Courses
GMHC-500 Mental Health Counseling (3)
This course examines the historical movement and professional evolution of the mental health counseling profession, including requirements for licensure. Because effective practitioners must maintain currency in the daily implementation of their skills, the course also explores both contemporary and continuing issues such as ethics, legalities, personal values, consultation and accountability. Included in the course will be lectures, videotapes, group discussions, guest speakers, and the sharing of student research projects. A mandatory training session on the identification and reporting of child abuse and neglect is included.
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH ZCLX
Fall
Restrictions: Including: -Level: GraduateGMHC-505 IPE TeamSTEPPS (0)
This training is designed for nursing, pharmacy and mental health counseling students with special focus on development of basic skills in Team Strategies & Tools to Enhance Performance & Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) needed for provision of team-based inter-professional practice. At the completion of this training, students acquire skills to: recognize opportunities to improve patient safely; assess organizational culture and existing Patient Safety Program components; improve team-related competencies; and integrate TeamSTEPPS into daily practice.
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH
Spring
Restrictions: Including: -Major: Mental Health CounselingGMHC-510 Counseling Theories (3)
This course provides an overview and critique of both traditional and contemporary counseling theories and the relationship of those theories to the practice of counseling in a variety of settings. Counseling strategies and techniques are explored in the context of specific theoretical orientations and current professional research and practice. The course will include attention to multicultural implications of various theoretical approaches. Through self-reflection, students will explore the importance of grounding oneself in an orientation appropriate to the counselor’s personality, client/population needs, and setting in which counseling takes place. The effectiveness of various approaches will be examined, particularly considering their applicability to the treatment of individuals with drug and alcohol use problems among other presenting issues.
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH
Fall
Restrictions: Including: -Level: GraduateGMHC-515 Social Cultural Diversity (3)
This course focuses on the process of counseling, with a primary emphasis on the development of cultural self-awareness, knowledge, and skills regarding working with clients from diverse backgrounds in order to become a culturally responsive therapist. The American Counseling Association’s multicultural competencies for counselors will be used as part of this course.
Formerly titled: Process of Counseling
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH ZEXL
Spring
Pre-requisites: GMHC-510 CGMHC-520 Assessment in Counseling (3)
This course covers formal and informal assessment strategies. Aptitude, achievement, interest, behavioral, and personality instruments are presented. Analysis, synthesis, and utilization of assessment data for counseling and service planning are emphasized. Basic psychometric properties of standardized tests will be discussed. Students will learn how to identify specific assessment strategies most appropriate for an individual client’s needs and how to synthesize and utilize objective, behavioral and clinical data in service planning. Students will also learn to interpret test results and write appropriate reports based on those test results. Ethical and legal implications of testing and assessment will be covered, along with the impact of cultural and disability issues on assessment and how to use assessment data in an ethical manner with diverse populations.
Additional fees apply.
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH ZEXL
Fall
Restrictions: Including: -Level: GraduateGMHC-525 Psychopathology&Diagnosis (3)
This course will facilitate understanding of psychopathology using both traditional and strengths-based strategies to assess and diagnose mental disorders. These strategies will help students develop skills in differential diagnosis for use in treatment planning. Advanced awareness of the DSM-V and the methods used in determining the diagnostic classification of a client will be the major focus of the course.
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH
Fall
Restrictions: Including: -Program: Cert: Mental Health Counseling, MS Mental Health CounselingGMHC-530 Treatment Plan&Interventn (3)
This course integrates assessment and diagnosis of psychological disorders
with the development of appropriate treatment plans and interventions
to facilitate therapeutic changes in clients. Students will be introduced
to several research-based (evidence-based) treatment strategies to treat
commonly encountered psychological disorders in settings where mental
health counselors work. The course will focus on: (1) integrating evidence-based
practices with a relational/humanistic orientation to the client
change process; (2) practicing interview methods to identify symptoms
(cognitive, emotional, and behavioral) for change, while being sensitive
to multicultural differences; (3) identifying appropriate goals, objectives,
and specific treatment methods that are consistent with evidence-based
practices; (4) describing and demonstrating, as appropriate, the protocols
that are used to treat individuals with different diagnoses; and (5) learning
about the elements of formal treatment plans and how to review them for
efficacy and make relevant changes in response to emerging client needs.Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH ZCLX
Spring
Pre-requisites: GMHC-500 C AND GMHC-510 C AND GMHC-520 C AND GMHC-525 CGMHC-540 Group Therapy & Process (3)
This course is a review of current theory and research on group counseling and the application of these concepts to real-life groups. In this course, students will analyze behavior as applied to group dynamics. Among the topics covered are group formation, cohesion, conformity and influence, leadership, group performance, decision-making, conflict, and groups as agents of change. Focus on approaches and skills in group dynamics as they relate to performance and enhancement of cooperative/collaborative situations is emphasized. Additionally, each student is required to integrate theories of group process with practices of group counseling in an experiential format. A wide variety of techniques and skills used in group therapy will be introduced.
