Overview
The primary focus of the Mental Health Education graduate certificate is to raise awareness of mental health concerns and to provide participants with the knowledge and skills to address front-line mental health issues within their community.
Reduce the Stigma: Knowledge of the prevalence and incidence of mental health issues helps to reduce the stigma surrounding this emerging public health crisis. Students completing the certificate will gain knowledge enabling them to better recognize when an individual is experiencing a heightened emotional state.
Front-line Skills: Students will have the ability to earn the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Mental Health First Aid certifications for managing mental health crises for both adults and youth. Courses utilize behavior change theories and Motivational Interviewing techniques, in addition to Mental Health First Aid, to develop and practice the students’ skills to de-escalate a mental health crisis, build stronger self-care regiments and resiliency skills, and refer individuals to appropriate professionals and/or resources when necessary.
Application and Impact: Lastly, students completing the Mental Health Education certificate program will identify strengths and gaps for managing mental health within their organization and develop actionable approaches to improve mental health outcomes within their sphere of influence.
