2011

According to the World Health Organization (2007) up to one billion people are affected by a neurological disease annually worldwide constituting 6.3% of all diseases. It is estimated that neurological diseases will increase approximately 12% over the next 20 years. Neurological disorders have a reported prevalence rate of 8.7% in the Americas. In the United States neurological disorders have been noted as the second leading cause of death and disease (Montefiore Medical Center, 2010). While lower to middle socioeconomic status is related to a higher incidence rate, people in all levels of status experience neurological disorders (Dua, Cumbrera, Mathers, & Saxena, 2006). When considering other factors in narrowing the populations that experience neurological disorders, there are no distinctive discriminators. Rather, it appears clear that regardless of the specialty or client-typology, counselors are bound to experience clients who have been diagnosed with neurological difficulties.