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH
Spring
Pre-requisites: GMHC-510 C
Restrictions: Including: -Major: Mental Health CounselingGMHC-550 Counseling Practicum (3)
This course is the first opportunity in the program for students to provide clinical services, under supervision, to clients in an approved agency setting. The first half of the course will occur in the classroom (and/or zoom), practicing skills and learning the process of counseling. Starting in July, students will begin spending approximately 8 hours/week at their fieldwork site. During this time, students will engage in supervision at the site and in supervision by faculty. Feedback from both the site supervisor and faculty instructor will help students identify strengths and areas in need of improvement. Focus is given to student development and application of the following but not exclusively to core counseling skills to include multicultural competence, advocacy on behalf of clients and the profession, ethical decision-making, case conceptualization, technological impacts on counseling relationships, privilege and power related to the counseling role and professionalism.
Graded S/U.
Additional fees apply.
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH ZCIV
Summer
Pre-requisites: GMHC-500 C AND GMHC-510 C AND GMHC-515 C AND GMHC-520 C AND GMHC-525 C AND GMHC-530 C AND GMHC-540 CGMHC-570 IPE: SBIRT (0)
This interprofessional training is embedded in courses offered to Mental Health Counseling students to develop universal competencies needed for interprofessional practice. The focus is on screening, brief intervention, referral to treatment (SBIRT). Health professional students work as members of an interprofessional team to learn about use, abuse, and dependence on alcohol and illicit drugs and their effects on patients, families, and society. At the completion of this interprofessional training, students will acquire knowledge, skills, and abilities to use reliable screening tools for the identification of problematic behaviors; implement brief intervention; refer to treatment; and provide evidence-based recommendations to identify, reduce, and prevent problematic use, abuse, and dependence on alcohol and illicit drugs.
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH
Spring
Restrictions: Including: -Major: Mental Health CounselingGMHC-575 Research & Prog Eval (3)
This is a hands-on applied research methods course. The purpose of this course is to provide the student with the skills to understand the research process and techniques and to evaluate a program. During this course, students gain in-depth knowledge of evaluation by (a) first reading about it and then (b) conducting their own research/evaluations. Each student will participate in an evaluation project. The goal is to facilitate students’ progression from educated researcher to beginning evaluator.
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH ZCIV
FallGMHC-585 Psychopharm Intervention (3)
This course provides an overview of the central nervous system, neural communication, the neurobiology of mental disorders, basic principles of pharmacology, and the pharmacotherapy of mental disorders. Students will learn the use and side effects of the major classes of psychotropic medications and how to combine them with psychosocial interventions. Related topics include herbals and supplements, other somatic treatments, consideration of gender-specific issues in psychopharmacology, and an understanding of basic lab abnormalities. Students will develop a knowledge base and practical skills that will facilitate collaboration with prescribers and other professionals in a multidisciplinary team setting in order to promote the health and recovery of their clients.
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH
Fall & Summer
Pre-requisites: GMHC-525 Y CGMHC-590 Child & Adol Disorders (3)
This course will review advanced assessment and treatment processes used by mental health counselors who work with children and adolescents. Assessment-related topics will include interviewing strategies for use with children, adolescents and their families, along with formal testing procedures that will culminate in preparation of a psychological report. Students will also learn a variety of intervention strategies for use in individual, group, and family settings, designed to help children and their families cope with the various behavioral, social, and emotional issues that children and adolescents can face, including trauma, ADHD, and family transitions.
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH ZCLX
Spring
Pre-requisites: -
Restrictions: Including: -Program: Cert: Mental Health Counseling, MS Mental Health CounselingGMHC-600 Family&Partner Counseling (3)
This course will introduce students to the history and evolution of the field of family therapy and the various traditional and contemporary models of family therapy used by family and couples counselors. Integrative and evidence-based strategies designed to help families and couples facilitate resolution of their challenges will be presented using a variety of methods, including live demonstration, case study and video analysis. In addition, students will be able to explore a variety of contemporary topics in family therapy, including divorce, cultural issues, substance abuse, and pertinent ethical and professional issues relevant to the practice of family and partner counseling.
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH ZEXL
Fall & Spring
Pre-requisites: GMHC-510 CGMHC-603 Human Dev in Counseling (3)
This course presents an overview of human growth and development based upon a lifespan approach that provides an understanding of the nature and needs of individuals at all developmental levels, from infancy through advanced age. Emphasis is placed upon using developmental theory as a means for understanding the counseling process.
