Course Descriptions PCMH 635 Clinical Skills I: Integrated Community Mental Health Treatment for Children, Youth and Families (3 credits) The first of two courses designed to develop student knowledge and skills in community-based service approaches for children and adolescents experiencing a severe emotional disturbance and their families. This course is focused on commonly used treatment modalities with children, adolescents, and families that can be used in a variety of settings. Specifically, these treatment modalities include: Behavior and Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, and Narrative Therapy. Students will learn the theoretical framework and assumptions for each approach, therapeutic techniques associated with each intervention, how each therapeutic approach can be used for specific mental health issues (i.e, depression, anxiety, ADHD, substance abuse disorders, conduct disorders), cultural and developmental considerations, and the existing research on such practices. Students will have opportunities to practice these clinical skills in class and discuss how to apply these practices with children and families in their internship settings. PCMH 636 Clinical Skills II: Integrated Community Mental Health Treatment for Children, Youth and Families (3 credits) This course is the second of two clinical classes designed to introduce learners to the skills utilized in community mental health practice with children, adolescents and families. It will focus on the youth and families in crisis in the context of the natural community and the community mental health system. It will review history and theory of crisis interventions, proactive planning for individual youth before the crisis occurs or reoccurs and risk assessment strategies. The course will offer techniques for working with children, families and the general community during times of individual, family or community crisis (mental health or health crisis, accident, death, etc). Specific topics of focus will include: self-harm/suicide, trauma, violence, and natural or human caused disasters. Strategies for assessment, planning, and intervention will emphasize family members as partners, solution and strength based treatment planning and interventions, natural and community based supports. PCMH 645 Clinical Skills I: Integrated Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for Adults with Psychiatric Disabilities (3 credits) This course will build a clinical and practical foundation for intervening with individuals who have co-occurring mental illness and psychoactive substance use disorders. Essential epidemiological, etiological, assessment, and intervention areas will be covered. A variety of motivational and contextual dimensions will be explored: 1) empowerment, 2) hope, 3) recovery education and symptom self-management, 4) selfhelp, and 5) therapeutic interventions. We will address family support, involuntary interventions, intervention networks, and integrated clinical services by using a general systems theory approach. Out-of-class reading and project work will be required to demonstrate skill learning and competency.
PCMH 646 Clinical Skills II: Integrated Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services for Adults with Psychiatric Disabilities (3 credits) This course will integrate empirical and functional aspects of the therapeutic process when intervening with individuals who have co-occurring mental illness and psychoactive substance use disorders. Students will learn to employ core clinical interventions and treatment modalities. The course will require the demonstration of a high level of student skill and competence in clinical and psychosocial interventions used with individuals with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse. The complexity and heterogeneity of cooccurring disorders will be closely examined. There will be a special emphasis on how an individual’s experience of trauma complicates clinical work. Unique ethical and boundary issues will be addressed. Out-of-class reading and project work will be required to demonstrate skill learning and competency. PCMH 650 Internship I (3 credits) Students complete a 300-hour clinical internship in a relevant program or agency and under the supervision of a qualified field instructor. Students must develop a learning contract with their internship providers. Faculty members supervise and serve as liaisons. Internships are offered only on a pass/fail basis. PCMH 662 Internship II (3 credits) Students in the master’s program complete an additional 300-hour internship that focuses on the development of advanced clinical and/or leadership and management skills under the supervision of a qualified field instructor. Students must develop learning contracts with their internship providers. Faculty members supervise and serve as liaisons. Internships are offered only on a pass/fail basis. PCMH 663 Internship III (3 credits) Students in the mental health counseling track may choose an additional 300-hour internship that focuses on the development of advanced clinical and/or leadership and management skills under the supervision of a qualified field instructor. Students must develop learning contracts with their internship providers. PCMH faculty provide individual and group supervision for the students and serve as liaisons to the internship site. Offered on a pass/fail basis only. PCMH 665 Program Evaluation and Systems Research (3 credits) This course introduces students to the principles and practices of program evaluation and systems research, including quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. Students become informed readers of research literature, develop a research proposal on a topic of interest and learn how to use data to evaluate individual clinical practice and program/agency outcomes. Methods for gathering information from and for key constituencies are emphasized.
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