ABSTRACT
This chapter describes an overall approach to patient care and several different counseling models for practitioners to use in primary healthcare settings to help patients like Nikki. Primary care practitioners need skills in counseling, given the high prevalence of patients with treatable mental health disorders, and the amount of disability that will result if these disorders are not recognized or treated. Trauma and grief counseling have been effective in helping children in post- conflict Bosnia to make improvements in weight gain and psychosocial functioning. The chapter describes the evidence-based counseling models. The patient-centered model of care provides an overall approach and framework for relating to patients, in order to understand their underlying problems and set priorities for treatment. The concept of least restrictive alternatives for treatment is an important factor in deciding the level of counseling and treatment for mental health conditions.
