The Master Program in Community Mental Health is a general program, preparing students to provide a variety of mental health services in a wide range of settings with special emphasis on clinical skills. Graduates are expected to offer counseling, health education, mild forms of psychotherapy, mental health research, advocacy activities, managing community mental health organization, case management, community mobilization and other types of clinical mental health care. The graduate will be equipped with generic skills in prevention, assessment and intervention with diverse groups of clients both in the community and service settings. This program adopts a holistic model of care emphasizing, in particularly, the cultural aspects of community mental health and community mental health promotion for all target groups. The program’s orientation is multidisciplinary, promoting dialogue between health disciplines in academic and clinical settings.
The Program offers a thesis track and a non-thesis track. The thesis track is highly recommended, especially for students with an interest in further education, research, or policy-related work. The thesis track consists of a total of 37 credit hours. These include 24 credit hours in 11 core courses; a thesis of 6 credit hours, 4 credit hours of residency and clinical practice; 2 elective course of 2 credits for each.
Students in the non-thesis track follow the same course of study including residency and clinical practice, with the exception of Thesis I and Thesis II. Instead, they take “graduation project”; 3-credit additional course from the elective courses list; 2 elective courses of 2 credits.
Lectures are scheduled on an average of 2-3 days per week. Practicum days are coordinated with the practice sites and according to the students’ individual needs.
Master’s Degree in Community Mental Health: Psychotherapy track
The Master Program in Community Mental Health/ track psychotherapy (37 credit hours) is a specialized program, preparing students to provide a variety of psychotherapies for a wide range of mental and psychological problems in community settings with special emphasis on clinical skills. Graduates are expected to offer counseling and psychotherapy for clients of various age groups and diagnosis. The graduates are expected to provide health education, perform mental health research, lead advocacy activities, and manage community mental health organization. The graduate will be equipped with generic skills in prevention, assessment and psychotherapy with diverse groups of clients both in the community and service settings. Specialized courses in cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, expressive therapy; individual, group, and family and couple therapy, are core courses in the program. In addition, this track emphasizes clinical expertise throughout the course of study, which should be acquired through direct contact with clients. Therefore, candidates for enrollment have to be employed at one of the mental health agencies and spend enough number of contact hours with clients during their residency and internship clinical placement. They are expected to spend 130 contact hours of fieldwork as internship in addition, to the scheduled credits in their academic plan. In total, the graduate of the psychotherapy track will spend around 430 hours (300 hours for psychotherapy residency courses 1 &2 and clinical at hospital and 130 hours for practicum) of clinical work during their formal training and internship.
This program adopts a holistic model of care emphasizing, in particularly, the cultural aspects of community mental health and community mental health promotion for all target groups. The program’s orientation is multidisciplinary, promoting dialogue between health disciplines such as medicine, psychology, social work, and nursing both in academic and clinical settings. The students learn to coordinate their services with other team members and to work collaboratively for the welfare of their clients.
- To provide the Palestinian community with skilled mental health professionals that will provide prevention and intervention service to a wide range of clients.
- To provide students with a theoretical and clinical foundation to plan counseling and therapeutic interventions with individuals, groups, families, and communities.
- To equip students with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to perform a wide range of community mental health roles including psychoeducation, advocacy, consultation, and liaison with other professionals in the field.
- To train students to become active mental health researchers in the mental health field.
- To develop professionals who are able to take leadership roles in the mental health profession at a variety of levels including community, university, and professional organizations.
Psychotherapy Track Objectives:
- To provide the Palestinian community with skilled mental health professionals that will provide psychotherapy to a wide range of clients.
- To provide students with theoretical and clinical skills of different approaches of psychotherapy interventions with individuals, groups, families, and communities.
- To equip students with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to diagnose and treat different mental disorders in the mental health field.
- To develop professionals who are able to take leadership roles in the mental health profession at a variety of levels including community, university, and professional organizations.
Soon …
Students admitted to the Master’s Program in Community Mental Health should have an academic background in one of the following fields: social work, nursing, sociology, public health, education, medicine. Other specialties may be considered on individual bases by the college graduate committee.
It is preferred that applicants have at least two years of previous experience working in a mental health agency, social service organization, school, hospital, youth or children’s organization, women’s organization, etc. However, exceptions may be evaluated on individual bases especially for candidates who consider changing careers and would like to move to mental health field.
Minimum Requirements for Acceptance
- Earned bachelor’s degree with an average of not less than 70%
- At least 2 years of working experience
- Competence in English language
- Successful completion of a personal interview
Selection Criteria for students: Psychotherapy track
Students admitted to the Master’s Program in Community Mental Health should have an academic background in one of the following fields: psychology, social work, nursing, sociology, counseling, public health, or medicine. The college graduate committee may consider other specialties on individual bases.
