Program Course Descriptions
Course Descriptions
Counseling Theory MH-701
This course provides a working knowledge of theoretical orientations of counseling, including psychoanalytic and developmental, Adlerian, existential and humanistic, behavioral, rational emotive, cognitive, and integrated approaches to counseling. Students are introduced to methods of applying theory to clinical work through lecture, observation, and experiential activities.
Instructor: Hyman Kempler
Public Policy, Ethics & Mental Health MH-702
This course provides an in-depth review of the most salient ethical issues that present to mental health professionals, including confidentiality, informed consent, issues of culture, record-keeping, and the relationship between professional ethics code and state and federal law. The emphasis of the course is placed on the promotion of ethical decision-making skills.
Instructor: Berger-Greenstein
Counseling Techniques MH-703
This course provides an overview of the skills needed for building healthy and therapeutic helping relationship, as well as techniques specific to a variety of psychological disorders and problems with living. Emphasis is placed on experiential exercises and skills-building.
Instructors: Brady and Berger-Greenstein
Group Work Dynamics and Process MH-704
This course provides an overview of the basic principles of group treatment, including the conception and design of group interventions, methods for recruiting and intervening with group members, and modalities through which groups are often conducted (i.e., dynamic, behavioral and skill-based groups for special populations, and support groups).
Instructor: Brady
Psychopathology MH-705
This course provides students with an introduction to the etiology, presentation and treatment of the major mental disorders as classified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Students become familiar with, identify and differentiate among a range of clinical presentations. In addition, students are presented with an overview of strategies that may be applied when working with a variety of patients, beginning with the first contact and including the therapeutic process and treatment planning.
Instructor: Brady
Social and Cultural Foundations MH-706
This course provides an overview of the social, cultural, and spiritual foundations of helping relationships, in order to enable students to work effectively with people from varied racial, cultural and class backgrounds. The course is organized around the ethical responsibility of practitioners to provide diverse clients with meaningful and relevant clinical services. A contemporary body of professional literature is explored, with an emphasis on self-awareness, knowledge of others, and multicultural counseling skills acquisition.
Instructor: Tal
Research and Evaluation MH-707
This course emphasizes the conceptualization of research problems based on critical review of the literature. Landmark studies and current articles are used to illustrate applications of quantitative, qualitative and theoretical approaches to inquiry. The language, logical major concepts, strengths, and limitations of these approaches are noted. Students develop critical thinking skills for examining research information and its use, for asking questions that extend knowledge, and for planning studies to address new questions.
Instructor: Zaichowsky
Human Growth and Development MH-708
This course examines biological, psychological, and socio-cultural aspects of human development from conception through adolescence. Course content is taught through the lens of cognitive science and behavioral systems, cultural, and life-span developmental perspectives. Developmental disorders (e.g., autism, anti-social behavior, inattention, dyslexia) are used to elucidate normative developmental and adaptive processes in language, cognition, and behavioral self-regulation that will serve to introduce students to behaviors and concepts relevant to clinical practice with both children and adults.
Instructors: Tager-Flusberg & Brady
Neuroscience for Mental Health Professionals MH-709
This course provides a foundation in the understanding of central nervous system structure and function, and the relationship of brain and behavior. Special emphasis is focused on the neurobiology of mental illness and neurologic disease. The course is divided into two parts; Part I emphasizes the organization, structure and function of the nervous system, and Part II emphasizes the neurobiology of mental illness, normal aging, and age-related disease.
Instructors: Moss & Moore
Basic Mental Health Assessment MH-710
This course provides a foundation for students to be able to conduct a thorough and sensitive initial interview and mental status assessment with children, adults, couples and families. Students learn about the questions that need to be asked before, during, and after a clinical interview and are provided with an overview of culturally sensitive assessments and a review of the utilization of cognitive and personality tests.
Instructor: Livshits
Health and Exercise Psychology MH-711
This course provides an introduction to central concepts of applied health psychology, which draw interdependently from psychology, behavioral medicine, physiology, and psychoneuroimmunology. The course utilizes a biopsychosocial approach and presents major theories linking stress, and its amelioration, to the pathophysiology of disease. Emphasis of the course is on the ways in which mental health providers can impact the management of medical problems and function as a critical part of multidisciplinary health provider teams.
Instructor: Berger-Greenstein
Psychopharmacology MH-810
Provides an overview of psychopharmacology for the non-medical mental health provider. The class emphasizes the neurobiology of mental disorders and the medications commonly used in their treatment.
Instructor: Erdos
ELECTIVES
Family Therapy MH-712
This class provides a basic conceptual understanding of the theory, process and practice of child and family systems therapy. In addition, students begin to develop skills and strategies for the assessment and treatment of family systems approaches within mental health systems and to practice these skills during experiential activities in class.
Instructor: Kates
Human Sexuality MH-713
This course will explore physiological, psychological, socio-cultural aspects of human sexuality, focusing on trends in the field, including teen sexuality, pregnancy, and early sexual experiences, sexual assault, HIV/AIDS and other sexually-transmitted diseases, sex addiction, sexuality across the lifespan, and ethics.
Instructor: Kates
Career & Vocational Counseling MH-716
Using didactic lectures, class demonstrations, and other experiential exercises, this class reviews the historical development of career counseling, review and discuss theories of career development and models of career counseling, methods of conducting a career interview; utilizing standardized assessment and testing for career counseling (including self assessment and computerized testing) and other issues germane to career counseling in special populations including under-represented minorities, the developmentally disabled, incarcerated individuals, and refugees. Students will also prepare projects on a career-related area of interest.
Instructor: Zaichkowsky
Addictions MH-812
The aim of this course is to provide the necessary knowledge base for understanding and treating addiction. This course places emphasis on acquiring clinically useful knowledge and skills for recognizing and treating substance use disorders. Topics covered in this course include: recognizing drug intoxication and withdrawal, assessment of substance use disorders, Community Reinforcement Approach, family systems treatment models, Motivational Enhancement Therapy, cognitive-behavioral/skills building approaches, 12-Step recovery/mutual support groups, and addiction medicine.
Instructor: Devine
PRACTICUM AND INTERNSHIP
Clinical Practicum MH-902, 901
The practicum is distinctly defined clinical experience during the first year of the program. Students provide 4-8 hours per week of direct mental health service work in a variety of settings throughout the BUSM system. Supervision during the practicum includes direct observation or review of audiotape/videotapes of sessions by an approved clinical supervisor. In addition, students meet for group supervision with a faculty member and other student trainees in the MHBM program.
Instructors: Levy-Bell, Berger-Greenstein & Brady
Internship MH-921, 922
The internship is a distinctly defined clinical experience during students’ second year of the program. Students provide 600 hours of clinical experience, 250 of which are direct clinical care of clients. Students are placed in a wide variety of clinical settings throughout the greater Boston area. In addition to clinical supervision received on site, students meet for group supervision with a faculty member and other student trainees in the MHBM program.
Instructors: Levy-Bell, Berger-Greenstein, Brady & Zaichkowsky
