Counseling and Mental Health Concentration
Concentration Counseling and Mental Health
Where Will Your Degree Take You?
Mental Health Counselor
Residential Counselor
Licensed Mental Health Therapist
Behavioral Health Counselor
Therapist/Counselor/Psychologist with Trauma and CBT Focus
Clinician
Program Of Study (42 Credits)
Curriculum - Concentration in Counseling and Mental Health (42 credits)
This concentration provides structured preparation for work in the prevention and remediation of emotional, behavioral, and educational problems. Students generally pursue employment or graduate studies in counseling or related fields.
Required Courses (36 credits)
PY 111 Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to the major areas, theories, concepts, and methods of contemporary psychology. Topics may include ways of perceiving, learning, and thinking about the world; emotions; motivation; the relationship between brain events and inner experience; child development and adult personality; self-concept; attitudes toward others and behavior in social situations; stress, coping, and the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. Special attention will be paid to the application of scientific methods to the study of human cognition and behavior. General Education Choice for Part B. Offered every semester. 3 credits
PY 210 Behavior Modification
Application of learning principles to human behavior and its modification in clinical settings, business environments, the classroom, and everyday life. Examines methods of determining the triggers for problem behaviors and the role of rewards. A number of approaches to changing old behaviors and establishing new behaviors will be discussed, such as token economies, self-monitoring, contracts, cognitive-behavioral techniques, shaping, differential reinforcement, and extinction. P: PY111. Offered annually. 3 credits
PY 211 Abnormal Psychology
Psychological functioning is said to be abnormal when it is atypical and causes distress to the individual or to other members of that person's community. Viewed through a medical lens, these behaviors are regarded as signs of psychopathology (mental illness). This course provides a thorough grounding in the psychiatric diagnostic classification system, covering most of the major categories of mental disorder: anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and more. Theories explaining the various forms of mental disorder, research findings on their social, psychological, and biological correlates, and treatment options are also considered. P: PY111. Offered annually. 3 credits
PY 213 Counseling Techniques
A didactic-experiential course addressing contemporary procedures for counseling clients with emphasis on acquiring interviewing skills and understanding the counselor-client dyad as an effective working relationship. P: PY 111, PY 211. Offered yearly 3 credits
PY 218 Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences (same as SO 218)
Addresses basic concepts and methods of statistical data analysis as applied in psychology and other social/behavioral sciences, including organizing, analyzing, and interpreting data. The course will provide students with a foundation in descriptive and inferential statistics, touching on frequency distributions, probability sampling, and hypothesis testing. Analyses conducted by hand and using SPSS. P: Fulfillment of the Level A math requirement. Generally offered every semester. 3 credits
PY 222 Learning
Whenever experience changes our behavior in a lasting way, learning has taken place. Learning includes acquisition of knowledge, mastery of concepts, cultivation of skills, and development of habits. This course surveys what is known about key forms of learning, emphasizing classical conditioning, operant conditioning, observational learning, verbal learning, and information processing models of memory. Major theories that attempt to explain these processes and how these theories are applied to real world concepts, such as education, will be covered. Offered annually. P: PY 111. 3 credits
PY 280 Practicum*
A three-credit field-based experiential practicum involving approximately 8-10 hours per week on site. Sites may include schools, clinics, community agencies, corporations, or laboratories depending on the student's interest and area of concentration. Offered every semester. P: Senior status or second semester Junior status and permission of Department Chair. 3 credits
PY 312 Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy involves the treatment of mental illness and/or the facilitation of people's coping with life problems using psychological (as opposed to biomedical) methods. Evidence indicates that a variety of psychotherapeutic approaches can be effective, depending in part on the nature of the presenting problems. This course surveys the principal schools of thought in psychotherapy, including psychodynamic, humanistic, behavioral, and cognitive therapies. Offered annually. P: PY 111, PY 211. 3 credits
PY 325W Experimental Methods and Research Design
An introduction to experimental methods and research design in psychological research. Includes hands-on experience with design, implementation of data collection, data coding and analysis, and the interpretation and communication of results. Students will learn and use APA style format in a research paper describing their research findings. P: PY 111, PY 218, and junior or senior status. Fulfills major Writing requirement. Offered annually. 3 credits
PY 340 Psychological Assessment
Psychological assessment involves the systematic appraisal of cognitive abilities, personality traits, social attitudes, interests, values, and other characteristics. Methods include interviews, self-report measures, projective techniques, and performance appraisals. This course covers the basic principles of test construction and validation used by psychologists and educational measurement specialists. It also covers the administration, scoring, and interpretation of selected psychological tests along with a critical evaluation of their qualities. P: PY 218 and open only to psychology majors with Senior status. Offered annually. 3 credits
