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Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies - Psychology

Mental Health Policy and Practice Specialization

The purpose of the Mental Health Policy and Practice specialization is to offer the motivated Learner an opportunity to develop a serious edge in building their organizational skills and practice to market their behavioral health services well ahead of their competitors. The specialization includes a combination of highly focused and advanced training concepts in contemporary behavioral health.

Mental Health Policy and Practice Specialization Courses

Listed are the courses unique to the specialization or concentration. Additional fundamental courses are also required for degree completion. Please see the full Course Catalog or contact an Enrollment Advisor by email admissions@ncu.edu or phone 866-776-0331 for detailed information.

Course CodeNameCourse Description
PSY8500Mental Health Services PolicyMental health encompasses an extensive and diverse range of services in the United States including substance abuse, school-based mental health, and mental health in the criminal justice system. This course will explore these services as well as approaches to identifying persons who suffer from mental illness, treatment settings, and research and evaluation of mental health policy.
PSY8501Mental Health Administration and ManagementEffective development, integration, and maintenance of a mental health organization are necessary in today’s market in order to have sustainability. How ideas will be transformed into reality will be reviewed and how an organization adapts to change will also be discussed. Students in this course will be asked to analyze strategic management factors such as how to best create a multidisciplinary team that will coordinate roles within the organization and maximize supervisory capabilities.
PSY8502Comparative Analysis of PsychotherapiesIn this course the student will analyze the complicated issues associated with various contemporary therapies used by behavioral health practitioners. The student will be exposed to core and peripheral elements of the most commonly used approaches to treating minor and major mental illnesses and behavioral challenges. Methods of therapeutic accountability, clinical feedback and outcome monitoring which can be used across all therapeutic approaches will also be examined.
PSY8503Evidence-Based TreatmentsEvidence-based treatments refer to mental and behavioral health interventions for which systematic and empirical research is provided to assess the effectiveness of treatments. Students in this course will be asked to analyze and evaluate treatment approaches in regards to moral, empirical, and political criteria. Students will also be expected to evaluate and synthesize considerations for “good practice” in the absence of empirical evidence and to appraise and select appropriate instruments for evaluation. An overview of the evidence-based culture will also be explored.
PSY8504Psychology and FinanceThis course will examine how human psychology influences economic conditions and socio-economic institutions. The student will explore psychological factors, such as fairness, corruption, bad faith, money illusion, confidence, and stories, and how these factors influence the global economy. The student will also examine biases related to financial decision making and economic risk taking as these relate to status-seeking behavior.
PSY8505Mental Health and the CourtsThe intersection of mental health policy, practice, and the law is complicated. In this course the student will be exposed to psycho-legal concepts such as those involved in the use of behavioral health evidence in courts, therapeutic jurisprudence, juvenile delinquency, child abuse and neglect, competency to stand trial, and personal rights.