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH ZRES
SummerGMHC-605 Human Sexuality/Counseling (3)
Knowledge of normal sexual development and sexual dysfunctions are important for the professional mental health counselor. This course will cover sociocultural foundations of the study of sexuality, basic anatomy and physiology, major sexual dysfunctions and disorders, diagnosis and treatment, and the counselor’s role.
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH ZCLX
Summer
Pre-requisites: GMHC-510 CGMHC-610 Adult Career Counseling (3)
The primary goals of this course are to assist students in understanding prevailing theories of, and to develop their own ideas about, career development; and to apply those understandings both to career self-development and to the practice of career counseling. The sociocultural context in which “careers,” “work,” and “leisure” occur will also be examined. In addition to readings and discussion on theories and practices of career counseling, students will gain experience with a number of assessment instruments, and will have the opportunity to apply career development concepts and counseling skills to self and others.
Additional fees apply.
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH ZCLX
Spring & Summer
Pre-requisites: GMHC-510 CGMHC-620 Crisis & Trauma Counseling (3)
This course is designed to help students acquire an understanding of the theory and practice of counseling individuals in a crisis and/or intervening with them to address sequelae of traumatic experiences. Models of crisis assessment and intervention will be presented with emphasis on employment of a developmental-ecological approach. Core counseling skills that are critical to an effective response to crises will be reviewed along with the evaluation of an individual’s response in terms of diagnostic criteria for relevant mental disorders. Suicide and homicide assessment and intervention will be covered in detail. The student’s knowledge and skill acquisition of crisis assessment and intervention will be guided by examining examples (scenarios) in the life of individuals who have encountered, or are currently dealing with, situations including, but not limited to, sexual assault, relationship violence, loss and bereavement, natural disasters, military combat, and terrorism. Students will be informed of the work of community responders to personal crises and traumatic events such as government agencies, mental health clinics and the American Red Cross. This course will also address topics pertaining to the effects of crisis counseling on the caregiver to include recognition and prevention of burnout and vicarious traumatization. Finally, methods employed in this course to facilitate learning and skill acquisition will include required and suggested readings, personal written reflections about the material encountered in the course, a documented interview of a crisis-care provider in the community (excursion experience), a literature review of a crisis intervention topic, and a final project.
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH
Fall & Summer
Pre-requisites: GMHC-515 CGMHC-630 Substance Use Counseling (3)
The primary goals of the course are to acquire a fundamental understanding of the biopsychosocial context of substance use disorders and to learn counseling competencies that are based in theory and are associated with positive treatment outcomes. The topics addressed include the nomenclature (language) of addiction and recovery, information about the physical effects of the major drugs of abuse, approaches to assessment and diagnosis of substance use disorders, treatment planning and models of treatment intervention that are tied to identified client needs, multicultural counseling issues, the role of the family in treatment, self-help programs, and working with special populations. A major emphasis in this course is learning about Motivational Interviewing and the application of the Transtheoretical Model of Change to substance abuse counseling. The methods that will be used to impart knowledge and acquire and practice skills include reading assignments, didactic instruction, role-play and demonstrations, video presentations, and interactions with persons in recovery and with professionals in the field.
Formerly titled: Substance Abuse Counseling
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH ZCLX
Spring
Pre-requisites: -GMHC-632 ATOD Topics for Counselors (3)
This course will address key topics pertaining to the use, abuse and dependency on alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD) to promote understanding of factors that underlie prevention and treatment of addiction. It seeks to broaden the student’s knowledge of historical facts about ATOD to include social, cultural and political influences on use as well as etiological models that have been advanced to explain dependence and addiction. This course will also examine topics that pertain to physical and pharmacological effects of drugs of abuse, medical diseases and conditions associated with abuse and provide an overview of approaches that are considered to be effective in screening, evaluating and treating addiction to ATOD. Finally, this course will cover approaches to family and community education and prevention to encourage wellness and increase understanding of addiction. (Note: This is one of the required courses for students in the Mental Health Counseling program who are pursuing the 350-hour CASAC certification from the NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services.)
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH
SummerGMHC-634 Animal Assisted Psychother (3)
This seminar-style course explores the many facets of providing effective, ethical therapy when utilizing animal-assisted and adjacent interventions. Students are required to synthesize the qualitative, quantitative, and anecdotal literature to develop awareness of best practices and foundational skills relevant to this complementary therapy intervention. Classes are held both on-campus in the classroom and off-campus in agricultural settings, with animals present. This course is designed to build upon therapy skills developed through practicum and internship settings and is not recommended for pre-clinical students.
