Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Continuing Education
Credential Earned: College Certificate (1 Year)
Campus: Distance
Program Length: Flexible

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Program Codes
A219 (OL)

Transform caring into critical support.

Northern’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health certificate will allow you to empower the youth in your care and help them transcend their challenges. Complete this one-year program at your own pace. And along the way, you will gain an understanding of common emotional and psychological issues, including autism. You will also develop an appreciation for the broader impact that poverty, discrimination, addiction, and violence have on individuals – and society as a whole.

Working through case studies that promote self-care and cultural sensitivity, you will learn how to establish a strong foundation of trust and acceptance. You will also hone effective strategies for crisis intervention and conflict management. Finally, you will master critical techniques for working alongside parents and community agencies to achieve optimal outcomes. Individuals interested in studying part-time can be accommodated. Please contact the program assistant for more information about accommodations.

  • Students may register and take individual courses without meeting all program admission requirements if you do not plan to achieve the Ontario College Certificate.
  • In order to achieve the certificate students must have been accepted through OCAS prior to completing 50% of the courses.
  • Once registered into the program, students have five years to complete the program. Only courses taken within the five-year period may be applied towards the program certificate.

Course Costs

Costs vary by individual course. Please see Course Descriptions for more information.

Admission Requirements

You are able to register and take individual courses without meeting all admission requirement if you do not plan to achieve the Ontario College Certificate. To earn the full post-secondary certificate for Child and Adolescent Mental Health you must have the following requirements:

  • Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) with Grade 12 English (C, U) or equivalent.
  • Or mature student status (an applicant who does not have a high school diploma or equivalent, and will have reached the age of 19 years on or before the start of the program).

Option 1 Mature students can choose to undergo academic testing prior to admission into a program. Call the Admissions Office at 705-235-7222 for more details. Academic prerequisites for this program may be obtained free of charge through Academic Upgrading.

Option 2 Mature students may choose to successfully complete the Child and Adolescent Mental Health CM1903-Communications with a minimum grade of 60% or higher. Please Note: Computer proficiency is highly recommended.


Contact Information
Lori Vachon, Program Coordinator/Faculty
vachonl@northern.on.ca
Phone: 705-235-3211 ext. 2141

Courses

Course Information
Domestic $367.48
International $859.30

Plus required textbook to be ordered at www.textnet.ca

Course Description

Students will learn about the neurodevelopmental and behavioural aspects of people with autism spectrum disorder, previously labelled as five different syndromes under the autism spectrum disorder umbrella. Students will learn about the causes, symptoms, diagnostics tools, research-based interventions, and will cover autism spectrum disorder from birth to adulthood.

Course Information
Domestic $386.35
International $913.30

Plus required textbook to be ordered at www.textnet.ca

Course Description

Building Family Supports is designed to introduce the students to the philosophy and practice of successfully engaging and working with families within a collaborative team approach. The intent is to assist family members to achieve optimal positive outcomes through partnerships and trust. This course will introduce students to the myriad of service options and service coordination responsibilities involved in delivering human services to families in Ontario. Its purpose is to demystify practices such as accessing services, making referrals, treatment planning, case management and case conferencing as they apply to families. The student will explore several case studies in case conference services to illustrate each of the central tenets of the approach: A practice of unconditional care, A focus on individual strengths, A family-driven, family-strengths-focused process, an individualized approach, an emphasis on serving families within their communities, A commitment to culturally competent care, An emphasis on interagency collaboration, A net result of cost-effectiveness, and an outcome-driven process.

Course Information
Domestic $367.48
International $859.30

Plus required textbook to be ordered at www.textnet.ca

Course Description

In this course, students will develop their application of contemporary English grammar standards and organizational writing patterns, which together create a strong foundation for organizing and writing tasks in subsequent communications courses.

Course Information
Domestic $386.35
International $913.30

Plus required textbook to be ordered at www.textnet.ca

Course Description

This course educates students about drug and alcohol use and the abuse of various substances in the body and how it affects ones Behaviour. An introduction to the science of Pharmacology is included and students will study a number of drugs such as: alcohol, nicotine, prescription drugs, hallucinogens, cocaine, narcotics and marijuana, inhalants and steroids. They will also examine concepts of clinical practice and program design and learn how and when to apply them.

Course Information
Domestic $386.35
International $913.30

Plus required textbook to be ordered at www.textnet.ca

Course Description

This course is intended to teach students how to effectively respond to clients who are exposed to stress and uncertainty within a helping profession. In this highly interactive course, participants will study effective strategies and techniques for the management of conflicts and communications in stressful situations. Best practices in care-giving situations will be studies along with the impact of personal values, intuitional settings, and other factors on dysfunctional behaviour. Self care and self-evaluation of the care giver is emphasized.

