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Psychology 692:693

PSYC 692:693: Mental Health Intervention and Prevention in Schools I and II

Three credit hours (3:3)

Prerequisite: Graduate status in school psychology or permission of instructor. PSYC 693 requires a grade of B or better in PSYC 692 for enrollment.

Detailed Description of Course

This course sequence may include the following topics:

I. Professional standards of behavior and ethics in counseling in the schools
II. Issues in Cultural Diversity in Mental Health Intervention and Prevention Practice
III. Specific Prevention Issues
   a. Drug use and abuse
b. Sexual activity and pregnancy
   c. Suicide and depression
   d. Violence and gang issues
   e. Eating disorders and body image issues
   f. Sexuality and homosexuality
   g. Conflict and behavior management in the resilient classroom and school system
IV. Skills and Techniques of Group Work
   a. starting, conducting and terminating groups
   b. developmental considerations with children and adolescents
   c. group work with parents and family members
   d. goal setting
   e. outcome effectiveness assessment
V. Issues of Cultural Diversity in Mental Health
VI. Individual therapy
    a. Developing the relationship and issues of trust and control
    b. The course of the therapeutic relationship
    c. Case analyses
     d. Case conceptualization, goal setting and treatment planning
VII. Models of therapy
    a. Cognitive and cognitive behavior therapy
    b. The Adlerian and Rogerian models
    c. Reality therapy
    d. the Psychoeducational approach
    e. Play, storytelling, bibliotherapy, and the creative arts in therapy
VIII. Therapeutic Issues:
    a. crisis intervention
    b. grief and death
    c. chronic illness
    d. divorce
    e. social skills
    f. anger management
    g. anxiety
    h. school phobia and other fears

Detailed Description of Conduct of Course

This course sequence will involve some lecture, but will also have many in-class simulations for skills practice, in addition to discussion of cases and issues. It will primarily be conducted as a seminar with an emphasis on student participation.

Goals and Objectives of the Course

1. Students will learn techniques for effective interviewing and listening (Domain 2.7)
2. Students will be able to apply their knowledge of development and school systems in order to identify behaviors which may be contributing to academic, socio-emotional, or behavioral difficulties and which may be inhibiting success in school.(Domain 2.4 2.6, and 2.7)
3. Students will be able to develop and evaluate progress toward short and long term goals which will aid the school-aged student(s) in succeeding in school (Domain 2.1, 2.3 and 2.7)
4. Students will be able to identify the variables which create individual differences in children, including biological, social, cultural, ethnic, experiential,socioeconomic, gender-related and linguistic factors, and which contribute to the need to develop unique strategies for intervention with each child. (Domain 2.5)
5. Students will be able to identify the important systems in the child’s life, and will understand how conflicts and strengths within these systems are contributing to the child’s current functioning in the school setting. (Domain 2.4 and 2.8)
5. Students will become familiar with a variety of counseling strategies that can enhance children’s behavior, including the development of problem solving skills, conflict management skills, and self-monitoring techniques. (Domain 2.4)
6. Students will learn to work effectively with families and other community members to provide comprehensive services for the children within those families. (Domain 2.8)
7. Students will learn individual and group techniques for counseling interventions with children, adolescents and their families (Domain 2.4; Domain 2.8)
8. Students will learn to link assessment information directly with intervention strategies in order to help children succeed in school. (Domain 2.4)
9. Students will be able to evaluate the extent to which their intervention contributed to the outcome of a case, and will be able to identify what factors contributed to the successful outcome of a case. (Domain 2.1)
10. Students will be able to identify effect prevention and intervention programs that promote the health and well-being of students; this includes wellness-oriented programming in addition to programming for high risk problems and crisis response. (Domain 2.7)

Assessment Measures

Students will be assessed using several measures, which may include a written exam, an oral interview, class activities which may include role play and case simulation, case analyses, supervised case practice in field placements (School Psychology Practicum 1 and 2, Psych 781 and 782, for school psychology students; equivalent field placements for graduate students in other areas) with a final case report, including an outcome evaluation, self-report, and supervisor/instructor feedback.

Other Course Information

None

Review and Approval

March 2007

February 10, 2014