Course Descriptions PCMH 666 Professional Affairs and Ethics (3 credits) Students review standards and guidelines developed by counseling and various other human service disciplines for community-based outreach and support services in behavioral health. Students clarify their own values and develop a set of guidelines to resolve ethical dilemmas as they occur. The course includes an overview of professional practice issues for counselors and community behavioral health professionals. PCMH 667 Community and Systems: Analysis, Consultation and Change (3 credits) Students examine the research on community systems and change, strategies for analyzing and understanding communities and service systems, and community organizing and advocacy approaches being used in the field. Students learn the consultation skills critical to promoting collaboration and change in systems and communities and complete a project that integrates the research literature with practical applications and action strategies in this area. PCMH 671 Special Topics, Mental Health Counseling for Children and Families (3 credits) This course covers emerging issues and trends in mental health counseling for children and families. It has a clinical focus and includes applications of new research, emerging clinical practices and/or advanced practice in a specific treatment intervention. PCMH 672 Management of Behavioral Health Services (3 credits) This course explores aspects of leadership and management roles within behavioral health organizations. It provides an introduction to such topics as personal management and self-awareness, managed care, and organizational dynamics, change and leadership. Students also learn about basic aspects of managing organizations, including financial management, risk management and strategic affiliations. PCMH 673 Special Topics Mental Health Counseling for Adults (3 credits) This course covers emerging issues and trends in mental health counseling for adults with mental health issues. It has a clinical focus and includes applications of new research, emerging clinical practices and/or advanced practice in a specific treatment intervention. PCMH 674 Special Topics, Mental Health Substance Use Counseling (3 credits) This course covers emerging issues and trends in mental health counseling for persons with substance use disorders. It has a clinical focus and includes applications of new research, emerging clinical practices and/or advanced practice in a specific treatment intervention. PCMH 675 Co-occurring Issues for Children and Families (3 credits) This course focuses on three issues. The first is understanding families with a member who abuses substances. This includes an understanding of family systems, issues related to culture and ethnicity, the impact of domestic violence and
effects specific to very young children. The second, specific interventions for youth who are abusing substances, includes strategies for providing intensive treatment options in the community, developing pro-social behaviors and legal issues that affect minors. The third, system and community issues, includes ways to address cross-social service system treatment barriers and community education and mobilization. PCMH 676 Physiology of Addictions and Psychopharmacology (3 credits) This course covers the physiology of addictions and the effects and prevalence of major addictive and abused substances. Students develop an understanding of withdrawal symptoms and detoxification protocols. Students also gain a working knowledge of major medications used to treat psychiatric, substance use and co-occurring disorders and basic medical problems for which referrals should be made. Educating individuals and their families on medication benefits and side effects is emphasized. PCMH 677 Special Topics, Management and Policy (3 credits) This course covers national policy issues (e.g., health care reform) and emerging issues and trends in behavioral health management (e.g., managed care, quality improvement, risk management, and customer and stakeholder involvement) that affect mental health counselors and managers in behavioral health settings.
PCMH 680 Diagnosis and Assessment (3 credits) This course provides an overview of standard assessment and diagnostic methods in counseling. Students develop the capacity to use a systematic inquiry process for obtaining important and accurate information during assessment. Students will gain a practical, working knowledge of the DSM-IV and the most critical instruments used to assess mental health and substance abuse problems. Ethical, cultural and other issues related to test bias and the interpretation of test results are discussed. PCMH 682 Human Development (3 credits) This course reviews significant research findings and theory about human development. Building a multidimensional framework for understanding development processes and dynamics and for predicting challenges associated with life transitions is emphasized. The interplay of the biological, cognitive, social and cultural influences of each aspect of development also is stressed. PCMH 683 Group Process (3 credits) This course enables participants to acquire knowledge about theory and a way of thinking about and working with small groups. It is based on the assumption that experiential learning is the most effective way to get acquainted with a new and challenging topic. The course combines presentations of various theoretical issues related to group work with structured learning experiences that enable the application of newly acquired content in familiar contexts.
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