Description

The presentation provides an introductory overview of the broad area of psychopharmacology. The importance of counsellors having a level of understanding of this field is underlined, and an overview of key elements of human neuroanatomy and biochemistry is provided, with an eye to introducing some fundamentals of drug mechanisms.

It is pointed out that not all psychopharmacological outcomes are necessarily achieved through prescription medications only, and alternative approaches, including non-prescription supplements and nutritional approaches are pointed out in the context of referral pathways of which counsellors should be aware. Methods are summarised for finding out more information, and links are provided to some key Internet resources.

Finally, an overview of client concerns and the role of the counsellor in an integrated treatment team is discussed, along with a ‘bag of tricks’ that can facilitate client compliance as well as the counselling process.