It is preferred that applicants have at least two years of previous experience working in a mental health agency, social service organization, school, hospital, youth or children’s organization, women’s organization, etc. However, exceptions will be evaluated on individual bases
Soon …
Some students who have had not studied certain core undergraduate courses are required to complete them in order to prepare themselves for graduate study in community mental health. These undergraduate courses should be taken either before starting their graduate studies or during the first year of their graduate studies.
These remedial undergraduate courses include:
- Introduction to Psychology (minimum 2)
- Mental health or equivalent (minimum 2 )
** Acceptance of these courses will be decided by the graduate committee of the program
Table(1) Distribution of the credit hours of the program
|
Type of course |
Total credit hours |
|
Core courses |
25 |
|
Elective specialized courses |
6 |
|
Total |
31 credit hours |
*for thesis , the students will take 3 credit hours for thesis 1 and 3 crdits hours for thesis 2 (total credits hours of the music therapy track =37)
*for non thesis , the students will take 3 credit hours for graduation project and 3 crdits hours for elective course (total credits hours of the music therapy track = 37)
| Table (2) Core courses for the thesis track: |
| 8083520: Introduction to Public Health and Community Mental Health |
| 8083521: Psychopathology and Diagnosis |
| 8083539: biostatistics |
| 8083523: Research Methods in Social Sciences |
| 8083524: Intervention in Crisis and Trauma |
| 8083525: Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy |
| 8083660: Thesis I |
| 8083530: Clinical Practice |
| 8083624: Child and Adolescent Mental Health |
| 8083622: Individual Therapy |
| 8083634: group interventions |
| 8083630: Residency I |
| 8083631: Residency II |
| 8083625: Community Mental Health Interventions |
| 8083660: thesis II |
| 2 elective course (2 crd. each). |
| Table (3) Core courses for non- thesis track: |
| 8083520: Introduction to Public Health and Community Mental Health |
| 8083521: Psychopathology and Diagnosis |
| 8083539: biostatistics |
| 8083523: Research Methods in Social Sciences |
| 8083524: Intervention in Crisis and Trauma |
| 8083525: Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy |
| 8083530: Clinical Practice |
| 8083635: Graduation project |
| 8083624: Child and Adolescent Mental Health |
| 8083622: Individual Therapy |
| 8083634: Group interventions |
| 8083630: Residency I |
| 8083631: Residency II |
| 8083625: Community Mental Health Interventions |
| 1 elective course (3 credits) |
| 2 elective course (2 credits each) |
| 8083777 Comprehensive exam |
| Table (4) Elective courses: two credit hours each |
| Psychological and social rehabilitation 3 crd. (8083636) |
| Development through the Life Cycle 2 crd. (8083522) |
| Psychological Testing 3crd. (8083629) |
| Women’s Mental Health 3crd. (8083632) |
| Addictive Behavior 2crd. (8083633) |
| Psychopharmacology 2crd. (8083529) |
| Organic mental disorders 2crd. (8083531) |
| Counseling victims of political violence 2 crd. (8083637) |
| Alternative Therapies 2 crd. (8083626) |
| Residency III 3 crd. (8083638) |
| Family and Couples Therapy 2 credits (8083623) |
Distribution of the credit hours of the psychotherapy track
|
Type of course |
Total credit hours |
|
Core courses |
17 |
|
Specialized psychotherapy courses |
8 |
|
Elective specialized courses |
6 |
|
Total |
31 credit hours |
*for thesis , the students will take 3 credit hours for thesis 1 and 3 credits hours for thesis 2 (total credit hours for psychotherapy track =37)
*for non thesis , the students will take 3 credit hours for graduation project and 3 credits hours for elective course (total credit hours for psychotherapy track= 37
Core courses for psychotherapy track
| Course number | Course |
Credits |
| 8083521 | Psychopathology and Diagnosis |
3 |
| 8083539 | Biostatistics |
2 |
| 8083523 | Research Methods in Social Sciences |
2 |
| 8083525 | Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy |
2 |
| 8083624 | Child and Adolescent Mental Health |
2 |
| 8083622 | Individual Therapy |
2 |
| 8083634 | Group interventions |
2 |
| 8083623 | Family and Couples Therapy |
2 |
|
Total |
17 |
Specialized psychotherapy core courses for the psychotherapy track
| Course number | Course |
Credit hours |
| 8083534 | Diagnostic test and psychometric |
1 |
| 8083535 | Cognitive behavior therapy |
2 |
| 8083647 | Psychodynamics psychotherapies |
2 |
| 8083537 | Clinical Practice in psychotherapy |
1 |
| 8083649 | Residency in psychotherapy |
1 |
| 8083650 | Residency in psychotherapy |
1 |
| 8083700 | Practicum |
Zero credit |
|
Total |
8 |
Elective courses: the students should select 6 credit hours from the following
| Course number | Course | Credit |
| 8083536 | Expressive therapies | 2 |
| 8083524 | Intervention in Crisis and Trauma | 2 |
| 8083533 | Developmental psychology | 2 |
| 8083651 | Intervention with victims of violence | 3 |
| 8083652 | Brief therapies | 2 |
| 8083538 | Cultural aspect of psychotherapy | 2 |
| 8083529 | Psychopharmacology | 2 |
| 8083637 | Counseling victims of political violence | 2 |
| 8083626 | Alternative Therapies | 2 |
| 8083638 | Residency III | 3 |
| 8083632 | Women’s mental health | 3 |
| 8083636 | Psychological and social rehabilitation | 3 |
Introduction to Public and Community Mental Health (8083520) 2 credits
