| Course |
Credits |
|
| MHC 600 Counseling Theory and Practice |
3 credits |
|
This course covers the basic theory, principles and techniques of counseling and its application to professional counseling settings. It also considers various theories of counseling and issues in the practice of professional counseling. This course summarizes the history and explores the primary concepts of the major approaches to counseling. We will consider the key concepts of each theory, and application practices. Limitations of each approach are also explored. A wide range of teaching and learning methods will be used to facilitate learning.
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| MHC 605 Group Dynamics (Group Work) |
3 credits |
|
This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of group development, process and dynamics. Students will learn theoretical and practical concepts related to the practice of group psychotherapy. It is based on the assumption that experiential learning is the most effective way to get acquainted with a new and challenging topic. It prepares students to work with groups in various settings. Using a clinical model students develop an understanding of relevant group practice, roles and responsibilities of facilitators, and the relevance and purpose of group work. This course is considered one of CACREP’s core curricular courses.
|
| MHC 620 Psychopathologies |
3 credits |
|
Humans have been trying to understand the bases of psychopathologies for thousands of years. This course provides students with the most current information regarding the etiologies, and subsequent treatments, of the most prevalent mental illnesses in our society.
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| MHC 622 Assessment and Appraisal |
3 credits |
|
his course provides students with a comprehensive overview of the major principles of assessment, assessment instruments and assessment skills relevant for mental health counselors. Emphasis will be placed on the statistical properties, use and interpretation of assessment and appraisal techniques commonly used in clinical, educational, and organizational fields. It includes an analysis of psychometric properties used to develop and evaluate these instruments. The course also addresses ethical, legal, and diversity issues including cultural bias and fairness in assessments. An extensive review of the clinical interview assessment for future clinicians will be covered. This course is considered one of CACREP’s core curricular courses.
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| MHC 625 Personality Psychology |
3 credits |
|
This course surveys the descriptive and causal aspects of individual differences in personality. Students will examine theories and explanations of the development of normal and abnormal personalities. Major models of personality theory include biological, cognitive social, behavioral, and psychodynamic models.
|
| MHC 630 Professional and Ethical Issues (Ethical and Legal Issues) |
3 credits |
|
This course will focus on the ethical principles and professional standards of counseling practice, and survey the ethical and legal issues facing the professional counselor in our society. Students will review professional goals, objectives, roles and functions. This course also examines ethical and legal standards, risk management, professional credentialing and standards for professional counselors. This course covers significant clinical challenges for the mental health professional. The counseling profession’s ethical standards are also addressed with an emphasis on the American Counseling Association code of ethics and counselor ethical decision-making processes. Through various methods students have the opportunity to develop their understanding and commitment to professional standards and ethical guidelines for practice as a mental health counselor.
|
| MHC 631 Human Growth and Development |
3 credits |
|
This course introduces students to the major theories that have shaped counselor’s understanding of human growth and development from conception, childhood and adolescence, to early, middle and late adulthood. Aspects of development discussed include biosocial, cognitive and psychosocial changes. Expected developmental milestones during each of these phases of development are addressed. This course reviews significant research findings and theory about human development. Building a multidimensional framework for understanding development process and dynamics and for predicting challenges associated with life transitions is emphasized. This course is considered one of CACREP’s core curricular courses.
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| MHC 634 Grief Counseling (Grief Counseling and Therapy) |
3 credits |
|
This course is designed to help students understand both the normal and complicated grieving process with individuals across the life span. This course examines various therapeutic interventions that are useful on helping the bereaved. The impact of culture and how it is related to differences in the grief process are explored. An extensitve anylysis of the difference between grief counseling and grief therapy will be explored. Students will study historical and current theories in grief and loss. This leads into an in-depth presentation of abnormal grief reactions, complicated mourning processes, and when to use more advanced interventions of counseling. Students will study grief therapies and learn when to refer clients for such. Issues of the counselor's own grief and burn-out syndromes are also addressed.
