Mental Health Concentration

Transcription

1 Mental Health Concentration Brief Description Students in the Mental Health Concentration are prepared for advanced practice with individuals, couples, and families and as advocates for more responsive and comprehensive mental health services at the local, regional, and societal levels. Graduating students work in community mental health centers, mental health institutions, community programs serving adults with persistent and chronic mental disorders, health maintenance organizations, forensic settings, employee assistance programs, other community-based counseling settings, policy settings, research, and some eventually serve clients in private practice. All mental health students must complete S Differential Diagnosis, a course providing them with application-level state-of-the-art mental health theory and skills in mental health assessment, and S Treatment of Mental Disorders, a course that reviews and highlights effective, empirically tested interventions for specific mental disorders. All mental health concentrators also take S Mental Health Policy, a course offering students a thorough review of current policy and political developments affecting mental health service delivery and financing in the U.S. and abroad. Direct practice students are required to complete S Promoting Recovery for Persons with Serious Mental Illness and S Substance and Alcohol Abuse. Mental Health Concentration students are exposed to a range of evidence-based assessment and treatment methods that aim to increase the functional capacity of individuals and larger systems adversely affected by mental health problems. Administration students take three of the several administrative methods courses. Students in the Mental Health Concentration are allowed to take one of two different evaluation courses to fulfill their concentration evaluation requirement, S Social Policy and Analysis; or S Evaluation of Programs and Services. Competencies Concentration courses are designed to prepare students to obtain competence in 10 areas. Competencies are measured by practice behaviors that are detailed on each course syllabi as appropriate to the content. 1. Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself accordingly. Concentration course work builds on the content of S , Social Work Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups and S , Social Work Practice with Organizations and Communities, Evidence Based Practice Skills for BSW Graduates S and the foundation practicum in the foundation curriculum. All required concentration courses and the concentration practicum support this competency. 2. Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice. Concentration course work builds on the content of S Social Justice and Human Diversity, S , Social Work Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups and S , Social Work Practice with Organizations and Communities, Evidence Based Practice Skills for BSW Graduates S and the foundation practicum in the foundation

2 curriculum. All required concentration courses and the concentration practicum support this competency. 3. Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments. 4. Engage diversity and difference in practice. 5. Advance human rights and social and economic justice. 6. Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research. Because of the focus on evidence-based practice at the Brown School, this content is integrated throughout the foundation and concentration courses and practica 7. Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment. 8. Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services Concentration course work builds on the content of S , Social, Economic and Political Environment S Social Justice and Human Diversity, S , Social Work Practice with Organizations and Communities, and S , Social Welfare Policies and Services in the foundation curriculum. At the concentration level this content is supported in S Differential Diagnosis, S , Mental Health Policy, S , Social Policy Analysis and Evaluation or S Evaluation of Programs and Services and concentration field practicum. 9. Respond to contexts that shape practice. Concentration course work builds on the content of S Research Methods, S Social Justice and Human Diversity, S Social Work Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups and S , Social Work Practice with Organizations and Communities, Evidence Based Practice Skills for BSW Graduates S and the foundation practicum in the foundation curriculum. This content is integrated throughout the concentration courses and practica 10. Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities Concentration course work builds on the content of S Research Methods, S Social Justice and Human Diversity, S , Social Work Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups and S , Social Work Practice with Organizations and Communities, Evidence Based Practice Skills for BSW Graduates S S , Social Welfare Policies and Services and the foundation practicum in the foundation

3 curriculum. At the concentration level this content is supported for direct practice students in S Treatment of Mental Disorders, S Promoting Recovery for Persons with Serious Mental Illness, S Substance and Alcohol, and in the concentration evaluation courses: S Social Policy Analysis and Evaluation, and S Evaluation of Programs and Services. For the administration students this content is provided in the following courses: S Personnel Management and Supervision, S Budgeting and Fiscal Management, S Leadership, Planning, and Decision-Making, S Working with Groups on Problem-Solving Tasks,, and S Marketing, Resource Development, and Community Relations, and in the concentration evaluation courses: S Social Policy Analysis and Evaluation, and S Evaluation of Programs and Services. The content is supported for all students in the concentration field practicum.

4 Mental Health Concentration Course Requirements (See Proposed Course Offerings for prerequisites and co-requisites) Social Policy S Mental Health Policy Theory, Problems, and Issues S Differential Diagnosis Practice Methods S Treatment of Mental Disorders Direct Practice students are required to complete: S Promoting Recovery for Persons with Serious Mental Illness S Substance and Alcohol Abuse Administration students select any three of the following: S Working with Groups on Problem-Solving Tasks S Personnel Management and Supervision + S Board Governance and Volunteer Management + S Budgeting and Fiscal Management + S Leadership, Planning, and Decision Making S Marketing, Resource Development, and Community Relations + Evaluation All students select one of the following: S Social Policy Analysis and Evaluation S Evaluation of Programs and Services * Clinical Option The Clinical Option of the Mental Health Concentration is designed to signal to others that a student has structured his or her elective courses to focus on the clinical practice of social work with a mental health focus. These students complete the requirements of the mental health concentration. In addition, they complete (1) a concentration field practicum that emphasizes the clinical practice of social work in mental health and (2) at least 12 elective hours in clinical coursework using the framework provided below. At least 9 credit hours in courses that emphasize clinical methods: S Applied Behavior Therapy S Cognitive Behavior Therapy S Applied Group Work Practice S Applied Psychosocial Therapy S Introduction to Family Therapy S Theories and Practice of Family Therapy S Intervention Approaches for Treating Couples

5 S Pharmacology for Social Workers + Students may take 3 credit hours that emphasize clinical practice with a more specific clinical population: Practicum S Social Work Practice with Children in Families S Social Work Practice with Youth in Families S Child Welfare Practice S Intervention Approaches with Women Students must take five credits (600 hours) of practicum at an approved mental health setting. The practicum site must be an organization in which the primary focus for the student can be the planning, administration, or delivery of mental health services. Examples include mental health centers, hospitals, religious social service centers, and outreach facilities. Mental Health Concentration Information For further information on the Mental Health Concentration, contact Vetta Sanders Thompson, PhD, ( / or [email protected]). + Highly Recommended * Preferred for Direct Practice Students.