Psychiatric Mental Health and Illness Across the Lifespan Clinical
** available as of 01/01/2027
** available as of 01/01/2027
This clinical course focuses on preparing students to care for persons experiencing mental illness. Using a biopsychosocial model, students will engage in direct patient care across the mental health-illness continuum, working with individuals, families, and groups experiencing acute and chronic psychiatric conditions. Clinical experiences include community mental health centers, inpatient hospitals, integrated behavioral health settings, and outpatient psychiatric services. Emphasis is placed on therapeutic communication, interdisciplinary collaboration, trauma-informed care, and addressing social determinants of mental health within community contexts. Students work to cultivate clinical judgment, cultural humility, and advocacy skills essential for person-centered mental health care.
Outcomes: Perform comprehensive biopsychosocial-spiritual psychiatric assessments using standardized screening tools and diagnostic criteria to formulate clinical impressions and develop person-centered treatment plans; Integrate therapeutic communication with individuals experiencing mental illness using communication techniques, empathy, and presence to promote care; Implement evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, including cognitive-behavioral techniques, motivational interviewing, and psychoeducation, in inpatient and community settings; Apply crisis intervention competencies by conducting suicide and violence risk assessments, reviewing de-escalation strategies, and appropriate emergency responses that ensure patient and community safety; Collaborate with interprofessional team members, community organizations, and social service agencies to coordinate comprehensive mental illness services that address housing, employment, substance use, and other social risks, and apply clinical reasoning and pharmacological knowledge to provide patient education and person-centered care; Apply trauma-informed care principles and cultural humility into clinical practice and reflect on personal values, biases, and emotional responses in mental health clinical encounters to promote professional growth, maintain therapeutic boundaries, and practice self-care strategies that prevent burnout and compassion fatigue.
Outcomes: Perform comprehensive biopsychosocial-spiritual psychiatric assessments using standardized screening tools and diagnostic criteria to formulate clinical impressions and develop person-centered treatment plans; Integrate therapeutic communication with individuals experiencing mental illness using communication techniques, empathy, and presence to promote care; Implement evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, including cognitive-behavioral techniques, motivational interviewing, and psychoeducation, in inpatient and community settings; Apply crisis intervention competencies by conducting suicide and violence risk assessments, reviewing de-escalation strategies, and appropriate emergency responses that ensure patient and community safety; Collaborate with interprofessional team members, community organizations, and social service agencies to coordinate comprehensive mental illness services that address housing, employment, substance use, and other social risks, and apply clinical reasoning and pharmacological knowledge to provide patient education and person-centered care; Apply trauma-informed care principles and cultural humility into clinical practice and reflect on personal values, biases, and emotional responses in mental health clinical encounters to promote professional growth, maintain therapeutic boundaries, and practice self-care strategies that prevent burnout and compassion fatigue.