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| MHC 640 Social and Cultural Foundations (Social and Cultural Diversity) |
3 credits |
|
This course is designed to provide students with a general framework for understanding issues related to mental health services with people from diverse populations. The influence of socio-identities (e.g. race, ethnicity, religion, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, religious preferences) on individuals' functioning, concerns, and the counseling process will be explored. This course is designed to increase students’ awareness and knowledge of, and skills related to, multicultural counseling and the delivery of counseling services. Students explore diversity and identity issues and discuss their impact on the therapeutic relationship. This course is considered one of CACREP’s core curricular courses.
|
| MHC 649 Child Abuse Workshop Non-Credit (Online Workshop) |
Non-credit |
|
| This workshop prepares students who are required by law to report suspected child abuse or maltreatment to the New York State Central Register. This workshop is designed to help students understand the risk factors associated with child abuse, as well as, to recognize child emotional, physical and sexual abuse of children. Students will learn their roles and responsibilities as mandated child abuse reporters. |
| MHC 650 Foundations Of Mental Health Counseling and Consultation (Professional Orientation and Practice) |
3 credits |
|
This course offers students an overview of the field of mental health counseling. Students will begin to develop skills requisite counselors, including listening, empathy training and basic interviewing. Issues regarding the development of the therapeutic relationship, cultural diversity and mental status assessment will also be covered. It provides a foundation for academic and professional success as a graduate student and future clinician. This course introduces students to the mental health counseling profession. The history, philosophy, and theoretical foundations of the profession, and the scope of practice, credentialing, and other professional issues are explored. The course, which focuses on the student as a future mental health counselor, provides an overview of the mental health counseling program, the profession, and professional competencies. This course is considered one of CACREP’s core curricular courses.
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| MHC 652 Research and Evaluation |
3 credits |
|
This course surveys the major methodologies for conducting psychological research, and focuses on research report development, publication of psychological data, and ethical considerations in conducting research. Students will also be introduced to the statistics necessary for describing and analyzing psychological data. This course also introduces students to the principles and practices of program evaluation and systems research, including quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. This course introduces students to design of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-method approaches to counseling research and evaluation. Students learn the strengths and limitations of each method and under what circumstances each approach would be the most appropriate research design. Students are exposed to legal and ethical issues associated with human subjects’ protection. This course is considered one of CACREP’s core curricular courses.
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| MHC 660 Career Counseling (Career Development) |
3 credits |
|
This course is designed to provide students with the theoretical frameworks and basic counseling skills necessary for the career counseling process and for planning programs for educational and career counseling. The course includes a review of theories of career development, individual and programmed techniques for diagnosis, assessment, decision-making and career search/advancement. Attention is given to assessment of how people make career choices, which are suitable to the individual and are viable in society. Emphasis is on developing a broad view of career as life style and on practical application of theory and information in a professional counseling context. Focus is placed on the implications of individual differences in culture, gender, ability and age-related issues. Students obtain a theoretical and practical basis for supporting individuals in vocation selection and career development. This course is considered one of CACREP’s core curricular courses.
|
| MHC 669 PrePracticum |
3 credits |
|
| This course focuses on the practical as well as the personal side of counseling. The course provides students with the opportunity to learn about themselves, personally and professionally, and accomplish the basic attitudes and techniques of counseling. To achieve this goal, this course will introduce you to basic skills that initiate counseling relationships and follow with the four principal approaches to counseling: cognitive, affective, behavioral, and family/systemic. These approaches will provide the context for assessment, goal setting, and the integration of skills into interventions. In addition, this course also provides an introduction to the understanding of the basic neurobiology of psychopathology and the different types of psychotropic medications to treat these conditions. As such, this aspect of the course emphasizes the counselor’s role as a member of a multidisciplinary treatment team in facilitating treatment compliance, monitoring the efficacy as well as side effects of the psychotropic medication prescribed, and the counselor’s role in integrating pharmacologic treatments with other non-pharmacological modalities. Throughout the course, both cultural diversity and developmental level will be addressed as important influencing contexts for each helping relationship. Relationship building, assessment, goals, and interactions are all affected by these important dimensions of human experience. Additionally, the course will require the student to continue a path of reflective practice that is a consistent expectation throughout the student’s program of study. As part of the requirements of this course, the student is expected to demonstrate, in class and throughout the program, the attributes that are conducive to development as a professional counselor, including taking responsibility for oneself, remaining open to supervision/feedback, and collaborating productively with one’s peers. |
| MHC 670 Clinical Instruction (Clinical in Instruction in Helping Relationships) |
3 credits |
|
This course focuses on the practical and personal side of counseling. The course provides students with the opportunity to learn about themselves personally and professionally, and accomplish the basic attitudes and techniques of counseling. The course includes class discussion, observation, practice of counseling skills and attitudes, role-plays of counseling, group and individual supervision, observation of a counseling case with supervision, and critical reflection on your experience in these learning and practice exercises. This course focuses on principles and skills related to interviewing and observation, as well as related legal, ethical, and cultural issues. Students gain practice in conducting interviews, making behavioral observations, collecting and interpreting data during an interview, and developing written reports of findings.
