This program offers a sequence of courses that provides coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare for further education and careers in the Health Science career cluster; provides technical skill proficiency, and includes competency-based applied learning that contributes to the academic knowledge, higher-order reasoning and problem-solving skills, work attitudes, general employability skills, technical skills, and occupation-specific skills, and knowledge of all aspects of Health Science career cluster.

The purpose of this program is to prepare students for employment as mental health technicians, psychiatric aides or psychiatric technicians, mental health technicians and nursing assistants.  Additional certification and licensure opportunities (i.e., Certified Recovery Peer Specialist, Certified Community Health Worker and Certified Behavioral Health Technician) are noted at the end of the document under Special Notes.

The content includes but is not limited to nursing assistant skills, physical assessment, patient teaching and education, wellness and disease concepts, HIV/AIDS, growth and development, mental illness, anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, psychosis, personality disorders, emergency and crisis intervention, Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia, intellectual developmental disabilities, substance abuse, group therapy, stress management, employability skills, safety and security issues, legal and ethical, therapeutic communication, documentation, clinical skills including hygiene, vital signs and CPR.

LICENSURE/CERTIFICATION/OTHER:

Certified Mental Health Technician (CMHT)