PY 380 Internship (9 credits)*
A field-based experiential internship in the Child Development and Counseling, and Mental Health concentrations requiring a commitment of 16-24 hours per week to the placement site. P: PY 280 and departmental permission. May, with special permission of the Department Chair, be taken over the course of two semesters. Upon registering for PY 380, students should immediately meet with the Director of Experiential Learning and the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence. This should be done by the middle of the semester prior to actually beginning the placement. Offered every semester. 6 - 9 credits
One of the following: (3 credits)
PY 330 Child Development
An examination of the major theories, issues, and research regarding the developing child from conception to puberty, with emphasis on emotional, cognitive, and social development. Current issues, such as the effects of drugs on the fetus, child abuse, and day care centers will be discussed. Offered annually. P: PY 111. 3 credits
PY 341 Adolescent Psychology
This course examines the development of the individual during the period of transition from childhood to adulthood, including physical changes, personality development, and the influence of family, school, and culture on adolescents. Offered annually. P: PY 111. General Education Choice for Part C. 3 credits
PY 350 Adulthood and Aging
An overview of adulthood, maturity, and old age from both physical and psychological perspectives. Personal adjustment and psychological changes over the chronology of adult experience will be emphasized. Topics will include family, career, personality continuity and change, sexuality, and the processes of aging, death, and bereavement. P: PY 111. Offered annually in the evening. 3 credits
One of the following: (3 credits)
PY 229 Psychology of the Exceptional Child
Not all children develop along "˜typical' lines. For some, cognitive and/or social-emotional development differs sharply from what is considered normative. This course concerns the psychology of such children, especially insofar as their differences may produce problems in living (e.g., academic failure or social stigmatization). Assessment and diagnostic procedures (e.g., psychological tests) as well as intervention strategies (e.g., behavior modification) will be covered. Specific language and academic skills disorders, autisticspectrum disorders, mental retardation, selected medical conditions, disruptive behavior disorders, "˜internalizing' disorders (e.g., separation anxiety), and the consequences of neglect and abuse will be considered. Some attention will also be paid to the issues raised by giftedness and special talents. In addition to describing the various disorders clinically and phenomenologically, we will try to understand their origins, nature, and developmental implications, and how they can be recognized and effectively addressed in specialized settings (e.g., clinics), in regular classrooms, and in the home. A field experience in a classroom serving "˜special needs' students is available as part of this course. This experiential component is required for students pursuing teacher certification. P: PY 111 and PY 330 or PY 211. Offered annually. 3 credits
PY 250 Community Psychology
A multidisciplinary approach emphasizing the prevention and treatment of psychological problems in a community setting. Offered every other year in the evening. P: PY 111. 3 credits
Recommended Correlatives:
BI 116 The Human Body (offered in evening only) OR coursework in biology, such as BI111 and/or BI112
A non-majors course designed to provide a fundamental background in human biology and to serve as a basic introduction to the anatomy and physiology of humans. Emphasis is placed on examining the functions of various systems and their relationships to each other. Hands-on activities may be offered during the course giving the student a chance to experience the wonders of the human body for themselves. General Education choice, Level A. 3 credits
PY/SO 235 Drug and Alcohol Abuse (offered in evening only)
An introductory survey covering a variety of issues in the addiction arena, including the psychology of addiction, biological issues, the impact of addiction on families, identification of addictions, and methods of intervention. P: PY 111. Generally offered annually in the evening. 3 credits
PY 248 Cultural Psychology
This course examines the importance of cultural factors in explaining and understanding human behavior, providing students with a cross-cultural framework to evaluate the relevance of traditionally held beliefs and theories to different cultural groups. Students will explore the role of culture in development, cognition, gender, emotion, language and communication, personality, abnormal psychology, development of self and identity, and interpersonal and intergroup relations. To develop a better understanding of self in relation to the world, students will research their own cultural background and norms in comparison to mainstream society in the United States. Finally, students will develop a deeper, more complex understanding of the nature of culture, its relationship to the psychological processes, and the differences and similarities between cultures in our increasingly globalized world. General Education Choice for Part C. P: PY111. Offered every other year. 3 credits
SO 212 Social Work: History and Practice
After reviewing the history of Social Work in the United States, this course examines the practice settings of social work as a profession: case work, group work, community organization and advocacy, and policy and planning. Includes the study of the values and assumptions of social work with an eye towards problem-solving applications with specific populations, as well as social welfare policy critique. Generally offered every other spring semester. 3 credits
SO 242 Minorities and Multicultural Diversity
This course examines the positions of "minorities"