Curriculum
Our curriculum is designed to help you specialize in psychiatry as a PA. With supervised clinical contact hours, a thorough didactic curriculum, and experienced faculty, you will be prepared to confidently practice in psychiatry.
Psychotherapy Practicum
During the two practicum courses, you will carry out supervised psychotherapy while engaging in full-time clinical practice for a total of 1000 hours over two semesters. You鈥檒l learn motivational interviewing and cognitive-behavior therapy from master practitioners, and increase your knowledge of psychotherapeutic methods and procedures. Our specialized instructors will provide instructive, evidence-based feedback that will increase your proficiency in clinical case formulation and expose you to therapeutic applications of cognitive-behavior therapy.
Psychiatry Diagnostics
Focus on the psychiatric interview for the accurate diagnosis of psychiatric conditions. Learn more about the ethical and legal issues associated with the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders. Dive into the diagnosis of neurodevelopmental, psychotic, trauma-related, eating, substance-related disorders and more.
Psychiatry Therapeutics
Learn how to implement comprehensive treatment plans for psychiatric conditions. Deepen your knowledge of psychiatric pharmacology, crisis intervention, and risk management. Broaden your knowledge of treatments for a wide range of psychiatric conditions.
Courses
Core Courses
Code
Course
Credits
PMH 710Advanced Neuroscience of Psychiatry3
This course provides a detailed review of the neuroscience model beginning with neuroanatomy and neurophysiology (cells, circuits, neurotransmitters, receptors and signaling the nucleus, genetics, and epigenetics) followed by an exploration of how these structures and processes are modulated (hormonal actions in the brain, plasticity during maturation and adult development, immunity/inflammation and bioelectric modulation) and finally how the neuroscience model contributes to our understanding of pain, pleasure, appetite, anger and aggression, sleep, sex, social attachment, memory, intelligence, attention, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.
Content will be delivered using the latest evidence-based asynchronous methods to a small group of dedicated learners from around the world in a virtual classroom environment. In addition to the course text, a variety of video presentations will be included, with weekly formative assignments that will engage learners in a self-directed review of the published literature, peer to peer learning through post and reply style academic writing on a scholarly forum, and brief quizzes to build confidence in the mastery of instructional content. Summative assignments will require each student to complete 24 learning activities qualifying for the Neuroscience Education Institute (NEI) Master Psychopharmacology Certificate and complete all 10 self-assessments for the NEI Master Psychopharmacology certificate.
PMH 720Psychiatry Diagnostics & Therapeutics I3
This course focuses on the psychiatric interview for the accurate diagnosis of psychiatric conditions and the implementation of comprehensive treatment plans. In addition to psychiatric pharmacology, crisis intervention and risk management will be reviewed. The course will also explore the ethical and legal issues associated with the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disorders. Neurodevelopmental, psychotic, mood, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, trauma-related, stressor-related, dissociative, and somatic disorders will be covered in this course.
Prerequisite: PMH 710
PMH 730Psychiatry Diagnostics & Therapeutics II3
This course is a continuation of the Psychiatry Diagnostics & Therapeutics course series, building upon the concepts that were explored in Psychiatry Diagnostics & Therapeutics I. The focus of this course will be feeding/eating disorders, sleep disorders, sexual and gender identity disorders, disruptive and impulse control disorders, substance use disorders, neurocognitive disorders, and personality disorders.
Prerequisites: PMH 710, PMH 720
PMH 790Psychotherapy Practicum I3
The focus of this course is Motivational Interviewing (MI) for advanced graduate-level students in assisting individuals, families and groups in achieving therapeutic goals. Learners will be provided with a comprehensive review of MI as a person-centered therapeutic modality, its clinical application to a wide range of behavioral and psychological conditions involving diverse clinical settings and populations across the life span. Learners will receive access to online therapy supervision asynchronously from a licensed mental health therapist while they complete 500 hours of clinical practice at their current location of employment. Learners will conduct systematic and continuous process and outcome measurements during their practical application of established psychotherapeutic methods and procedures. This course will include proctored case scenarios and real-time audio-visual patient/client interactions to promote mastery of the course material. Learners will receive instructive feedback through evidence-based clinical supervision models that include session recording, transcription, and analysis.
Prerequisite: PMH 710
PMH 795Psychotherapy Practicum II3
This course focuses on the gold-standard of contemporary psychotherapy practice, Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT), for advanced graduate students. Learners will be guided through a comprehensive review of CBT based on the theoretical models and strategies proposed by CBT pioneers, Aaron and Judith Beck. Learners will receive access to online therapy supervision asynchronously from a licensed mental health therapist while they complete 500 hours of clinical practice at their current location of employment. The learner will expand their proficiency in clinical case formulation and the therapeutic application of CBT in a variety of clinical settings with diverse populations (individuals/families and groups) across the lifespan. This course will incorporate clinical conceptualizations, reflective strategies, practice exercises, interactive videos, and case examples to stimulate learner skill acquisition, fostering needed social, cognitive, behavioral, and affective change in clients/patients. This course will include proctored case scenarios and real-time audio-visual client/patient interactions to promote mastery of the course material. Learners will receive instructive feedback through evidence-based clinical supervision models that include session recording, transcription, and analysis.
Prerequisite: PMH 790
Optional Courses
Code
Course
Credits
PMH 890*Advanced Psychotherapy Techniques I3
This course focuses on Medical Family Therapy (MedFT) and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) for advanced graduate-level students. Learners will develop MedFT skills to conceptualize patients from a family systems model and infuse interpersonal strategies and interventions into general psychotherapy practice and integrated care 芒鈧�� especially patients presenting with trauma syndromes and somatic-based illnesses. Additionally, learners will acquire knowledge and skills relative to SFBT to address patient needs without exploring the illness history and origin of problems. Competencies with this psychotherapy modality focus on practical application to many family-related situations, including children, pregnant and peripartum women, couples, parents treating family members of patients with serious illnesses, and families coping with suicide. Learners will concurrently engage in online supervision and consultation with faculty, colleagues, and peers.
Prerequisites: PMH 790 & PMH 795
PMH 895*Advanced Psychotherapy Techniques II3
This course focuses on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for advanced graduate-level students. Learners will obtain DBT skills to treat patients with personality disorders and interpersonal conflicts, mood disorders and suicidal ideation, post-traumatic stress and dissociative disorders, traumatic brain injuries, and changing behavioral patterns such as self-harm, substance use, and eating disorders. Additionally, learners will acquire ACT skills to promote psychological flexibility, including the following behavior-change strategies: reducing the tendency to reify thoughts, images, emotions, and memories; allowing unwanted thoughts, feelings, and urges to come and go without engaging in compulsive behaviors; and awareness of the present moment allowing them to experience greater openness, interest, and acceptance (mindfulness). Learners will concurrently engage in online supervision and consultation with faculty, colleagues, and peers.
Prerequisites: PMH 790 & PMH 795
*Course offering dependent on enrollments