Therapeutic Relationships in Mental Health
Curriculum guideline
Lecture: 60 hours
and
Lab: 15 hours
In this course, students engage in a variety of learning activities such as lecture, group work, case studies, and team-based exercises.
• Self-awareness concepts:
o Values clarification
o Johari window
o Therapeutic use of self to promote client’s growth
o Boundaries and limit-setting
• Therapeutic relationships:
o Types, phases, and strategies
o Rogerian approach to develop caring therapeutic relationships based on the development of trust with individuals experiencing mental health challenges
• Trauma informed practices
• Therapeutic communication skills:
o Listening and attending skills
o Nonverbal communication and proxemics
o S.O.L.E.R.
o Empathy, warmth, respect, and genuineness
o Caring confrontation and immediacy
• Client focused problem-solving, interventions, and development of action plans
• Conflict resolution:
o Identifying resistance
o Cycle of violence, and how/when to intervene on the continuum of violence
o Strategies to manage difficult situations
• Stress management techniques
• Risk assessment and interventions
• Assessment and communication skills for various categories of mental health and substance use disorders
• Empowerment and misuse of power
o Strategies to manage difficult situations: Diffusing, De-escalating, Debriefing
• Concepts of Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD)
• Motivational interviewing skills
• Application of interviewing and communication skills through structured lab interactions with “clientsâ€
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Understand the importance of the therapeutic use of self during interactions with individuals experiencing mental health challenges;
- Understand the types, phases, and implementation strategies for developing therapeutic relationships;
- Demonstrate trauma informed approach in client interactions;
- Demonstrate client-centered communication skills of active listening, attending, empathy, warmth, respect, genuineness, and beginning skills of caring confrontation and immediacy;
- Understand the problem-solving process in working with a client and/or multidisciplinary team;
- Understand the concepts and skills of conflict resolution;
- Demonstrate an understanding of stress management;
- Demonstrate the theory and application of conducting a risk assessment;
- Demonstrate the various communication skills associated with the various categories of mental health and substance use disorders;
- Understand the concepts of power and empowerment and their effects on therapeutic relationships;
- Identify escalating behaviours and strategies to diffuse, de-escalate, and debrief;
- Demonstrate basic motivational interviewing skills.
Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the swagÂé¶¹ Evaluation Policy. An evaluation schedule is presented at the beginning of the course.
This course is a graded course, not a mastery course.
Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required textbooks and materials will be provided for students at the beginning of the semester.
Students in the MHSU program are required to maintain a passing grade of 65% (C+) in all courses to progress in the program.