This course introduces students to concepts of primary health and its relation to mental health. The course explains the health care systems in the Palestinian society including those specialized in mental health care. In addition, the students are introduced to concepts of environmental and ecological health in general and their relation to mental health. Ethical and legal consideration of working with clients is discussed with emphasis on the client-practitioner relationship. In addition, this course introduces students to the field of community mental health, its historical roots, underlying assumptions, basic approaches, and delivery methods. It explains how the community mental health model differs from hospital-based psychiatric services. It outlines the broad spectrum of preventative mental health measures and means of increasing public awareness of mental health issues and health promotion. The students observe mental health practitioners on the job to learn about the local mental health system, interface with other mental health professionals, and learn about career opportunities in the field of community mental health. Students will self-reflect on their skills and interests in the field.
Psychopathology and Diagnosis (8083521) 3 credits
This course introduces students to the study of mental disorders and the measurement of their prevalence. It explores myths about mental illness perpetuated through popular and media channels and then provides students with holistic understanding of abnormal behavior. The major mental disorders are explained in terms of their etiology and causal factors, and with emphasis on risk factors and socioeconomic and cultural influences. The content is organized around both specific condition and syndrome (e.g., conduct disorder, depression, anxiety etc.) and the particular mechanisms (e.g., genetics, psychobiology model, cognitive processing models) that have been proposed to explain them. It will also give the student “hands-on” practical training in the process of clinical assessment in the mental health profession. It includes an introduction to the science and art of clinical assessment as a foundation for the actual practice of assessment in a mental health setting. In this course, students will be introduced to the development of differential diagnosis systems in mental health. The framework will include diagnostic criteria for behavioral, mental, emotional, personality, and substance-abuse disorders. Systems such as the American DSM multi-axial system of diagnosis and European ICD system will be evaluated for cultural relevance.
Biostatistics (8083539) 2credits (1 theory + 1 statistical lab)
In this general course, the students learn about inferential and descriptive statistics, parametric and Q square with a focus on SPSS computer software. Distribution of variables, sampling distribution, probability, data presentation, hypothesis testing and other statistical inference techniques needed for planning and decision making in mental health are also discussed in this course. The course is expected to help students conduct statistical operations for their theses and to understand findings in published research. The class is divided into 2 credits of theory and one credit for the SPSS laboratory skills.
Research Methods in Social Sciences (8083523) 2 credits
This intermediate-level course introduces students to various research approaches and how to evaluate research studies in the social sciences. Students will learn different methods of sampling, research interviewing skills, the formulation of research questionnaires, research methodology, and data analysis methods. Skills gained in this course will contribute to thesis projects.
Intervention in Crisis and Trauma (8083524) 2 credits
The aim of this course is to acquaint students with the psychological impact of crisis, trauma, and stress and their implications for individual and community health, education and welfare. Topics covered include psychological needs of clients in crisis and beyond; chronic and acute trauma experiences; post-traumatic stress disorder; intervening to relieve stress and trauma; stress inoculation, consumer perception of services, and professional burnout/peer support. Students will be able to institute measures to improve stress resilience and better manage psychological crisis and trauma.
Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy (8083525) 2 credits
In this course, the students are introduced to several approaches in counseling and psychotherapy including, person-centered approach, cognitive-behavioral therapy, existential therapy, psychodynamic approaches, family systems therapy, solution-focused, and short-term therapy. The course expands students’ knowledge and understanding of a range of models of counseling and psychotherapy and highlights some of the theoretical and practical factors considered important in effective therapeutic intervention. Students will identify the distinguishing characteristics of several theories of psychotherapy particularly as they relate to the link between notions of how change is brought about in human functioning. Students will recognize the appropriateness and limitations of various approaches as they relate to particular clients, problems, settings, and multicultural factors. Students will explore the function and role of client and therapist, and the nature of the relationship between them. This course must be taken prior to or concurrent with Clinical Practice.
