Behavioral Health Support (BHS)

BHS 101. Introduction to Behavioral Health Support. 3 Credit Hours.

Introduction to Behavioral Health Support will expose students to the programs and services offered by community mental health centers and other behavioral health facilities. Students will be introduced to trends in treatment, populations served, professional requirements, roles of the individual and family, and various settings within behavioral health care. (Credit is only allowed for either BHS 101 or BHS 200.)
Prerequisites: Reading Proficiency

BHS 102. Legal and Ethical Issues in Behavioral Health Support. 3 Credit Hours.

Legal and Ethical Issues in Behavioral Health Support examines laws and regulations in Missouri related to behavioral health. Topics include ethical standards, personal and professional boundaries, and common legal matters facing individuals with mental health issues. (Credit is only allowed for either BHS 102 or BHS 205.)
Prerequisites: Reading Proficiency

BHS 103. Systems of Care. 3 Credit Hours.

Systems of Care will introduce students to different systems in which their clients are involved. Topics will include the family, mental health, medical, other social service agencies, and schools. Students will understand the community support specialist's role in helping the client navigate those systems, including techniques for helping clients. (Credit is only allowed for either BHS 103 or BHS 210.)
Prerequisites: BHS 101 with a minimum grade of "C", a qualifying background check, successful admission into the program, and Reading Proficiency

BHS 104. Clinical Encounters I: Interviewing and Assessment. 3 Credit Hours.

Clinical Encounters I: Interviewing and Assessment will teach basic interviewing skills and expose students to various screenings and assessments to use with clients. Areas addressed are outreach, stages of change, how to build rapport, the recovery process, collaborative documentation, helping versus 'doing for', crisis intervention, transitions of care, and the diagnostic interview. (Credit is only allowed for either BHS 215 or BHS 104.)
Prerequisites: BHS 101 with a minimum grade of "C", a qualifying background check, successful admission into the program, and Reading Proficiency

BHS 105. Integrated Health. 3 Credit Hours.

Integrated Health exposes students to the kinds of chronic diseases and health care issues experienced by those within behavioral health settings. They will learn about signs and symptoms, best practices for management, challenges related to treatment of co-occurring conditions and chronic health issues. Topics related to overall client wellness and support worker self-care will also be covered. (Credit is only allowed for either BHS 105 or BHS 220.)
Prerequisites: BHS 101 with a minimum grade of "C" and Reading Proficiency

BHS 200. Introduction to Behavioral Health Support. 3 Credit Hours.

Introduction to Behavioral Health Support exposes students to the programs and services offered by community mental health centers and other behavioral health facilities. Students will be introduced to populations served, services provided, professional requirements, necessary skills, and various settings within behavioral health care. (Credit is only allowed for either BHS 101 or BHS 200.)
Prerequisites: Reading Proficiency

BHS 201. Clinical Encounters II: Crisis and Interventions. 3 Credit Hours.

Clinical Encounters II: Crisis and Interventions will help students understand basic crisis intervention, conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques. Course topics will include guardianship, involuntary detention, custody issues, and signs and symptoms of mental health diagnoses. Students will gain experience in documentation, assessment, screening tools and goal setting with clients. (Credit is only allowed for either BHS 230 or BHS 201.)
Prerequisites: BHS 104 with a minimum grade of "C" and Reading Proficiency

BHS 202. Behavioral Health Support Practicum I. 4 Credit Hours.

Behavioral Health Support Practicum I will give students the opportunity to gain practical experience and observation in a behavioral health setting, working with individuals, families, and communities. Students will learn the structure and function of a mental health provider and integrate theory and practice. Individual behavioral health settings may have additional requirements. See program Handbook for details. (Credit is only allowed for BHS 202 or BHS 250.)
Prerequisites: BHS 101, BHS 102, BHS 103, BHS 104 with minimum grades of "C", and Reading Proficiency

BHS 203. Evidence Based Treatment. 4 Credit Hours.

Evidence Based Treatment will expose future behavioral health support workers to commonly used mental health prevention and intervention approaches. Students will learn widely-used best practices including behavioral, supportive, talk-therapy and medication assisted treatments. (Credit is only allowed for BHS 260 or BHS 203.)
Prerequisites: BHS 201 with a minimum grade of "C" and Reading Proficiency

BHS 204. Behavioral Health Support Practicum II. 4 Credit Hours.

Behavioral Health Support Practicum II offers students continued applied experience in a behavioral health setting. Students will engage in supervised interactions working with individuals, families, and communities experiencing a variety of behavioral health issues. Individual behavioral health settings may have additional requirements. See program Handbook for details.(Credit is only allowed for either BHS 270 or BHS 204.)
Prerequisites: BHS 202 with a grade of 'C' or better, and Reading Proficiency

BHS 205. Legal and Ethical Issues in Behavioral Health Support. 3 Credit Hours.

