Psychology & Brain Sciences 391CS - S-Case Studies in Helping
Spring
2015
01
3.00
Marian MacDonald
M W F 11:15AM 12:05PM
UMass Amherst
17813
This course is designed to enhance students' development as effective helping professionals. Class time will involve in-depth analyses of the work each student is doing in a concurrent community placement. Students will be expected to present regularly, and to actively participate in discussions of what elements characterize effective clinical work.
Open to Senior and Junior Psychology majors only. Pre Req: PSYCH 241 & 380 Students must be concurrently enrolled in a community practicum (internship), either Psych 398F or UMass 298Y, of at least 3 credits, to be sponsored by this course's instructor. This class may open to juniors later in the registration period if space permits.
PSYCH 391CS, Case Studies in Helping, is a small seminar in which students discuss the work they are actually doing in a community setting.
How can I become eligible for this class?
Each student taking PSY 391CS must also be taking either PSY 398F or UMass298Y for 3 pass ? fail credits. PSY 398F and UMass 298Y are practicum (internship) courses, and for this course, will involve working for 9 hours a week providing direct services to patients in a community mental health agency, under the supervision of paid staff at the agency. Agencies offering practica have day and residential programs for mentally ill adults, adolescents, and children. Students must obtain a practicum placement by applying to the Agency directly. Recommended sites are available from the instructor of PSYCH 391CS (see email address below).
What happens during class?
The class is designed to enrich the learning that takes place in the practicum by placing that experience in a larger context. The class covers several overarching topics including:
- the history of human services in America
- the contemporary structure and politics of human services in America
- the human services workforce - the Helping Professions
- What's Legal? Balancing Patient Rights and Societal Safety
- What's Right? Ethics in the Helping Professions
Each student also completes several site ? specific projects which are then shared with the class and the agency staff. These projects include:
- Completing a Functional Analysis of Behavior on one patient?s target behavior
- Interviewing two staff members about their career trajectories
- Preparing a complete case history of one patient
- Researching each of the predominant diagnostic categories represented in the site
- Researching each of the drugs prescribed to the patients in the site
- Making a presentation to the Agency staff on a topic selected by the staff
- Interviewing the Agency Director about their organizational history and structure and treatment philosophy
If you are interested in taking this class, please email Prof. Marian L. MacDonald (macdonal@psych.umass.edu) for more information.
PSYCH 391CS, Case Studies in Helping, is a small seminar in which students discuss the work they are actually doing in a community setting.
How can I become eligible for this class?
Each student taking PSY 391CS must also be taking either PSY 398F or UMass298Y for 3 pass ? fail credits. PSY 398F and UMass 298Y are practicum (internship) courses, and for this course, will involve working for 9 hours a week providing direct services to patients in a community mental health agency, under the supervision of paid staff at the agency. Agencies offering practica have day and residential programs for mentally ill adults, adolescents, and children. Students must obtain a practicum placement by applying to the Agency directly. Recommended sites are available from the instructor of PSYCH 391CS (see email address below).
What happens during class?
The class is designed to enrich the learning that takes place in the practicum by placing that experience in a larger context. The class covers several overarching topics including:
- the history of human services in America
- the contemporary structure and politics of human services in America
- the human services workforce - the Helping Professions
- What's Legal? Balancing Patient Rights and Societal Safety
- What's Right? Ethics in the Helping Professions
Each student also completes several site ? specific projects which are then shared with the class and the agency staff. These projects include:
- Completing a Functional Analysis of Behavior on one patient?s target behavior
- Interviewing two staff members about their career trajectories
- Preparing a complete case history of one patient
- Researching each of the predominant diagnostic categories represented in the site
- Researching each of the drugs prescribed to the patients in the site
- Making a presentation to the Agency staff on a topic selected by the staff
- Interviewing the Agency Director about their organizational history and structure and treatment philosophy
If you are interested in taking this class, please email Prof. Marian L. MacDonald (macdonal@psych.umass.edu) for more information.