What does a mental health associate do?

Question

Zippia Team · Accepted Answer

A mental health associate assists medical professionals in diagnosing and treating mental, developmental, emotional, and behavioral disorders in people. They work in hospitals, mental institutions, nursing homes, schools, and many more. A big part of this job includes mediating between patients, nurses, and doctors.

Common duties of a mental health associate include:

Monitor patients' physical and emotional well-being and report unusual behavior or physical ailments to medical staff
Observe and influence patients' behavior, communicating and interacting with them and teaching, counseling, or befriending them
Assist doctors, psychologists, or rehabilitation therapists in working with mentally ill, emotionally disturbed, or developmentally disabled patients to treat, rehabilitate, and return patients to the community
Develop or teach strategies to promote client wellness and independence
Provide nursing, psychiatric, or personal care to mentally ill, emotionally disturbed, or developmentally disabled patients
Restrain violent, potentially violent, or suicidal patients by verbal or physical means as required
Take and record measures of patients' physical condition, using devices such as thermometers or blood pressure gauges
Aid patients in performing tasks, such as bathing or keeping beds, clothing, or living areas clean
Interview new patients to complete admission forms, to assess their mental health status, or to obtain their mental health and treatment history
Lead prescribed individual or group therapy sessions as part of specific therapeutic procedures
Escort patients to medical appointments
Issue medications from dispensaries and maintain records in accordance with specified procedures
Administer oral medications or hypodermic injections, following physician's prescriptions and hospital procedures