Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Graduate Certificate

This course is one of the first courses taken in the Clinical Mental Health Track (following Professional Orientation, Theories, and Techniques), in efforts to assist the student in obtaining an overview of theory, practice, methods, basic principles, and concepts used by counselors and to begin to develop a professional identity in the counseling field. 

This course introduces the student to information and background essential for working in a community agency as a mental health counselor. It examines current trends and developments in the field of counseling with respect to ethical/legal issues and managed care. It also explores the history and development of community mental health systems and focuses on individual areas of interest to the student. 

The class is interactive and applicable to the needs of the developing mental health and community counselor. Panel discussions, lectures, out-of-class assignments, field visits, case studies and guest speakers will be utilized in the learning process.

3 Credits.
 

The course content will emphasize the enactment of advanced counseling skills, use of a consistent theoretical orientation, and professional ethics. Class content may include a combination of didactic instruction, live demonstration, media, review of research, and experiential techniques. 

Students must be able to demonstrate basic and advanced skills, techniques, use of theory, and professional ethics. This course is a prerequisite for the practicum/internship clinical experience.

3 Credits. Prerequisite: COU 505, 520, 524, 525, 530, 535, 540, 550, 560 and EDU 506.

This course provides students with 100 (40 direct and 60 indirect) supervised hours of experience as clinical mental health counselors working with individuals as well as both large and small groups counseling experiences at pre-arranged sites. This course will expose the student to the practice of counseling with individuals under direct supervision. Students will conduct actual counseling/developmental sessions. 

The course is designed to facilitate the integration and application of theory and skill in earlier course work. Ethical codes related to the counseling profession will be reviewed and ethical issues and behavior addressed. 

The primary goal is for students to learn to listen therapeutically, provide the core conditions of counseling as well as additional client care, develop self-awareness related to these roles, and integrate this self-awareness and basic skills into the person the student is becoming as a counselor.

4 Credits.