- Description
- Objectives
- Outline
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- Certification
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Our Mental Health Technician Associate Program focuses on providing a solid background in working with mentally, developmentally, or emotionally impaired individuals. The Mental Health Technician Associate Program focuses on methods for providing assistance with living skills, health maintenance, and behavioral development. In addition, this program will help you as a healthcare professional understand HIV/AIDS better as well as the OSHA Guidelines.
Mental Health Technician
Mental health technicians work wherever people need support with mental or behavioral health. This Mental Health Technician course provides a comprehensive overview of the role of mental health technicians. We define various mental health conditions, explore a variety of therapies and treatments and what contributes to mental illness.
Prerequisite(s): None
Direct Support Professional
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities have existed in all cultures across history. However, it has only been since the mid-1800’s that people began using terms to describe and classify these individuals. Direct Support Professionals provide care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in a variety of settings. Our course examines the many components of human development through the life span, etiologies, various conditions and aspects of support and intervention that a Direct Support Professional can provide.
Prerequisite(s): None
** Course Subject to Change.
Mental Health Technician
After completing this course, you should be able to:
- Define mental health and the role and responsibilities of mental health technicians
- Recall ethics, laws and patient rights in a clinical setting
- Recognize aspects of therapeutic communication
- Differentiate between common mental health disorders
- Explain how to work with diverse populations
Direct Support Professional
After completing this course, you should be able to:
- Identify components of intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Recognize etiologies and conditions
- Recall aspects of human development
- Describe support and intervention techniques
- List aspects of health, lifestyles, and advocacy
Mental Health Technician
Mental Health Technician Module 1
Mental Health Technician Profession
- What is a Mental Health Technician
- The Care Team and Working Under Supervision
- History of Mental Health Care
- Deinstitutionalization and Its Effects
- The Continuum of Care
- Inpatient, Outpatient and Residential Settings
- Recovery Model
- How Services are Funded and Accessed
Mental Health Technician Module 2
Understanding Mental Health and Illness
- Mental Health vs. Mental Illness
- Mental Health Continuum
- What Contributes to Mental Illness
- Risk Factors and Protective Factors
- Stigma and Its Effects on Care
- Ethics and Values
- Confidentiality and HIPAA
- Patient Rights and Dignity
- Informed Consent and Right to Refuse
- Mandatory Reporting
- Scope of Practice
Mental Health Technician Module 3
Therapeutic Communication
- What Makes Communication “Therapeutic”
- Active Listening and Core Techniques
- Nonverbal Communication
- Barriers and Roadblocks to Avoid
- The Phrases of the Helping Relationship
- Boundaries, Transference and Countetransference
Mental Health Technician Module 4
Common Mental Health Disorders
- How Disorders Are Grouped
- Mood Disorders
- Depression and Bipolar Disorder
- Anxiety and Trauma-Related Disorders
- Psychotic Disorders – Schizophrenia
- Personality Disorders
Mental Health Technician Module 5
Observation, Documentation and Reporting
- Why Observations Matter
- Structured Behavioral Observation
- Mental Status
- Objective vs. Subjective Documentation
- How to Chart Well
- What and When to Report
Mental Health Technician Module 6
Safety, Crisis Prevention and De-escalation
- Building a Safe Environment
- Recognizing Escalation Early
- De-escalation
- Suicide and Self-Harm Awareness
- Aggression and Personal Safety
Mental Health Technician Module 7
Therapeutic Environment and Varying Populations
- Daily Living with Dignity
- Routines and Structure
- Activities and Group Support
- Creating a Healing, Safe, Recovery-Oriented Environment
- Children and Adolescents
- Older Adults and Cognitive Change
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- Trauma-Informed Care
Mental Health Technician Module 8
Substance Use, Co-occurring Disorders and Medication Support
- Substance Use Basics
- Co-occurring Disorders
- Recognizing Intoxication and Withdrawal
- Psychiatric Medication Groups
- Medication Support Role
- Professional and Teamwork
- Self-Care
**Outlines are subject to change, as courses and materials are updated.**
Direct Support Professional
Direct Support Professional Module 1
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- Should Disability Terms Be Used?