Thesis (8083660) 6 credits
In the first part of this 2-part course, students prepare their research proposals and present them for feedback in front of the class. Students incorporate feedback from the class and the research supervisor into a final working draft of their proposal. Students meet with their advisors on an individual basis according to their convenience. In the second part of this course, students meet individually or in small groups with their research supervisors while conducting their research. Students are expected to finish data collection, prepare for data analysis, finalize their thesis and prepare for their defense by the end of the semester. Prerequisite: Research Methods in Social Sciences, and Intermediate Statistics.
Clinical Practice (808530) 2 credits
This course serves as an arena for the beginning student to gain practical experience with theories and concepts of counseling in community mental health settings. Students are assigned to community agencies that provide counseling services where they participate in the provision of services under supervision. The emphasis of this experience is on the development of skills in interviewing, assessment, and counseling of individuals. Students may rotate through a range of community mental health settings to observe and participate in the normal activities of each site. They attend group supervision and will be expected to write and present a specific number of cases. Students must take Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy before or concurrent with this course.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health (8083624) 2 credits
This course develops students’ expertise in counseling and psychotherapy with children and adolescents. It provides an overview of the prevailing disorders affecting this age group. It explores the assessment, treatment, and ethical issues unique to working with children and adolescents within mental health and educational settings with a focus on at-risk populations. Prerequisite: Development Through the Life Cycle.
Individual Therapy (8083622) 2 credits
This course builds on knowledge gained in Theories of Psychotherapy. It explores the basic principles and techniques of counseling. The course also emphasizes the processes of interpersonal communication, including effective listening and confrontation, problem solving, and conflict resolution. Students practice skills and build a repertoire of intentional and diagnostic interviewing responses. Issues such as transference, counter-transference, insight building, catharsis, empathy, disclosure, and others are discussed. Prerequisite: Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy.
Residency I (8083630) 2 credits
This residency places students in real mental health settings for 8 hours per week for the duration of the semester. It allows students to implement assessment and diagnostic procedures and to work with children, adults, and families under supervision. Students work as staff members in community mental health settings based on availability and students’ interests. Additionally, they join other students in a seminar that ties practical challenges to theoretical issues. Prerequisite: Clinical Practice.
Residency II (8083631) 2 credits
This residency is a continuation of Residency I. Students continue in their supervised training or, if approved, may select a different community site. Prerequisite: Residency I.
Community Mental Health Interventions (8083625) 2 credits
This course prepares students to act independently and in teams. Students will act as advocates for selected clients and target groups. The interventions that are covered in this course include home visiting, planning, referral and follow up, health education, advocacy, building support groups, disaster response, working with schools and social agencies, and running community mental health programs. Prerequisite: Introduction to Community Mental Health.
Group interventions (8083634) 2 credits
The course explores group dynamics, theories, process, and different methods of group counseling and group-based activities and interventions. Students learn how to use group process to help people maintain emotional health, manage conflicts, provide social interventions, and deal with psychological problems. Cultural contexts are taken into account. The students learn how to incorporate group process and theory in community settings such as self help groups, health education, community manipulation, lobbying, and training.
Graduation project (8083635) 3 credits
The student has to finish a small field research in the field of mental health during this course and should defend it before a committee. This course enables the students to experience doing a research even if they are not registered for a thesis. It is imperative that the graduate student should be competent in conducting research in their field of study. The student who registered for : no thesis: track is not considered a graduate if he or she did not pass this course. The student has to follow the “thesis guidelines” when writing their project and they need to be supervised by an academic supervisor. The student is not allowed to sit for the comprehensive exam before finishing the graduation project. The student is given “pass” or “fail” for this course.
Elective courses:
Psychological and social rehabilitation (8083636) 3 credits
In this course, the students learn about principles and techniques of rehabilitation for people who have emotional problems. The course focuses on various dimensions of rehabilitation including social, psychological, vocational, and educational sides. Emphasis is highly placed on community based rehabilitation of clients who have long term illness and disability, and need re-socialization and reintegration into local community.
Development through the Life Cycle (8083522) 2 credits
This course introduces classic and contemporary developmental theories, themes, and concepts from birth to death and will explore ways in which students can apply these to their own development and the development of others. The main focus is “normal” development or group averages rather than the development issues of a single individual, although differences among individuals are discussed. Physical, cognitive, emotional, social and spiritual development will be discussed for all stages of development. At the end of the course students will be able to identify developmental lags and demonstrate awareness of specific issues relating to children, adults, and the elderly. This course enables the students to identify normal individual differences in human development in addition to the risk factors involved in the later appearance of psychopathology.