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| MHC 674 Counseling Children and Adolescents (Children and Adolescent Counseling and Therapy) |
3 credits |
|
This course will emphasize utilizing developmentally appropriate counseling and therapy techniques for children and adolescents who are experiencing social, behavioral or affective problems. The course is designed to help graduate students to focus on the knowledge base, skills, theories, research, models, and critical issues of contemporary Children and Adolescent counseling and therapy. Future clinicians will learn to help children and adolescents in a variety of ways by receiving emotional support, resolving conflicts with people, understanding feelings and problems, and trying out new solutions to old problems. Intervention goals for therapy may be specific (change in behavior, improved relations with friends or family), or more general (less anxiety, better self-esteem) will be explored. Current issues facing youth in the contemporary world will also be explored.
|
| MHC 677 Supervised Internship (Practicum) |
3 credits |
|
A 10 week supervised practicum in a mental health/psychiatric agency provides the experiences for the student-intern to increase professional competence for a minimum of 100 hours (40 hours of which are direct face to face). Through the practicum experience, the student is challenged to apply and integrate the knowledge, theories and concepts of counseling practice, and to build on previous life and work experience, as well as to develop new areas of professional competence. This process allows the student to bring together and to integrate for professional use cognitive learning, professional competence, values and ethics, life experiences, and activities which will enhance skill and critical analysis of counseling practice. There is a weekly supervision requirement and a biweekly group supervision requirement for this course in addition to other assignments. This course is considered one of CACREP’s core curricular courses.
|
| MHC 678 Supervised Internship (Internship 1) |
3 credits |
|
A 4 month supervised internship in a mental health/psychiatric agency provides the experiences for the student-intern to increase professional competence for a minimum of about 300 hours (about 120 hours of which are direct face to face individual and group counseling). Through the internship experience, the student is challenged to apply and integrate the knowledge, theories and concepts of counseling practice, and to build on previous life and work experience, as well as to develop new areas of professional competence. This process allows the student to bring together and to integrate for professional use cognitive learning, professional competence, values and ethics, life experiences, and activities which will enhance skill and critical analysis of counseling practice. There is a weekly supervision requirement and a biweekly group supervision requirement for this course in addition to other assignments. This course is considered one of CACREP’s core curricular courses.
|
| MHC 679 Supervised Internship (Internship 2) |
3 credits |
|
Another 4 month supervised internship in a mental health/psychiatric agency provides the experiences for the student-intern to increase professional competence for a minimum of another 300 hours (and another 120 hours of which are direct face to face individual and group counseling). When you have finished internship 1 and 2 you will have completed 600 hours with 240 face to face in individual and group counseling. Through the internship experience, the student is challenged to apply and integrate the knowledge, theories and concepts of counseling practice, and to build on previous life and work experience, as well as to develop new areas of professional competence. This process allows the student to bring together and to integrate for professional use cognitive learning, professional competence, values and ethics, life experiences, and activities which will enhance skill and critical analysis of counseling practice. There is a weekly supervision requirement and a biweekly group supervision requirement for this course in addition to other assignments. This course is considered one of CACREP’s core curricular courses.
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| MHC 680 Family Counseling (Family Counseling and Therapy) |
3 credits |
|
This course presents a survey of the leading theorists and concepts in the field of family therapy. Students will become better acquainted with this field of counseling and will acquire skills necessary to work with families. The primary focus will be on models family and mental health counseling in general. The course is designed for mental health counselors. This course will cover the (1) history of family therapy; (2) philosophical and theoretical underpinnings of models of family therapy; (3) recent advances in the field of family therapy; and (4) current emergent topics relevant to the field.
|
| MHC 720 Advanced Family Therapy |
3 credits |
|
This course provides an advanced survey of the theoretical concepts and intervention techniques in the field of family therapy. The impact of cultural and it's effects on the family are examined. Students will develop knowledge of the concepts of family systems theory as well as explore and develop hypothetical treatment plans for families. Empirically validated family therapy interventions are also addressed with particular emphasis on communications, structural, milan, cognitive-behavioral and strategic family therapy concepts and methods.
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| MHC 727 Clinical Supervision |
3 credits |
|
This course will provide students with an understanding of the purpose and process of clinical supervision, as well as, the importance of professional growth. This course will also present a review of currently accepted supervision models. This will course will assist students in developing knowledge and skills related to the supervisory role and relationship. Issues related to the ethical dilemmas, cultural diversity, power and boundary issues will also be addressed.
|
| MHC 800 Comprehensive Exam |
0 credits |
|
Students apply the knowledge and skills that they've learned in the program to a mock NYS licensure exam.
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