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH
SummerGMHC-636 Neurology in Counseling (3)
This course will enable students to gain an understanding of how the different regions of the brain function and influence emotional states. Students will be exposed to the latest research in the neurosciences which relate to the formation neural pathways and how normally healthy pathways can get distorted in predictable ways related to specific mental disorders. The course will summarize advances in the neurosciences and how these findings can be applied to those assisting individuals with medical, mental health and/or substance use needs to inform more effective clinical interventions. Additionally, the role of motivation, attachment, trauma, parental consistency, and need fulfillment will be explored to help practitioners better understand and facilitate change on a physiological level. The goal is to share these findings in language students can understand, to clearly illustrate the interactions of the various brain mechanisms and to contrast unhealthy vs. healthy brain functioning. A biopsychosocial perspective will benefit those interested in the integration of physical health, mental health, and substance use needs to guide interventions and reduce stigma through the normalization of disorders via an increased understanding of physiology and neurology.
Attributes: TGMHGMHC-640 Compli.Treatment Methods (3)
Complementary Treatment Methods (CTM), often rooted in Eastern healing traditions, provide additional avenues for client/patient wellness when facing varied symptomatology from mental health and medical disorders. The implementation of CTM continues to grow in academic and medical settings by a multitude of health professionals. In this 3-credit course, students will explore assorted CTM, including hands-on and distance healing techniques, psychedelic-assisted therapies, applications of hypnosis, and the healing potential of water. Research studies supporting these modalities of treatment will be investigated. Students will be encouraged to experiment with a healing modality throughout the course with the guidance of a course instructor.
Attributes: TGMHGMHC-650 Counseling Internship (3 TO 12)
GMHC-650 Counseling Internship (3 TO 12) The internship is the post-practicum “capstone” clinical experience of the program in which students, under the supervision of a qualified site supervisor, are expected to refine and enhance their assessment and counseling skills in the delivery of evidence-based treatment services to individuals, groups, couples, and families. The 9 credits of internship typically extend over three semesters with students spending a total of 600 clock hours in clinical settings, of which a minimum of 240 hours must be spent in providing direct service. In the typical sequence, students enroll in six credit hours of internship in a semester and spend 200 clock hours at the agency site. Individual supervision sessions conducted by the site supervisor will occur one hour per week, and students will attend group supervision facilitated by a faculty member 1.5 hours per week throughout the internship. The internship will typically be completed in two different settings, one of which will be in the same setting as the practicum, in order to expose students to a broad range of clinical populations and mental health delivery systems. The experience will be designed in a way that students gradually gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to work more independently so that, upon graduation, they can function autonomously within the mental health setting of their choice.
Graded S/U.Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH ZCIV
Fall, Spring & Summer
Pre-requisites: GMHC-550 SGMHC-675 Thesis (3)
This elective course is designed to prepare those students who plan to continue in academic settings. Students will engage in independent research of the topic of their choice. Students will be expected to develop a research question, review the associated literature, conduct an independent investigation into the topic, and prepare a scholarly paper and oral presentation of their results.
Permission of the instructor required for registration.Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH ZRES
Fall, Spring & Summer
Pre-requisites: GMHC-575 CGMHC-680 Integrated Care Indp Study (3)
Student will learn the SAHMSA levels of integration and assist with pre and post-assessment process for community partners involved in a HRSA grant focusing on integrated health care. Student will also assist with research related to the development of new technologies for use in integrated health care, including an app and virtual reality technology intended to help young people with trauma histories and cancer patients being treated with chemotherapy respectively
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH ZCIV ZEXL
Fall, Spring & Summer
Restrictions: Including: -Major: Mental Health CounselingGMHC-699 Health Integration Seminar (0)
The Health Integration Seminar is designed to support students in the Mental Health Counseling and Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Programs funded by the HRSA Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training grant in developing the knowledge and skills needed to deliver care in an integrated, interprofessional health care setting that serves persons across the life span who have been traditionally underserved. Class content will focus on such topics as models for the delivery of integrated healthcare in specialty and/or primary care settings, awareness of cultural factors on one’s understanding of health and illness and the role of the practitioner and patient, and the skills needed for effective team-based care, as well as the adaptation of specific clinical interventions in to an integrated health care approach, including play therapy, behavior therapy, biofeedback, mindfulness, stress management, smoking cessation, strategies to improve disordered sleep and eating, medical family therapy, and coping with chronic physical illnesses. Students will be encouraged to discuss experiences in delivering integrated health care with guidance from faculty and support from students in similar settings, and/or across disciplines both in class and on-line.
Typically offered:
Attributes: TGMH
Fall, Spring & Summer
Pre-requisites: GMHC-500 C OR GNUR-520 C