Mental Health Counseling

This program is intended for two distinct groups of counselors who wish to be leaders in the field of mental health counseling.

Counseling professionals who hold a counseling master’s degree that does not meet the educational requirements for licensure as a clinical mental health counselor in New Hampshire. This program allows counselors with specializations in other areas such as school, human relations, or rehabilitation to gain the specialized academic and field experiences required for clinical mental health counseling.
Already licensed clinical mental health counselors. The mental health counseling program explores coursework targeted at leadership issues in mental health counseling settings and offers licensed or license-eligible counselors specialized coursework in related areas.

Counselor Education Core – 9 credits
3

CO 7210 Ethical, Legal, and Professional Issues in Counseling

This post-graduate course is designed as an intensive experience in advanced training in play therapy counseling skills in the work with children. Classes will be a combination of discussion, video presentation, case presentation, personal reflection, tape reviews and group supervision. Students will have the opportunity to conduct parent interviews, creating treatment plans and provide observations of each child in this learning experience. Prerequisites: CO 7010 and CO 7020.
3

CO 7300 Counseling Supervision

This course addresses theoretical, ethical, legal, relational and practical issues in counseling supervision. In addition to reviewing the fundamentals of counseling supervision, the course will provide an experientially based opportunity to develop and practice relevant supervision strategies.
3

EP 7050 Qualitative Methodology and Applied Research

This course addresses qualitative research methodologies with a particular emphasis on constructing grounded theory. Candidates will engage in the process, design, and critique of qualitative inquiry and research. Organizational and community issues will be explored and discovered through the analysis of patterns of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors within interpersonal and intercultural contexts. Descriptive analysis of initiating the inquiry, gathering and picturing the data, recording and analyzing data, and evaluating the study. (Prerequisite: EP 7020, EP 7030, and a course in research design).

Mental Health Specialization – 15 credits
3

CO 5770 Psychopathology: Disorders of Childhood, Adolescence, and Adulthood

Course provides a clear, balanced presentation of the psychology of abnormal behavior including current theoretical models, research, clinical experiences, therapies and controversies. Enables student to understand psychological/psychiatric disorders as discrete clinical conditions and to be able to apply differential diagnoses. Fall. Prerequisite: CO5010 or SY6010 or permission of instructor.
3

CO 5700 Critical Issues: Mental Health Practice

This course examines models of crisis intervention, trauma and substance abuse treatment. Students will learn current intervention models, how to evaluate risk factors, and how to determine and utilize resources. Prerequisite: CO 5010.
3

CO 5600 Foundations of Mental Health Counseling

Introduction to the mental health counseling field. Exploring issues of developing a professional identity, understanding the larger mental health service delivery system, being sensitive to issues of diversity, and integrating theory and ethics into ideas about professional mental health counseling. There is a 20-hour prepracticum field experience as part of this course. Spring. Prerequisite: CO 5010.
3

CO 5790 Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment Planning

This course is designed to develop competencies in clinical interviewing, diagnostic assessment, case conceptualization, and treatment planning. Diversity considerations and current models of evidence-based practice will be emphasized. Prerequisites: CO 5010, CO 5020, CO 5260, CO 5770, or permission of the instructor.
3

CO 5130 Psychopharmacology and the Biological Basis of Mental Health

Psychopharmacology and the Biological Basis of Mental Health course will explore the biological influences on mental illness. This will include an examination of the physiological basis of behavior, perception, emotion and self-regulation; the current theory and research on the relationship between biological events in the central nervous system and behavior; and psychopharmacological interventions.

Internship – 9 credits
9

CO 5880 Seminar and Internship in Mental Health Counseling

A 600-hour clinical counseling experience under supervision and conducted in a mental health counseling setting. Students must attend an on-campus seminar with fellow student interns that provides an opportunity for case presentation and professional development. Designed to be the culminating experience in the Mental Health Counseling concentration. Students must provide evidence of liability insurance. Prerequisites: completion of all required courses in the Mental Health Counseling concentration and consent of the Plymouth internship supervisor. Variable and repeatable.