This introductory course is designed to meet the specific standards for clinical mental health counselors as suggested by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). With an emphasis on developing Counselor Identity, this course provides an overview of community mental health and agency counseling, addressing such issues as the foundations of community counseling, the role of the counselor in providing clinical mental health counseling and community counseling, prevention, outreach, systemic issues, multicultural issues, professional and client advocacy and social change, and service delivery programs. Effective dimensions of assessment, treatment, and diagnoses will be presented. The importance of ethical issues and consultation in community agencies will also be discussed.
- Faculty: MOLLY WILSON
In this course, candidates begin their field experience by working in an approved mental health setting under the supervision of an LPC in the field and the instructor. The focus of this course is on further development of individual and group counseling skills. Candidates will begin to work directly with clients, and under supervision, gain experience with the activities that a regulatory employed staff member in the setting would be expected to perform. Candidates also will meet in class for group supervision and instruction. Counseling skills will be critiqued through the use of live and/or taped observations. Candidates must complete a minimum of one hundred contact hours of service under clinical supervision.
- Faculty: MOLLY WILSON
This course focuses on the study of the effects of psychoactive chemicals on neurochemical, neurophysiological, behavioral and mental processes. Emphasis is in the biological model of mental illness and substance dependence and the role of the counselor in treatment of medicated clients in consultation with physicians. Consideration is given to the disease model of chemical dependency, including the psychological dynamics and family patterns associated with chemical dependency, recognition of symptoms including current approaches to treatment and intervention. (Prerequisites: COU 506)
- Faculty: DANIEL CRUIKSHANKS
This course will present counseling approaches that effectively address crisis. The course will examine the impact of trauma and crisis and potential neurobiological responses. The students will gain knowledge and skills useful in assessing and intervening in crisis and explore the application of these skills in addressing specific crisis situations such as; suicide, homicide, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, natural disasters and terrorism. Students will examine the implications for assessment and intervention in the midst of a crisis and learn self-care strategies.
- Faculty: MOLLY WILSON
The comprehensive examination is intended to be one of the culminating experiences of the graduate program. The exam is offered in January for May graduates, in September for December graduates, and in June for August graduates. MAC Candidates must register for COU 750 Comprehensive Examination in the term prior to their expected graduation. Candidates who fail to register for COU 750 by the Last Day to Add listed on the Graduate Studies Calendar will be ineligible to take the exam and unable to graduate by their expected date. The Comprehensive Examination is a 200 question, multiple choice exam designed to evaluate accrued knowledge across the eight CACREP core areas. The exam consists of eight subtests of 25 questions each. Candidates have thirty minutes to complete each subtest and a total of four hours to complete the entire exam. Candidates will not be considered for graduation until they have passed the comprehensive examination with a minimum score of 70% in each of the eight subtests. Candidates who fail any section of the examination will have 30 days to prepare for a second attempt at which time they will retake only those sections failed. If a candidate fails the exam a second time, he/she may not retake it until the next offering. If a candidate fails the exam a third time, he/she may be dropped from the MAC program or required to retake courses at the discretion of the Program Director.
- Faculty: DANIEL CRUIKSHANKS
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