Alternative Therapies (8083626) 2 credits
This course introduces students to several non-traditional approaches used to treat emotional and psychological problems including relaxation, music, movement, light, drama, expressive therapy, art therapy, hypnosis, and recreational therapy. Indications and contraindications for each of the various therapeutic models are explored. In addition, the course covers new trends of therapy in the field of mental health such as reality therapy, play therapy, biofeedback, sex therapy, diet therapy, and others. Role-playing and training are used.
Psychopharmacology (8083529) 2 credits
This introductory-level course gives students a base in neurophysiology and psychopharmacology. Structure and functions of the nervous system, as well as interactions of other organ systems, will be covered. Principles of pharmocodynamics and pharmacokinetics are discussed. This course focuses on drugs and medications commonly used to treat psychological disorders, including major tranquilizers, minor tranquilizers, hypnotics, antidepressants, antiepileptic drugs, and others. Indications, contraindications, and side effects of each group of drugs are presented.
Women’s Mental Health (8083632) 3 credits
This course is designed to provide the student with conceptual knowledge about several key issues relevant to women’s mental health. The course discusses issues such as gender, sociocultural variables that influence women’s mental health; violence and domestic abuse of women; mental health of women through the life cycle. In addition, the students will learn about prevalence and etiology of the main psychological disorders that affect women. Specific issues include, the adolescent female, adjustment to pregnancy, motherhood, infertility, menopause, adjusting to surgical conditions (mastectomy, hysterectomy), adjusting to abortion, miscarriage, still birth, the divorced woman, the unmarried / single woman, and women living in polygamous marriages.
Addictive Behavior (8083633) 2 credits
This course is designed to provide the student with a working knowledge of chemical dependency and other related addictions including gambling, sex, relationship, exercise, violence, work, power, money, videogames, internet surfing and risk/sensation-seeking addictions. Aspects of lifestyle and habits that can be carried to an addictive extreme are examined. The course will include clarification of theories of addiction and discusses current treatment practices.
Psychological Testing (8083629) 3 credits
This course explores the theory and technique of administering, scoring, and interpreting psychological tests. Basic psychometric principles such as norms, reliability, and validity that apply to all types of psychological tests will be reviewed. In addition to the cultural analysis of testing, the course will examine at least several major classes of tests: Intelligence testing (what we traditionally refer to as I.Q.), aptitude tests (such as the SAT), personality (projective) testing, and tests for psychological adjustment (such as the MMPI). Representative methods of test construction, criteria for evaluating and selecting tests will be discussed along with exploring the value and the limits of testing. It is important to emphasize that taking this course does not qualify students to administer tests.
Organic mental disorders (8083531) 2crd.
This course introduces information on brain structure and function. It explains the biological and organic bases of human behavior and emotions by connecting behavior and emotional reactions with brain function, hormones, genes, and other physical conditions. The course explores the influence of trauma, stress, physical disease, substance abuse and accidents on the human mental state. Conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, degenerative disorders, cerebrovascular illness, accidents, Epilepsy, mental disability, psychosomatic, and genetic brain disorders will be studied with emphasis on etiology, prevention, and management.
Residency III (8083638) 3 credits
This is a clinical course that aims at increasing practical skills of those students who feel they did not have enough contact with clients in the community settings. However, this is an elective course for the “no thesis” students only. Nevertheless, any of the thesis track student can register for this course if he or she like. Those who register for this course need clinical supervision which should be provided by a qualified faculty member or preceptor from the clinical site.
Counseling victims of political violence (8083637) 2 crd.
Due to the current flamboyant political situation of the Palestinian society, there is a paramount need to prepare mental health experts to work with victims of war conditions and armed struggle. This course is designed to meet the needs of the professionals in this needed area. The students are exposed to theoretical material concerning the nations who suffered psychologically and socially due to continuous exposure to harassment, torture, rape, terrorism, imprisonment, and other forms of political victimization.
Family and Couples Therapy (8083623) 2 credits
This course presents the theoretical foundations of family counseling and therapy focusing on system approaches. Special attention is given to the dynamics of the Palestinian family, its structure, values, practices, and problems that may arise in emergencies. It explores family change and the impact on children’s emotions, school performance, family relationships, and family health care. Specific strategies for working with families are delineated and their application to various family conditions is demonstrated. Prerequisite: Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy.
Core and psychotherapy specialized Course Descriptions
Cognitive behavioral therapy 2 credits 8083535
This course will familiarize students with the theoretical bases of Cognitive Behavior Therapy, with an emphasis on the utilization of CBT for most mental disorders and case conceptualization. The course will address both theory and application in-depth as it pertains to cases. The students’ skills will be enhanced through class exercises that will include operationalizing the problem, case conceptualization, treatment planning, practicing specific techniques
Psychodynamics psychotherapies 2 credits 8083647
The overall aim of the course is to facilitate mature, reflective psychodynamic practice in order to improve professional counselling and treatment qualification. It covers psychodynamic theory, the counselling relationship, the therapeutic frame, the unique patient therapist relationship, dreams, transference and countertransference, and working with unconscious communication.
