Counselling Clients with Chronic Medical Conditions

In this course Dr Constance West, Ph.D., cites the recent and projected worldwide explosion in cases of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and dementia – and the 50% prevalence rate of those in the U.S. or Australia with such a chronic condition – to argue for counsellors’ need to upskill if they would serve this population. Dr West provides numerous statistics to show how mental health conditions, especially depression and PTSD, have a much higher prevalence in populations with a chronic medical condition. Numerous concepts are demonstrated through the chronic condition of HIV/AIDS.