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BAS-Behavioral Health Courses

The following is a list of descriptions for required courses in the BAS-Behavioral Health program. This is not a comprehensive list. For all degree requirements, please visit the WVC Catalog.

Required BAS-Behavioral Health Courses

Students will be introduced to behavioral and social services, including history, philosophy, and current delivery systems to a diverse client population. 

This course provides a broad understanding of ethics, legal standards, and professional responsibilities in behavioral healthcare. Students explore behavioral health professionals’ responsibilities to themselves, clients, colleagues, and society. The course facilitates an understanding of ethical standards and ethical decision-making, professional boundaries, confidentiality, and federal and state laws pertaining to specific populations and situations in behavioral healthcare. 

This course examines how cultural, biological, and social diversity affect behavioral health and healthcare. It presents current theories and practices for working with diverse populations in the behavioral health field and fosters the understanding and application of cultural diversity, cultural humility, self-awareness, social justice, and advocacy. 

This course is an overview of case management within the context of healthcare and human services. Students develop observation, problem-solving, documentation, and relationship building skills through the exploration of the case management process which includes client engagement and assessment, care planning, resource acquisition, and care coordination.

This course prepares students for practicum and employment. Activities include identifying professional goals, identifying relevant positions, self-assessment, application preparation, and preparation for supervision and consultation. Special attention will be given to wellness and self-care to promote health and longevity personally and professionally.

This course introduces the skills necessary to screen clients for service eligibility, complete intake processes, conduct comprehensive assessments, and partner with clients to develop effective plans to achieve client-identified goals. Students are prepared to serve as effective helpers, able to explore their clients’ situation carefully to develop insight before taking action.

This course investigates the variety of ways we can reduce the impacts of common mental health disorders. Reviewing evidence-based research, students survey the range of effective, promising, and ineffective treatments for common mental health disorders such as psychosis, bipolar, depression, anxiety, personality disorders, and PTSD. Topics include biological, psychological, and social treatments, including professional services and self-help options. 

This course provides a comprehensive survey of the major contemporary theories of counseling, as well as their implications for practice. Core topics such as historical background, key concepts, the counseling process, counseling techniques and procedures, multicultural perspectives, and evaluation are examined for each theory. Students are given the opportunity to conceptualize selected case studies, decide on appropriate counseling interventions, and practice a variety of techniques that are commonly used in counseling practice. 

Through supervised clinical experience, students begin hands-on training in a behavioral health/human service field. Skills focused upon may include intake interviewing, case management, assessment of client/consumer needs, intervention strategies to meet those needs, individual and group counseling, outreach activities, documentation, use of community referral and networking resources, collaboration with colleagues, inter-agency communication, and professional growth. Ninety hours of recorded clinical experience are required each quarter. 

Prerequisite: BH& 400 and 25 credits of completed upper-division program credits or instructor permission. 

Students will learn to enhance the effectiveness of groups by examining a variety of roles, models, and norms of group work. Students will develop therapeutic group leadership skills through facilitation of simulated group sessions 

Continuation of supervised clinical experience, building on the skills and experience in Practicum I. Skills focused upon may include intake interviewing, case management, assessment of client/consumer needs, and intervention strategies to meet those needs, individual and group counseling, outreach activities, documentation, use of community referral and networking resources, collaboration with colleagues, inter-agency communication, and professional growth. Ninety hours of recorded clinical experience are required. 

Prerequisite: BH& 491 or instructor permission 

This course introduces the structures and processes of the human brain. Designed for non-science majors, the course emphasizes the relationships among biology, emotions, thoughts, and behavior.

Continuation of supervised clinical experience, building on the skills and experience in Practicum I. Skills focused upon may include intake interviewing, case management, assessment of client/consumer needs, and intervention strategies to meet those needs, individual and group counseling, outreach activities, documentation, use of community referral and networking resources, collaboration with colleagues, inter-agency communication, and professional growth. Ninety hours of recorded clinical experience are required. 

Prerequisite: BH& 492 or instructor permission 

Emphasizes understanding addictions including historical and current implications of addiction as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act and social, cultural, political, and economic contexts of addiction. Introduction to basic pharmacology of alcohol/other drugs, assessment criteria, signs and symptoms of addiction and recovery efforts.

Introduction to psychopathology and abnormal behavior. Theories, major diagnostic categories, issues and ethics in diagnosis and treatment will be emphasized. Cultural influences and access to resources are also discussed.

This course explores the science of addiction, including current research on both substance and behavioral addictions and recovery. Topics covered include current research on addiction, barriers to successful recovery, various treatment models including medication assisted treatment, the impact of trauma, cultural and generational impacts of addiction, as well as the effects of adverse experiences such as poverty, inadequate access to services and others.