Diagnostic test and psychometric 1 credit 8083534
The course will provide students with a working knowledge of the principles, processes, and tools of assessment within the counseling and diagnosis and interpretation of various assessment and evaluation techniques. Basic psychometric principles such as norms, reliability, and validity that apply to all types of psychological tests will be reviewed. In addition to the cultural analysis of testing, the course will examine at least several major classes of tests: Intelligence testing (what we traditionally refer to as I.Q.), aptitude tests (such as the SAT), personality (projective) testing, and tests for psychological adjustment (such as the MMPI). Representative methods of test construction, criteria for evaluating and selecting tests will be discussed along with exploring the value and the limits of testing. It is important to emphasize that taking this course does not qualify students to administer tests.
Psychopathology and Diagnosis (8083521) 3 credits
This course introduces students to the study of mental disorders and the measurement of their prevalence. It explores myths about mental illness perpetuated through popular and media channels and then provides students with holistic understanding of abnormal behavior. The major mental disorders will be explained in terms of their etiology and causal factors, and with emphasis on risk factors and socioeconomic and cultural influences. The content is organized around both specific condition and syndrome (e.g., conduct disorder, depression, anxiety etc.) and the particular mechanisms (e.g., genetics, psychobiology model, cognitive processing models) that have been proposed to explain them. It will also give the student “hands-on” practical training in the process of clinical assessment in the mental health profession. It includes an introduction to the science and art of clinical assessment as a foundation for the actual practice of assessment in a mental health setting. In this course, students will be introduced to the development of differential diagnosis systems in mental health. The framework will include diagnostic criteria for behavioral, mental, emotional, personality, and substance-abuse disorders. Systems such as the American DSM multi-axial system of diagnosis and European ICD system will be evaluated for cultural relevance.
Biostatistics (8083539) 2 credits
In this intermediate-level course, students learn about inferential and descriptive statistics, parametric and some non-parametric statistical operations, and SPSS computer software. Distribution of variables, sampling distribution, probability, data presentation, hypothesis testing and other statistical inference techniques needed for planning and decision making in mental health are also discussed in this course. The course is expected to help students conduct statistical operations for their theses and to understand findings in published research. The course will cover the theory and the SPSS laboratory skills.
Research Methods in Social Sciences (8083523) 2 credits
This intermediate-level course introduces students to various research approaches and how to evaluate research studies in the social sciences. Students will learn different methods of sampling, research interviewing skills, the formulation of research questionnaires, research methodology, and data analysis methods. Skills gained in this course will contribute to thesis projects.
Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy (8083525) 2 credits
In this course, the students are introduced to several approaches in counseling and psychotherapy including, person-centered approach, cognitive-behavioral therapy, existential therapy, psychodynamic approaches, family systems therapy, solution-focused, and short-term therapy. The course expands students’ knowledge and understanding of a range of models of counseling and psychotherapy and highlights some of the theoretical and practical factors considered important in effective therapeutic intervention. Students will identify the distinguishing characteristics of several theories of psychotherapy particularly as they relate to the link between notions of how change is brought about in human functioning. Students will recognize the appropriateness and limitations of various approaches as they relate to particular clients, problems, settings, and multicultural factors. Students will explore the function and role of client and therapist, and the nature of the relationship between them.
Thesis I (8083660) & Thesis II (8083661) , each of 3 credits
In the first part of this 2-part course, students prepare their research proposals and present them for feedback in front of the class. Students incorporate feedback from the class and the research supervisor into a final working draft of their proposal. Students meet with their advisors on an individual basis according to their convenience. If the student meet the requirements (finishing the proposal and defending it efficiently), he /she will be given a “pass” grade and if not, will be given a “fail” grade and is transferred to “non-thesis” track.
In thesis II, students meet individually or in small groups with their research supervisors while conducting their research. Students are expected to finish data collection, prepare for data analysis, finalize their thesis and prepare for their defense by the end of the semester. Prerequisite: Research Methods in Social Sciences, and Intermediate Statistics. When the student does not finish the work on his/her thesis in the two thesis courses, he/she should register one-hour extra course every semester until the work is done on the thesis.
