Behavioral Health

Emphasizes understanding addictions including historical and current implications of addiction as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act and social, cultural, political, and economic contexts of addiction. Introduction to basic pharmacology of alcohol/other drugs, assessment criteria, signs and symptoms of addiction and recovery efforts.

This course examines how cultural, biological, and social diversity affect behavioral health and healthcare. It presents current theories and practices for working with diverse populations in the behavioral health field and fosters the understanding and application of cultural diversity, cultural humility, self-awareness, social justice, and advocacy.

This course provides a broad understanding of ethics, legal standards, and professional responsibilities in behavioral healthcare. Students explore behavioral health professionals’ responsibilities to themselves, clients, colleagues, and society. The course facilitates an understanding of ethical standards and ethical decision-making, professional boundaries, confidentiality, and federal and state laws pertaining to specific populations and situations in behavioral healthcare.

This course introduces the structures and processes of the human brain. Designed for non-science majors, the course emphasizes the relationships among biology, emotions, thoughts, and behavior.

This course is an overview of case management within the context of healthcare and human services. Students develop observation, problem-solving, documentation, and relationship building skills through the exploration of the case management process which includes client engagement and assessment, care planning, resource acquisition, and care coordination.

This course introduces the skills necessary to screen clients for service eligibility, complete intake processes, conduct comprehensive assessments, and partner with clients to develop effective plans to achieve client-identified goals. Students are prepared to serve as effective helpers, able to explore their clients’ situation carefully to develop insight before taking action.

Students will be introduced to behavioral and social services, including history, philosophy, and current delivery systems to a diverse client population.

This course investigates the variety of ways we can reduce the impacts of common mental health disorders. Reviewing evidence-based research, students survey the range of effective, promising, and ineffective treatments for common mental health disorders such as psychosis, bipolar, depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and PTSD. Topics include biological, psychological, and social treatments, including professional services and self-help options.

Students will learn to enhance the effectiveness of therapeutic counseling groups by examining a variety of roles, models, and norms of group work. Students will develop therapeutic group leadership skills through facilitation of simulated group sessions.

This course is a continuation of supervised clinical experience, building on the skills and experience gained in Practicum I. Students will develop skills in the areas of: upon may include intake interviewing, case management, assessment of client/consumer needs, and intervention strategies. Emphasis will be placed on to meet those needs, individual and group counseling, outreach activities, documentation, use of community referral and networking resources, collaboration with colleagues, inter-agency communication, and professional growth. Ninety hours of recorded clinical experience are required.

This course explores the science of addiction, including current research on both substance and behavioral addictions and recovery. Topics covered include current research on addiction, barriers to successful recovery, various treatment models including medication assisted treatment, the impact of trauma, cultural and generational impacts of addiction, as well as the effects of adverse experiences such as poverty, inadequate access to services and others.