Pre-Professional Mental Health Certificate

Pre-Professional Certificate in Mental Health

The certificate represents a program of study at the undergraduate level that prepares individuals to pursue a career in the mental health professions. The program entails a series of required and elective courses capped off by a three-course counseling sequence, which provides a basic foundation in counseling and includes community based internship experiences. The sequence may only be taken by Psychology majors and students must have at least 50 credits when registering for 377.

General Requirements to Enroll in PSY407

1) Psychology GPA of 3.0 or above, or the explicit discretion of the 407 instructor. Ideally, the psychology GPA would be checked by a student’s advisor with a second check by 407 instructors at time of registration.

2) Instructor permission. PSY377 instructors, PSY407 instructors, the program director, and the department chair will have the ability to disallow a student from enrolling into 407. Students will be made aware of this at the outset of PSY377 and language about this stipulation will be placed into all PSY377 syllabi.

In general, a student will not be allowed to take PSY407, and subsequently PSY417, if it is deemed that his/her mental fitness or socio-emotional competency would prevent them from successfully engaging in clinical work at community-based agencies (refer to Competency and Fitness Policy). This determination may be based on, but not limited to, PSY377 absence history, PSY377 classroom behavior, formal or informal conversations with above listed faculty, submitted PSY377 written work, responses (i.e., in a role play or to a question) or comments made in a PSY377 class, or if an issue with a student comes to the attention of the above listed personnel by another faculty member. If a PSY377 instructor is concerned about a student, he/she will inform a 407 instructor or the program director. The final determination of PSY407 placement is made by the program director and the chair subsequent to a meeting with the identified student.

General requirements to enroll into PSY417:

1) Psychology GPA of 3.0 or above, or the explicit discretion of the 417 instructor. Ideally, the psychology GPA would be checked by a student’s advisor with a second check by 417 instructors at time of enrollment.

2) Instructor permission. PSY407 instructors, the program director, and the department chair will have the ability to disallow a student from enrolling into 417. Students will be made aware of this at the outset of PSY407 and language about this stipulation will be placed into all PSY407 syllabi.

In general, a student will not be allowed to partake in PSY417 if it is deemed that his/her mental fitness or socio-emotional competency would prevent them from successfully engaging in clinical work at community-based agencies (refer to Competency and Fitness Policy). This determination may be based on, but not limited to, PSY407 classroom absence history, PSY407 classroom behavior, submitted PSY407 written work, comments made in a PSY407 class, or if an issue with a student comes to the attention of the above listed personnel by another faculty member. In addition, if a PSY407 site raises concerns about a student’s behavior or absenteeism, then this will be subject to grounds for disallowance into 417. The final determination of PSY417 placement is made by the program director or a PSY407 instructor subsequent to a meeting with the student.

General Requirements to Graduate with a Certificate

Psychology GPA of 3.0 or above and successful completion of all requirements.

In addition to satisfactory grades, regular attendance in class and internships and appropriate professional behavior and demeanor is required at all times.

Required basic courses:

PSY202 (Abnormal Psychology)

PSY220 (Lifespan Development)

Electives (one of the following):

PSY302 (Psychological Testing)

PSY416 (Seminar in Psychopathology)

PSY418 (Behavior Modification)

PSY420 (Child Psychopathology)

PSY423 (Health Psychology)

PSY490 (Special Topics: Clinical)

Required Three-Course Counseling Sequence:

PSY377 Counseling I