Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling

This course explores the foundations and contextual dimensions of mental health counseling. Course material will include theoretical underpinnings of mental health counseling, the counselor’s role in diagnosis and intervention selection, and the contemporary trends in mental health counseling.

Prerequisite: P 553 - P 554 or equivalent.

Concepts of validity and reliability. Diagnostic devices viewed as bases for decisions. Classification. Comparison of methods of making predictions about individuals.

This course provides a critical analysis of professional issues and the ethical and legal standards in the practice of psychology. Traditional and emerging practice areas will be discussed. Topics such as professional code of ethics, legal restrictions, licensure, prescription drug privileges, managed care, and treatment efficacy research will be explored. Ethical standards and decision-making will be studied in the context of professional practice.

This course analyzes and evaluates mental health counseling theories while focusing on social/environmental impacts, research, human diversity and gender issues. This course facilitates the student’s ability to create necessary and sufficient conditions for therapeutic change.

Prerequisite: graduate standing and consent of instructor.

Description of the phenomena of psychopathology and the principles associated with their classification.

Prerequisite: Graduate standing.

This course explores the role of increasing diversity in the U.S. population and how it will affect the delivery of mental health services. The focus of the course is on different ethnic and minority groups, their customs and values, and the impact that these cultural factors have on the utilization of psychological services.

Systematic integration of theory, research, technique, and evaluation. Based on the available research literature, time-limited and structured interventions for specific clinical problems are designed, administered, and evaluated.

Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

An advanced introduction to the theory and experimental analysis of ontogenetic processes. Special emphasis on human development.

This course expands the experiential training students received in practicum. The course provides a continuing opportunity to apply theory to practice in mental health counseling under direct clinical supervision. Students will engage in a variety of professional activities performed by regularly employed counseling professionals in the setting.

Treatments for drug and alcohol addiction, assessment of drug and alcohol conditions and related disorders, and tracking patients to monitor treatment effectiveness.

Seminar on serious behavior disturbances of children. Comparisons with development of normal child interacting with family.

This seminar will focus on child abuse and maltreatment, and individual, family, and community approaches to child abuse.

This course introduces students to group counseling. Students will be exposed to a combination of didactic information about groups along with clinical training/skills building that will prepare future group leaders.

This course expands the experiential training students received in practicum. The course provides a continuing opportunity to apply theory to practice in mental health counseling under direct clinical supervision. Students will engage in a variety of professional activities performed by regularly employed counseling professionals in the setting.

To provide an overview of data-based strategies for assessment, planning, implementation will be presented along with illustrative case examples: needs assessment, process evaluation, systems analysis, experimental-outcome evaluation, adversarial evaluation.

This course covers theories, techniques, and information resources for enhancing vocational development across the lifespan; and facilitating client problem-solving and decision-making related to maintaining balance among work, family, and leisure roles. Students will develop a knowledge base concerning objective and projective methods for exploring and assessing career client interests, skills, and values that inform clients making reasoned career and lifestyle decisions. Current issues/controversies related to ethics, sociocultural factors, and individual differences in career counseling will be examined.

Prerequisite: I 664 and consent of instructor.

Presentation of psychometric foundations and the basic prediction model in personality/interest assessment. Coverage of the history of personality, assessment, personality development, and supervised clinical practice in personality/interest assessment in rehabilitation. Emphasis on prediction of everyday functioning.

This course expands the experiential training students received in practicum. The course provides a continuing opportunity to apply theory to practice in mental health counseling under direct clinical supervision. Students will engage in a variety of professional activities performed by regularly employed counseling professionals in the setting. 

Note: Lab fees apply.

This course expands the training students received in internship (PSY-G 550) by providing students with supervised training that focuses and develops competencies in various areas of mental health counseling. This course satisfies the state licensure requirement for an advanced internship for Licensed Mental Health Counselors.

Topics of current interest, with intensive critical examination of appropriate literature. Different staff member in charge each semester.