MHR 310 - Counseling Diverse Populations

This counseling course is designed to help the student acquire the skills necessary to become a culturally competent mental health or social service practitioner, that is, someone who is sensitive to cultural differences and to their impact on human interactions. The course is based on the fundamental premise that cultural competence is an ongoing and multi-layered process working at personal, interpersonal, and organization-wide levels. Topics to be addressed include skills to increase cultural awareness and understanding skills to foster effective interpersonal communication and organizational change strategies. Studies will learn to identify and understand culture as it operates on different social levels (class, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation). Students will also learn to identify the barriers to effective communication and positive relationships including how culture may be a barrier.

General Education Requirements:

Prerequisites: MHR 200 and MHR 205 or permission of instructor

Course Typically Offered: Alternate Years

Credits: 3