Mental Health, Social Service and Addiction Counseling: Behavioral Health Care Specialist - Certificate

Career Pathway Certificate of Completionmhcc.edu/MHSSAC

mental health

Faculty Advisers

Karen Green, MSW, LSSW, Program Director503-491-7133 | Room AC2771 | Karen.Green@mhcc.edu

Students in the MHSSAC degree program may also earn this certificate. This certificate is designed for people to get into entry level jobs in the field. Courses present students with basic knowledge of counseling, case management, professional practice, diagnosis, and treatment.

Program Outcomes

At the completion of this program, students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate the values and ethics that are intrinsic to the human services profession
  • Demonstrate professional interviewing skills
  • Demonstrate writing skills appropriate to clinical documentation

Please note: All core courses must be completed within 5 years of starting the program.  

Plan of Study Grid
First Quarter
FallCredits
HS101 Introduction to Social Services 3
HS114 Interviewing Skills I 2
HS141 Pharmacology of Psychoactive Substances 3
WR121Z Composition I (Course offered online) 4
 Credits12
Second Quarter
Winter
HS115 Interviewing Skills II 2
HS135 Case Management: Intake, Assessment, Process and Practice 3
HS150 The Effective Helper, A Personal Skills Approach 3
HS222 Diagnosis and Treatment: Clinical Disorders 3
 Credits11
Third Quarter
Spring
HS113 Interviewing Skills III 3
HS223 Diagnosis and Treatment: Personality Disorders 2
HS291 Practicum Seminar (Course offered online) 2
WE280HSD_Cooperative Education Internship 4
 Credits11
 Total Credits34
mental health

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Careers related to mental health, social service, and addition counseling:

HS101 Introduction to Social Services

Credits 3Fall

Registration Requirement: RD090 or IECC201R, and WR115, and MTH020, all with a grade of "C" or better; or placement above stated courses levels.

An introductory course that examines past and current issues of social service, theories and techniques of service delivery. The examination of personal values, attitudes, skills and knowledge as these apply to human services, personal and professional boundaries and professional roles are addressed.

HS107 Careers in Behavioral Healthcare and Social Service

Credits 3Fall

Registration Requirement: RD090 or IECC201R, and WR115, and MTH020, all with a grade of "C" or better; or placement above stated courses levels.

An introduction to human service and behavioral healthcare agencies and their resources with emphasis in the areas of mental illness, youth, gerontology, chemical dependency, developmentally disabled, rehabilitation and corrections. This course examines careers, career paths and credentials needed for the helping professions.

HS113 Interviewing Skills III

Credits 3Spring

Registration Requirement: HS135 and HS150 with a "C" or better.

Students learn and practice interviewing strategies and techniques appropriate to multiculturally diverse agencies and clients. Advanced skills in interviewing and counseling are integrated. Practice includes the completion of lifestyle assessment and clinical style writing during lab experience. This course is the third in a three part series.

HS114 Interviewing Skills I

Credits 2Fall

Registration Requirement: RD090 or IECC201R, and WR115, and MTH020, all with a grade of "C" or better; or placement above stated courses levels.

Introduction and practical experience in the basic skills of client interviewing. Techniques include introduction to strength-based interviewing. Practice with peers and the use of video equipment. Discussion of appropriate use of skills and examination of reciprocal process of interview.

HS115 Interviewing Skills II

Credits 2Winter

Registration Requirement: HS114 with a grade of "C" or better.

Students learn and practice influencing skills with peers with the use of recording equipment. Appropriate use of these skills is discussed along with the student's own evaluation of self and others.

HS135 Case Management: Intake, Assessment, Process and Practice

Credits 3Winter

Registration Requirement: HS101.

This course introduces the case management process including intake/assessment, problem identification, recognizing and supporting client strengths, case recording and computerized case management. Basic team building and case presentation processes will also be covered. Students will explore approaches to case management, reviewing field specific assessments, treatment planning, and referrals. Concepts of mental status examination, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) assessment, case presentations, care team concept, and computerized case management techniques will also be introduced.

HS141 Pharmacology of Psychoactive Substances

Credits 3Fall

Registration Requirement: RD090 or IECC201R, and WR115, and MTH020, all with a grade of "C" or better; or placement above stated courses levels.

This course provides information about drugs of abuse including alcohol, nicotine and caffeine. How drugs affect the brain, the body and how they change emotions and behaviors is explored. The relevance and language of drug use and abuse and how it is central to the human service profession is a major theme.

HS142 Addiction Counseling: Prevention, Assessment and Treatment

Credits 3Spring

Registration Requirement: HS141.

This course covers best practices in prevention, assessment, counseling and treatment of addictions throughout the life span. Topics include screening, diagnostic criteria, professional assessment methods, placement criteria, evidence-based treatment, documentation, ethical responsibilities and culturally sensitive competencies. Emphasis is also placed on co-occurring disorders, integrated treatment and current models of addiction. Prevention strategies and methods are discussed. This course is designed to cover topics required by state of Oregon statutes.

HS150 The Effective Helper, A Personal Skills Approach

Credits 3Winter

Registration Requirement: HS101.

This course explores the demands, stress and personal struggles of becoming a helper. The material includes consideration of the ethics of helping, individual motives and values of helpers and consideration of the impact that cultural and lifestyle differences have on helping. The themes of transference, stress management and burnout also are presented. A further element of this course is the application of this information to the student's choice of fieldwork site and assistance in the site selection process.

HS222 Diagnosis and Treatment: Clinical Disorders

Credits 3Winter

Registration Requirement: Completion of first-term HS coursework with a "C" or better.

This course is an introduction to the use of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) and common treatment issues related to clinical disorders found in DSM. The course provides students with a working knowledge of DSM 5, multi-axial assessment, diagnostic features and criteria of clinical mental health and substance abuse disorders. An overview of current treatment issues for selected disorders is given.

HS223 Diagnosis and Treatment: Personality Disorders

Credits 2Spring

Registration Requirement: HS135 and HS222, each with a grade of "C" or better.

This course covers diagnostic criteria of personality disorders identified by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Course covers symptomology, clinical interventions and current treatment approaches. Course also includes team approach and treatment planning.

HS225 Group Counseling

Credits 3Fall

Registration Requirement: HS150 with a grade of "C" or better; or instructor consent.

This course includes lecture of leadership, communication skills and interpersonal relationships as it relates to facilitating a skill-building and therapeutic skill group. Basic group theory and group practice issues are presented including the application of group stages, assessments and leadership of skill-building groups and therapeutic skill-building groups in various treatment settings.

HS265 Counseling Theories and Interventions I

Credits 3Fall

Registration Requirement: HS113.

An overview of the major schools of psychotherapy, their basic concepts, history, use and process with goals, techniques, strengths and limitations. Consideration of issues of selection and application of theories and discussion of the important aspects of the client/counselor relationship.

HS266 Counseling Theories and Interventions II

Credits 3Winter

Registration Requirement: HS265 and HS113.

This course presents current counseling theories related to working with families, trauma informed care, dialectic behavior therapy and crisis intervention models. Students also learn basic family systems assessment.

HS291 Practicum Seminar (Course offered online)

Credits 2Summer/Fall/Winter/Spring

Registration Requirement: Concurrent enrollment in WE280HS_ with a minimum of four or more credit hours is required. Instructor consent is required. HS150 and HS135, each with a grade of "C" or better.

A forum for integrating classroom learning and agency work experience. Focus on sharing of information, problem-solving, mutual support, self-evaluation and group participation. Class serves as model for interacting with co-workers in an agency setting.

Course offered online

Cultural Literacy course