Volume_4_Issue_3_Digest

TPC D igest 39 Jason H. King is Student Development Coordinator in the School of Counseling at Walden University. Correspondence can be addressed to Jason H. King, 100 Washington Avenue South, Suite 900, Minneapolis, MN 55401-2511, jason.king6@waldenu.edu. T he fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( DSM-5 ) continues a 60-year legacy as a standard reference for clinical practice in the mental health field. The DSM-5 represents 12 years of culminating work among hundreds of medical and mental health professionals. The manual was revised in such a manner as to stimulate new clinical perspectives, promote a new generation of research into the biological markers of mental health disorders, and facilitate more reliable diagnoses of the disorders. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) describes the DSM-5 as a “practical, functional, and flexible guide” for trained counselors’ use in a wide diversity of contexts, a guide that facilitates a common language to communicate the essential characteristics of mental disorders manifested in their clients. As counselors dive into the new manual, they will notice an expanded discussion of a dimensional approach to diagnosis; developmental and lifespan considerations; cultural issues; gender differences; appropriate use of other specified and unspecified disorders; integration of scientific findings from the latest research in genetics and neuroimaging; the multiaxial systems; online enhancements; and enhanced use of course, descriptive and severity specifiers for diagnostic precision. They will also notice consolidation, streamlining and restructuring of most mental disorders so as to promote clinical utility and advanced clinical case formulation. In addition, counselors will learn about a new definition of a mental disorder, new elements of a diagnosis and emerging assessments and monitoring tools. This article is intended to assist all counselor specialties, especially counselors who embrace the professional identity of the CACREP clinical mental health counseling specialty. The author reviews six mental health Clinical Application of the DSM-5 in Private Counseling Practice – DIGEST Jason H. King