Clinical Practice in psychotherapy (808537) 1 credit
This course serves as an arena for the beginning student to gain practical experience with theories and concepts of counseling in community mental health settings. Students will be assigned to the mental hospital and community mental health clinics where they participate in the provision of services under supervision of the staff of community mental health master program/ psychotherapy track. The emphasis of this experience is on the development of skills in interviewing, assessment, diagnosis and counseling of individuals. Students may rotate through a range of community mental health settings to observe and participate in the normal activities of each site. They attend group supervision and will be expected to write and present a specific number of cases. They have to spend 5 hours / one day of work at the assigned settings. Students must take psychopathology and diagnosis before taking this course.
Child and Adolescent Mental Health (8083624) 2 credits
This course develops students’ expertise in counseling and psychotherapy with children and adolescents. It provides an overview of the prevailing disorders affecting this age group. It explores the assessment, treatment, and ethical issues unique to working with children and adolescents within mental health and educational settings with a focus on at-risk populations.
Individual Therapy (8083622) 2 credits
This course builds on knowledge gained in Theories of Psychotherapy. It explores the basic principles and techniques of counseling. The course also emphasizes the processes of interpersonal communication, including effective listening and confrontation, problem solving, and conflict resolution. Students practice skills and build a repertoire of intentional and diagnostic interviewing responses. Issues such as transference, counter-transference, insight building, catharsis, empathy, disclosure, and others are discussed. Prerequisite: Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy.
Residency for psychotherapy 1 (8083649) 1 credit
This residency places students in real mental health settings for (5 hours) per week for the duration of the semester. It allows students to implement assessment and diagnostic procedures and to work with children, adults, and families under supervision for at least 3 cases. Students work as staff members in community mental health settings based on availability and students’ interests. Additionally, they join other students in a seminar that ties practical challenges to theoretical issues. Prerequisite: Clinical Practice.
Family and Couples Therapy (8083623) 2 credits
This course presents the theoretical foundations of family counseling and therapy focusing on system approaches. Special attention is given to the dynamics of the Palestinian family, its structure, values, practices, and problems that may arise in emergencies. It explores family change and the impact on children’s emotions, school performance, family relationships, and family health care. Specific strategies for working with families are delineated and their application to various family conditions is demonstrated. Prerequisite: Theories of Counseling and Psychotherapy.
Residency for psychotherapy 2 (8083650) 1 credit
This residency is a continuation of Residency I. Students continue in their supervised training or, if approved, may select a different community site. The focus of this residency is on groups and families in addition to individual cases (at least 3 cases) . Prerequisite: Residency I.
Group interventions (8083634) 2 credits
The course explores group dynamics, theories, process, and different methods of group counseling and group-based activities and interventions. Students learn how to use group process to help people maintain emotional health, manage conflicts, provide social interventions, and deal with psychological problems. Cultural contexts are taken into account. The students learn how to incorporate group process and theory in community settings such as self help groups, health education, community manipulation, lobbying, and training.
Graduation project (8083635) 3 credits
The student has to finish a small field research in the field of mental health during this course and should defend it before a committee. This course enables the students to experience doing a research even if they are not registered for a thesis. It is imperative that the graduate student should be competent in conducting research in their field of study. The student who registered for “no thesis” track is not considered a graduate if he or she did not pass this course. The student has to follow the “thesis guidelines” when writing their project and they need to be supervised by an academic supervisor. The student is not allowed to sit for the comprehensive exam before finishing the graduation project.
Comprehensive exam: (8083777) zero credit
This is not a course but rather I formal registration for the non-thesis students who are supposed to enroll in a comprehensive exam. The comprehensive exam consists of two sections. The first is an oral exam that is conducted by a specialized committee and it constitutes 40% of the total grade of the exam; the second part is a written exam and it constitutes 60% of the comprehensive exam. The grades of the oral and written exams are added to make a total of 100%. The student is expected to pass each of the exams alone. Therefore, if the student failed the oral exam, he has to repeat it. The same applies to the written exam. The passing grade for the comprehensive exam is 70%.
8083700: Practicum : Zero credit
This course is designed to provide an opportunity for students to learn about with opportunities to work in real-world settings, and to provide psychotherapy for typical mental and psychological problems. Students will continue to build their counseling and treatment skills through coursework, field experience, and discussion of the field experience. Students will practice under supervision of qualified mental health experts in the clinical settings where they will have their practicum with weekly meetings and consultations. Practicum will be completed as non-credit course. It is preferred that this residency will be done in the organizations or the institutions where the students work during their study and training. This practicum will consist of 130 contact hours
Elective courses:
Developmental psychology 2 credits 8083533
This course introduces classic and contemporary developmental theories, themes, and concepts from birth to death. It will explore ways in which students can apply these to their own development and the development of others. Also it will include early relationship and theories of personality. The main focus is “normal” development or group averages rather than the development issues of a single individual, although differences among individuals are discussed and theories of personality and assessment will be highlighted. Physical, cognitive, emotional, social and spiritual development will be discussed for all stages of development. At the end of the course students will be able to identify developmental lags and demonstrate awareness of specific issues relating to children, adults, and the elderly. This course enables the students to identify normal individual differences in human development in addition to the risk factors involved in the later appearance of psychopathology.