Legal and Ethical Issues in Behavioral Health Support examines laws and regulations in Missouri related to behavioral health. Topics include ethical standards, personal and professional boundaries, and common legal matters facing individuals with mental health issues. (Credit is only allowed for either BHS 205 or BHS 102.)
Prerequisites: BHS 200 with a minimum grade of "C," successful admission into the Behavioral Health Support program, and Reading Proficiency

BHS 210. Systems of Care. 3 Credit Hours.

Systems of Care will introduce students to different systems in which their clients are involved. Topics will include the family, mental health, medical, other social service agencies, and schools. Students will examine the community support specialist's role in helping the client navigate those systems. (Credit is only allowed for either BHS 210 or BHS 103.)
Prerequisites: BHS 200 with a minimum grade of "C," successful admission into the Behavioral Health Support program, and Reading Proficiency

BHS 215. Clinical Encounters I: Interviewing and Assessment. 3 Credit Hours.

Clinical Encounters I: Interviewing and Assessment will teach interviewing skills and familiarize students with various screenings and assessments to use with clients. This class takes the student from assessment and individual treatment planning to service note completion. (Credit is only allowed for either BHS 215 or BHS 104.)
Prerequisites: BHS 200 with a minimum grade of "C," successful admission into the Behavioral Health Support program, and Reading Proficiency

BHS 220. Integrated Health. 3 Credit Hours.

Integrated Health exposes students to challenges related to treatment of co-occurring conditions, signs, symptoms, and best practices for management of chronic health issues. Topics related to overall client wellness, social determinants of health, and advocating within the healthcare system are also covered. (Credit is only allowed for either BHS 220 or BHS 105.)
Prerequisites: BHS 200 with a minimum grade of "C" and Reading Proficiency

BHS 225. Support for Youth and Families. 3 Credit Hours.

Support for Youth and Families examines relationships, dynamics, and troubled patterns within the family unit. Family and youth interventions, preventions, and techniques are addressed and the Community Support role in family intervention is explored. Topics include issues at school, behavior control, substance use, emotional disturbance, and intellectual and developmental disorders.
Prerequisites: BHS 200 with a minimum grade of "C" and Reading Proficiency

BHS 230. Clinical Encounters II: Crisis and Interventions. 3 Credit Hours.

Clinical Encounters II: Crisis and Interventions will familiarize students with conflict resolution, crisis intervention, de-escalation of highly charged situations and Trauma Informed Care (TIC). Students will gain experience in recognizing, assessing, and responding to a variety of crisis situations including safety planning and documentation of crisis services. (Credit is only allowed for either BHS 230 or BHS 201.)
Prerequisites: BHS 215 with a minimum grade of "C" and Reading Proficiency

BHS 250. Behavioral Health Support Practicum I. 3 Credit Hours.

Behavioral Health Support Practicum I affords students the opportunity to gain practical experience and observation in a behavioral health setting, working with individuals, families, and communities. Students learn the structure and function of a mental health provider and integrate theory and practice. Individual behavioral health settings may have additional requirements. (Credit is only allowed for BHS 250 or BHS 202.)
Prerequisites: BHS 215 with minimum grades of "C", and Reading Proficiency
Corequisites: BHS 251

BHS 251. Behavioral Health Support Seminar I. 1 Credit Hour.

Behavioral Health Support Seminar I offers students continued applied experience of a behavioral health setting. Students engage in supervised group work to integrate and process materials, theories, techniques, and experiences as they apply to working in mental health.
Prerequisites: BHS 215 with a minimum grade of "C" and Reading Proficiency
Corequisites: BHS 250

BHS 260. Evidence Based Treatment. 4 Credit Hours.

Evidence Based Treatment (EBT) will expose students to commonly used behavioral health prevention and intervention approaches with an emphasis on skills training. Students will learn evidence-based practices (EBP) including Trauma Informed care (TIC), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). (Credit is only allowed for BHS 260 or BHS 203.)
Prerequisites: BHS 230, BHS 250, and BHS 251 with minimum grades of "C" and Reading Proficiency

BHS 270. Behavioral Health Support Practicum II. 3 Credit Hours.

Behavioral Health Support Practicum II offers students continued applied experience in a behavioral health setting. Students engage in supervised interactions working with individuals, families, and communities experiencing a variety of behavioral health issues. Individual behavioral health settings may have additional requirements. (Credit is only allowed for either BHS 270 or BHS 204.)
Prerequisites: BHS 230, BHS 250, and BHS 251 with minimum grades of 'C' and Reading Proficiency
Corequisites: BHS 271

BHS 271. Behavioral Health Support Seminar II. 1 Credit Hour.

Behavioral Health Support Seminar II offers students continued applied experience in a behavioral health setting. Students engage in supervised group work to provide the opportunity to integrate and process materials, theories, techniques, and experiences as they apply to working in mental health.
Prerequisites: BHS 230, BHS 250, and BHS 251 with minimum grades of "C" and Reading Proficiency
Corequisites: BHS 270