well. By allowing ourselves to relate and to connect aspects of counseling and prescribing to one another, we can greatly improve our role in collaboration.

I liked the connection between Psychopharmacology and the role of the counselor. I believe collaboration is something that could benefit a client significantly. Many of the skills I am currently learning, were discussed in a simplistic way.

This video points out a very important fact that many counselors don't take into account - that as a counselor you do wear many professional "hats." You are more than just a person the client talks to. You are the bridge between their prescribers/doctors, services, and the client. Many clients are not able to advocate for themselves and as noted, that is part of the counselor's role. If a client isn't taking their medications, is experiencing changes in behavior, doesn't want to come in for appointments, the counselor is an advocate and collaborator. Like the video said, the counselor has more professional interaction with each client than their prescriber traditionally would, so it is integral that the counselor does have knowledge of the medications each client is prescribed and taking or not taking.

The fact that psychopharmacology started by trial and error is interesting and makes sense. It is surprising that the field is so young. Defining drug action-the effect in the brain and drug effect is an important distinction in understanding the subject matter. Also important is the mandate that the counselor must never support the modification of drugs without consulting the prescribing Dr. but is an integral part of the mental health team and must be aware of the medications in use in order to help the client on his/her mental health journey.

This video was very informative on comparing the drug action v.s. drug effect with the counseling process. Drug treatment plans encourage "maximum positive benefits to omit negative side effects", within counseling this same process takes place. This video explains that when treating a client, sometimes we have to focus on how our action plan is affecting the client, and we may have to modify the treatment plan to omit more negative side effects, so that the client may have increased maximum benefits. It also explains how counselors take on multiple roles that contribute to a clients well-being, which is in relation to a drug treatment plan whereas pharmaceuticals may be attributed to taking on a role that may attribute to a clients well-being. Great insight!

Brandie, Thank you so much for your feedback. I completely agree with you and I am going to quote you on what you said because I truly think it drives home the point of what I was trying to say that, “We will be spending considerably more time with our clients and will be able to discuss changes in behaviors, possible side effects that we are witnessing and so on.” Much of a clients time is spent with their counselor so therefore if we are not on board or up to date with their prescribing doctor we could be left in the dark in trying to figure out what is causing certain issues to increase or decrease. I think it leaves much room for error if we are not at least knowledgeable and understanding.

The history of psychopharmacology serves as an enlightening introduction to this course. Through accidental discovery, psychopharmacology was born; broadening the scope of appropriate treatments for mental health disorders. Although the counselor is prohibited from medication distribution, the counselors role is unique and equally as important as their clinical counterparts. Donning multiple hats; advocate, monitor, educator, and collaborator, the counselor ensures communication across multiple disciplines increases cohesiveness to the clients care. Many mental health disorders use a dual approach; psychotherapy and psychopharmacology working in sync which continues to serve as an exemplar model in counseling.

I really enjoyed the amount of information given in this video, it was not overbearing with educational terms, but offered great insight to medications along with the different roles a counselor plays. Before this video, I did not know that medications were discovered by accident, I assumed that medications were created uniquely to treat specific symptoms or mental health disorders. I believed that certain drugs were put together and tested when doctors wanted to focus on a specific disorder, not that they could potentially solve other illnesses as well. It was interesting to discover that in fact, some medications for mental health disorders were discovered by accident because the ingredients inside original medications served a purpose in treating disorders they were not originally intended to treat. Also, I learned that a physician’s assistant could prescribe psychoactive drugs, I assumed only psychiatrist or primary care physicians could do so.

Of course, any time you are prescribing an individual prescription medication(s) a certain level of thought and professionalism is required; however I still did not realize exactly how difficult finding the medication and dosage of best-suit for each client can be. Not only is the clinician tasked with treating the presenting symptomology, but they must also make certain that the psychotropic medication prescribed will not exacerbate any previous conditions (i.e. substance abuse/addiction).

Thank you for this information. I found it especially meaningful to correlate the similarities of services between prescribers and counselors. Although the role of prescriber and counselor may be different, the end goal of providing competent and meaningful services that consider the uniquenesses of the individual is the same. I take away from this that "Dialing-In" to the needs of the consumer is important from both sides. Identifying the roles of a counselor and the emphasis on the importance of collaboration is also beneficial. Additionally, thank you for pointing out the ethical implications for counselors that serve consumers taking psychotropic medications. As counselors, we can support but not advise. Advisement should be deferred to the prescriber.

Working in the mental health field for some time, I have found that the communication of those on a client’s treatment team involving the client, therapists/counselors, those prescribing medication, case managers, etc. is imperative to the success of the client. As was indicated in the video, it can be difficult sometimes for a client to communicate their needs and also for the prescriber to make a recommendation or adjustment of prescribed medications. As a counselor, assisting the client through education, monitoring, advocating, and collaboration is both helpful and important.