Intervention in Crisis and Trauma (8083524) 2 credits
The aim of this course is to acquaint students with the psychological impact of crisis, trauma, and stress and their implications for individual and community health, education and welfare. Topics covered include psychological needs of clients in crisis and beyond; chronic and acute trauma experiences; post-traumatic stress disorder; intervening to relieve stress and trauma; stress inoculation, consumer perception of services, and professional burnout/peer support. Students will be able to institute measures to improve stress resilience and better manage psychological crisis and trauma.
Expressive therapy 2 credits 8083536
This course is designed to focus on the development of the theoretical basis for the use of expressive therapies in counselling in order to enhance knowledge, practice and skills of counsellors and psychologists by using different expressive approaches such as music/dance/movement therapy, Poetry and expressive writing therapy, narrative, play, and drama/psychodrama.
Psychological and social rehabilitation (8083636) 3 credits
In this course, the students learn about principles and techniques of rehabilitation for people who have emotional problems. The course focuses on various dimensions of rehabilitation including social, psychological, vocational, and educational sides. Emphasis is highly placed on community based rehabilitation of clients who have long term illness and disability, and need re-socialization and reintegration into local community.
Intervention with victims of violence: 3 credits 8083651
The course is designed to provide a systemic perspective on violence including its theories, the types, the legal system’s response; assessment and intervention techniques. This course will familiarize students with high risk groups including women, children, and minority. In addition, the course will prepare the students with necessary skills to work with victims of domestic violence , social and political violence
Brief therapies: 2 credits 8083652
This course will provide students with an understanding of the basic principles of several theories and approaches to brief therapy. It will focus on the application of these principles to individual and clients. Also, it will enhance students’ skills and knowledge in the application of brief therapy principles into their counselling settings with different clients . in addition, the course will prepare students with necessary skills to intervene with victims of domestic violence, social and political violence.
Cultural aspect of psychotherapy 2 credits 8083538
This course is designed to increase students’ awareness of their cultural background and experiences, belief system, attitudes, and values influence psychotherapy. The course will increase students’ knowledge about race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, and social class and their influence on psychotherapy
Alternative Therapies (8083626) 2 credits
This course introduces students to several non-traditional approaches used to treat emotional and psychological problems including relaxation, music, movement, light, drama, expressive therapy, art therapy, hypnosis, and recreational therapy. Indications and contraindications for each of the various therapeutic models are explored. In addition, the course covers new trends of therapy in the field of mental health such as reality therapy, play therapy, biofeedback, sex therapy, diet therapy, and others. Role-playing and training are used.
Psychopharmacology (8083529) 2 credits
This introductory-level course gives students a base in neurophysiology and psychopharmacology. Structure and functions of the nervous system, as well as interactions of other organ systems, will be covered. Principles of pharmocodynamics and pharmacokinetics are discussed. This course focuses on drugs and medications commonly used to treat psychological disorders, including major tranquilizers, minor tranquilizers, hypnotics, antidepressants, antiepileptic drugs, and others. Indications, contraindications, and side effects of each group of drugs are presented.
Women’s Mental Health (8083632) 3 credits
This course is designed to provide the student with conceptual knowledge about several key issues relevant to women’s mental health. The course discusses issues such as gender, sociocultural variables that influence women’s mental health; violence and domestic abuse of women; mental health of women through the life cycle. In addition, the students will learn about prevalence and etiology of the main psychological disorders that affect women. Specific issues include, the adolescent female, adjustment to pregnancy, motherhood, infertility, menopause, adjusting to surgical conditions (mastectomy, hysterectomy), adjusting to abortion, miscarriage, still birth, the divorced woman, the unmarried / single woman, and women living in polygamous marriages.
Residency III (8083638) 3 credits
This is a clinical course that aims at increasing practical skills of those students who feel they did not have enough contact with clients in the community settings. However, this is an elective course for the “no thesis” students only. Nevertheless, any of the thesis track student can register for this course if he or she like. Those who register for this course need clinical supervision which should be provided by a qualified faculty member or preceptor from the clinical site.
Counseling victims of political violence (8083637) 2 crd.
Due to the current flamboyant political situation of the Palestinian society, there is a paramount need to prepare mental health experts to work with victims of war conditions and armed struggle. This course is designed to meet the needs of the professionals in this needed area. The students are exposed to theoretical material concerning the nations who suffered psychologically and socially due to continuous exposure to harassment, torture, rape, terrorism, imprisonment, and other forms of political victimization.