Course Information
Domestic $386.35
International $913.30

Plus required textbook to be ordered at www.textnet.ca

Course Description

Students will examine the interconnectedness of family relationships and their effect on common abnormal psychiatric disorders in the infant, child and adolescent populations. This course will review the developmental stages, familial structures and family functions through the lens of family systems theory. Students will also explore the environmental effects and their influences on the family as a dynamic entity.

Course Information
Domestic $386.35
International $913.30

Plus required textbook to be ordered at www.textnet.ca

Course Description

Many social problems have unfortunately withstood the test of time, continuing to threaten the health and well-being of Canadian Families and their children. Poverty, discrimination, family violence, addiction and crime are all serious social problems which affect quality of life of our children, families, communities and even society as a whole. This course will not only assist students in recognizing and understanding social problems but also encourage them to view these social problems in a theoretical and critical manner. Students will be challenged to recognize the multifaceted and broader impact of social problems and consider their own personal and professional duty to recognize when a child’s identified problems are potentially caused or exacerbated by one or more of these social problems. Students will gain a theoretical understanding of the paradigms which define social problems. They will learn to assess the impact of various social problems and consider appropriate ways of intervening in both the micro and mezzo systems. Students will learn to assess, identify, advocate for, and intervene with children who are impacted or at risk of being impacted by social problems. Student will further explore their role and reflect upon their skills for intervening in the lives of children who are impacted or at risk of being impacted by these social problems. They will explore the application systematic methods for assisting those who are impacted by social problems ranging from. Much of the course discussions will focus on understanding the impacts of social problems and empowering children and families affected by these social problems with helpful strategies for dealing with and overcoming their impacts. Students are encouraged to consider personal experiences as they explore and react to the worlds social problems. This will lead to a greater understanding of the concepts and assess how their own experiences and beliefs affect their practices in human services.

Course Information
Domestic $386.35
International $913.30

Plus required textbook to be ordered at www.textnet.ca

Course Description

Students will explore and examine the many layers of diversity that surround individuals and identifiable groups in society and they will see how these many layers contribute to a rich, diverse Canadian cultural landscape. As part of this examination, students will have the opportunity to reflect on their personal attitudes, assumptions and views toward diverse population groups. As a brief introduction, students will begin developing their understanding of diversity by identifying, discussing, and defining core terminology like privilege, cultural competence, and cultural safety, Students will enhance their knowledge and understanding of diversity by looking at origins of differences among various population groups in Canada and by looking at society’s attitudes associated with Canadian Regionalism, demographic trends, First Nations peoples, immigration, and various other established minority groups. Also, learners will become aware of government policies and influence on certain segments of Canadian society and its role in dealing with social inequalities. Finally, students will look at and reflect on the media’s role in perpetuating stereotypes and swaying personal views of diversity in Canada.

Course Information
Domestic $386.35
International $913.30

Plus required textbook to be ordered at www.textnet.ca

Course Description

This course will introduce students to the basics of the helping process. Its purpose is to demystify the process and provide students with a framework as well as the basic skills for helping. The focus will be on understanding the foundation and values inherent in helping and developing the skills to empower children, youth and families through difficult times. Topics covered include the relationship building, interviewing skills and activity programming.

The Capstone Consolidation course is the final course for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Certificate Program. The course is designed to allow students to demonstrate the knowledge they have attained throughout the program. The course consists of three (3) project options of which student must complete one (1). Each project option requires a high base level of knowledge in the field of child and adolescent metal health and represents a significant amount of work. At the completion of the project, students should demonstrate a mastery of the requisite knowledge and a high level of competency in terms of the content and presentation of the project.

Course Information
Domestic $367.48
International $859.30

Plus required textbook to be ordered at www.textnet.ca

Course Description

Using a developmental psychology lens this course focuses on providing students with an opportunity to improve understanding of self. Through personal reflection students will examine the human lifespan from conception and prenatal development through old age and death. Students will gain understanding and perspective of their development across physical, cognitive, social and personality contexts. Examination of fundamental theories, historical arguments/perspectives and current issues provide opportunity for critical thinking and application of influences to one’s development within the student’s life.

Course Information
Domestic $386.35
International $913.30

Plus required textbook to be ordered at www.textnet.ca

Course Description

To understand complicated mental health disorders common to infant, child and adolescents, students will review a variety of abnormal cognitive and behavioural disorders. This course will emphasize an understanding of the behaviours and the daily effects and challenges on the mental health of the infant, child, and adolescent population.

Course Information
Domestic $386.35
International $913.30

Textbook: Highly recommended but not mandatory: Therapeutic Games and Guided Imagery Volume II: Tools for Professionals Working with Children and Adolescents with Specific Needs and in Multicultural Settings available at www.textnet.ca

Course Description

Students will apply prevention and intervention strategies to appropriately respond to stressful situations in the infant, child and adolescent population. The focus of this course is on the effective application of communication, critical thinking and problem solving skills in a variety of situations.

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