- Disability Terms in Today’s Context
- Historical Overview of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- Expansion of Disability as Difference
- Changing Perspectives
- Understanding Disabilities
- Social Model of Disability
- Trends and Issues
Direct Support Professional Module 2
Advocacy
- International Human Rights and Intellectual Disabilities
- Advocacy and Legal Considerations
- Models of Action
- Development of the Self-Advocacy Movement
- Self-Advocacy as a Social Movement
- Strategies to Promote Advocacy and Self-Advocacy
- Making Services More Effective Through Research and Evaluation
Direct Support Professional Module 3
Human Development
- Introduction to Early Development
- Stages of Development Before Birth
- Important Processes in Prenatal Development
- Complications
- Development After Birth
- Genetics, Genomics, Epigenetics
- Nervous System
- Brain Plasticity
Direct Support Professional Module 4
Etiology and Conditions
- Factors Causing or Contributing to Intellectual and Development Disabilities
- Biomedical Risk Factors
- Down Syndrome
- Fragile X Syndrome
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome
Direct Support Professional Module 5
Etiology and Conditions Part 2
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Diagnosis
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Challenges
- Cerebral Palsy
- Other Syndromes and Conditions
- Epilepsy
- Introduction to Behavior and Mental Health
Direct Support Professional Module 6
Support and Intervention
- Assessment, Diagnosis, Interventions, and Services
- Intellectual and Developmental Disability Service Systems and Service Approaches
- Roles, Skills, and Competencies of Direct Support Professionals
- Responding to Cultural and Linguistic Differences
- Defining Culture
- Behavioral Intervention
Direct Support Professional Module 7
Support and Intervention Part 2
- Challenging Families
- Challenging Service Systems
- Psychopharmacology
- History of Psychoactive Medication
- Speech, Language, and Communication Assessments and Interventions
- Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Direct Support Professional Module 8
Disabilities Through the Life Span
- Typical Milestones Achieved in the First 1,000 Days
- Factors Important for Development
- Early Intervention for Young Children
- Inclusive Early Education
- Maltreatment of Children with Developmental Disabilities
- Education for Students
- Transition from School to Adult Life
- Work and Employment for People with Disabilities
Direct Support Professional Module 9
Lifestyles and Support
- Lifestyles of Adults with Disabilities
- Historical Evolution of Policies and Services
- Providing Support that Enhances a Family’s Quality of Life
- Families as Dynamic Systems
- Sexuality
- Parenting by People with Disabilities
- Gender Issues
- Aging
Direct Support Professional Module 10
Health
- Ethics of Decision Making and Consent
- Supporting Moral Agency
- Physical Health
- Mental Health Needs
- Nutritional Considerations
- Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
- Future Trends and Advances
**Outlines are subject to change, as courses and materials are updated.**
Ed4Career is committed to being both environmentally conscious and making it easier for you to study! We’re making your education mobile! All of our textbooks are now provided as eTextbooks*. You can access them on your laptop, tablet, or mobile device and can study anytime, anywhere.
The move away from physical books to eTextbooks means you get the latest, most up-to-date version available. This also makes your training more accessible, so you can study anywhere you have your phone or tablet. The best part is that all materials are included in your training cost so there are NO extra fees for books!**
*A few courses still have physical materials.
Mental Health Technician
Upon successful completion of our Mental Health Technician course, students will be prepared for an entry-level position in a mental health setting and will be prepared to sit for the NCCB national certification exam to become a Certified Mental Health Technician (CMHT).
** Certification exams are not included in the cost of the course.**
Internet Connection
- Broadband or High-Speed - DSL, Cable, and Wireless Connections
*Dial-Up internet connections will result in a diminished online experience. Classroom pages may load slowly and viewing large audio and video files may not be possible.
Hardware Requirements
- Processor - 2GHz Processor or Higher
- Memory - 1 GB RAM Minimum Recommended
PC Software Requirements
- Operating Systems - Windows 7 or higher
- Microsoft Office 2013 or higher. Also, you could use a general Word Processing application to save and open Microsoft Office formats (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx)
- Internet Browsers - Google Chrome is highly recommended
- Cookies MUST be enabled
- Pop-ups MUST be allowed (Pop-up Blocker disabled)
- The Kindle Reader App or VitalSource Bookshelf App are needed for many of our courses (No special equipment needed. This can be downloaded for FREE onto your computer.)
- PowerPoint Viewer (if you do not have PowerPoint)
- Adobe PDF Reader
- QuickTime, Windows Media Player &/or Real Player
MAC Software Requirements
- Operating Systems - Mac OS x 10 or higher with Windows
- Mac office programs or a Word Processing application to save and open Microsoft Office formats (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx)
- Internet Browsers- Google Chrome is highly recommended
- Cookies MUST be enabled
- Pop-ups MUST be allowed (Pop-up Blocker disabled)
- The Kindle Reader App or VitalSource Bookshelf App are needed for many of our courses (No special equipment needed. This can be downloaded for FREE onto your computer.)
- PowerPoint Viewer (if you do not have PowerPoint)
- Adobe PDF Reader
- Apple QuickTime Media Player
