Academic Programs-School of Arts and Sciences Choose 5 of the following electives: EFL
523
EFL
525
EFL
526
EFL
527
EFL
530
EFL
531
EFL EFL
536 537
Strategies and Techniques for Teaching Listening and Speaking Strategies and Techniques for Teaching Reading and Writing Aspects of Literacy for Multilingual Learners Strategies and Techniques for Teaching Grammar Methods of Teaching English through Drama Strategies and Techniques for Teaching Pronunciation Content-Based Instruction Computer-Assisted Language Learning
Graduate Program in Community Mental Health and Mental Health Counseling Contact: Dr. Annamarie Cioffari Mission The Graduate Program in Community Mental Health and Mental Health Counseling is a competency-based, multidisciplinary program which offers state-of-the-art graduate education in integrated community mental health and substance abuse services and mental health counseling. The program combines face-to-face instruction and distance-learning activities geared to adult learners. Intensive weekend instruction (classes meet one weekend per month) is provided for cohorts “on location” in several states across the country, including New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Alaska. The program offers three options for those seeking advanced studies in community mental health and mental health counseling. Students completing the first year of the program (22 credits) receive a Graduate Certificate in integrated community mental health and substance abuse services with a specialization in either children, youth, and families or in adults. Students desiring a Master’s Degree may continue on to complete a minimum 48-credit or minimum 60-credit master of science degree program. The program offers a unique emphasis in both mental health and substance abuse counseling and also emphasizes clinical and leadership skills in community-based behavioral health care. Students intending to pursue licensure as mental health or professional counselors are encouraged to enroll in the minimum 60credit option within the Master of Science degree. Within the minimum 60-credit M.S., the last 12 credits are tailored to the educational requirements for licensure within the individual states in which the program is offered, and prepare students for a variety of counseling roles in community settings. In some states, additional coursework and credits, offered as program electives, may be required to meet licensure regulations. The program is designed to be accessible to practicing professionals, as well as service recipients, family members, and others who wish to develop careers in the field. Faculty are scholar/practitioners who bring national
and local expertise in counseling, integrated service delivery, research and administration to the program. The curriculum in the Graduate Program in Community Mental Health and Mental Health Counseling is based on a set of core competencies that have been drawn from research literature, practices in model programs and input from professionals, service users and their families. The program has been recognized as an Innovative Practice by the Annapolis Coalition, and its competencies and curriculum have been cited as national models in studies supported by the federal Center for Mental Health Services. Program competencies emphasize clinical and management skills and core values for service delivery in rural and urban settings, including: integrated mental health and addictions counseling, recovery orientated approaches, integration with physical health care, wrap-around and strength-based approaches and intervention, community-based support, evidencebased practice, family partnership and family preservation, developmentally appropriate practice (from infancy through adulthood and the challenges of aging) and cultural relevance. The Graduate Program in Community Mental Health and Mental Health Counseling has been offered at Southern New Hampshire University since 2001. The program was founded at Trinity College of Vermont in 1995 as a collaborative effort among the Center for Community Change through Housing and Support, Trinity College of Vermont, and the Vermont Department of Developmental and Mental Health Services. The program received significant financial support from the Van Ameringen Foundation.
Format The master’s program begins with an Orientation Weekend, during which students develop individual professional development plans. Subsequent classes meet one weekend per month, for 12 months of the year. Three-credit courses typically last two months and involve two full weekends of instruction. Students continue their learning at home through readings, written assignments, other course materials, and application in their internship and work settings. Students complete a 100-hour Practicum that runs concurrent with courses in Helping Relationships and Diagnosis and Assessment. Students also complete a minimum of two, typically three 300-hour internships that are taken concurrently with other course work. Students complete an integrative Masters Project as a culminating learning experience on a topic of their choice, toward the end of the course sequence. The program works with licensing boards, in the states in which it is offered, to meet the educational requirements for licensure as a mental health or professional counselor. The program also works with state substance abuse certification boards. Additional course work and internships may be offered as electives. The University does not guarantee that students who complete the program will become licensed.
41