Catalog Course Search Details

 Department:    HSERV

 Course #:    231

 Credits:    4

 Variable:     No

 IUs:    4

 CIP:    511508

 EPC:    424

 REV:    2018

 Course Description  

Survey of various treatment approaches in mental health, substance abuse treatment, etiology of mental disorders, and DSM diagnostic criteria.

 Prerequisite  

Prerequisite: HSERV 101 or instructor permission

Contact Hours (based on 11 week quarter)

Lecture: 44

Lab: 0

Other: 0

Systems: 0

Clinical: 0

Intent: Distribution Requirement(s) Status:  

Vocational Preparatory Required for ATA degree  

Equivalencies At Other Institutions

Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, the student will be able to:

1. Have a general familiarity with the major classes of mental illness and standard approaches to treatment of those disorders.
2. Recognize that alternative perspectives to the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness are common.
3. Think both as researchers and as clinicians with the ability to evaluate evidence supporting various theories or therapeutic interventions.
4. Understand the basic components of assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.
5. Have a general familiarity with the organization and use of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders which serves as the current standard for classification of various mental illnesses. DSM IV-TR will be reviewe3d as well as recent changes included in DSM-5.
6. Develop a compassionate appreciation of mental illness as a group of disorders which impact many persons and families in our communities.
7. Develop an introductory familiarity with concepts from the emerging field of positive psychology and the recovery model/process in supporting persons with mental illness.

General Education Learning Values & Outcomes

Revised August 2008 and affects outlines for 2008 year 1 and later.

0. Application and Integration

Definition: Applying information from one or more disciplines and/or field experiences in new contexts (Outcome 0.1); developing integrated approaches or responses to personal, academic, professional, and social issues (Outcomes 0.2-0.5).

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
0.3 Identify and evaluate the relationships among different perspectives within a field of study and among different fields of study.

2. Critical Thinking

Definition: The ability to think critically about the nature of knowledge within a discipline and about the ways in which that knowledge is constructed and validated and to be sensitive to the ways these processes often vary among disciplines.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
2.8 Describe how one’s own preconceptions, biases and values affect one’s response to new and ambiguous situations.

4. Community & Cultural Diversity

Definition: Recognizing the value of human communities and cultures from multiple perspectives through a critical understanding of their similarities and differences.

Outcomes: Students will be able to . . .
4.3 Understand the historically and socially constructed nature of—and the meanings attributed to—human differences.

Course Contents

1. Survey of dominant treatment approaches currently in use in mental health settings.
2. Psychotherapies.
3. Common mental health disorders.
4. The recovery model and Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) programs.
5. Diagnostic systems including the DSM.
6. Dual disorders involving substance use disorders.
7. Mental health promotion.
8. Populations discussed: Women, chronically mentally ill, children, minority groups, geriatrics, and cultural subgroups.
9. Role of advocacy.
10. Use of self-help groups.
11. Support groups.
12. Issues in working in rural and urban settings.
13. Provision of environmental supports for clients, child care, schooling and employment and training.