Overview
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Introduction to Human Services
As America’s sensitivity to the needs of all its citizens matures, the demand for professionally trained, human service professionals continues to increase. The Human Services Degree and Certificate programs were developed by MCC and area service providers to meet that demand. The program provides students with the skills and competencies necessary to offer appropriate care and support to clients and to continue to grow personally and professionally. Graduates work in the areas of developmental disabilities, mental health, child and family services, homelessness, acquired brain injury, and others, including the spectrum of services for substance use disorders – from prevention, through intervention, treatment and recovery.
Health, Character and Technical Standards
MCC must ensure that patients/clients are not placed in jeopardy by students during learning experiences. Therefore, students in internships, service learning, and clinical experiences must demonstrate sufficient emotional stability to withstand the stresses, uncertainties, and changing circumstances that characterize patient/client care responsibilities. Furthermore, the student is expected to have the emotional stability required to exercise sound judgment, accept direction and guidance from a supervisor or faculty member, and establish rapport and maintain sensitive interpersonal relationships with employees, other related service providers, and patients/clients and their families.
Character Expectations
Human Services students work closely with individuals of all ages in the field. Most internship sites and potential employers will perform background checks through the NH Department of Safety as well as police and potential FBI checks. A student’s driving record will also be examined and considered prior to acceptance of some internship and employment opportunities. The student may be called upon to pay for these background checks.
Applicants who have been in difficulty with the law, depending upon the nature of the problem, may not be employable or even eligible for internships. Applicants need to discuss these issues in an interview or meeting, so that future goals will not be compromised.
Sobriety Statement
MCC’s Human Services programs follow the accepted national standard that recommends a minimum of two full years of sobriety for any prospective trainee in the field of alcohol and other drug use services.
Health Considerations
Most internship sites and potential employers will also require physical health examinations, including TB testing. The student may be called upon to pay for these health examinations and/or testing.
Course Sequencing
Degree Program – First Year
Degree Program – Second Year
Technical Standards
Technical Standards are guidance tools to inform applicants of skills and standards necessary for successful completion of Human Services programs. Any applicant with concerns or questions is encouraged to contact the Department Chair to discuss their individual issues. Students in the Human Services programs must be able to:
- Demonstrate sufficient verbal skills and language to collaborate with a wide variety of professionals in clinical, societal and professional areas
- Demonstrate necessary skills to deliver accurate and required information and to search for information
- Formulate written assessment, charting notes, and reports, etc.
- Concentrate on the execution of treatment plans, assigned skills and tasks, as well as the integration and communication of this work for both short and long term periods of time
- Work in settings that may lend themselves to frequent interruptions, immediate crisis response, and role responsibility exchange
- Cope with a variety of stressors, including people-place occurrences, and demonstrate safe and required care for individuals and the workplace as a whole
- Secure transportation to internship sites and classes
- Demonstrate and maintain organizational skills, time management, and professional respect and conduct as a human services student, either at an internship site or in the community
In addition to the standards above, students should be prepared to adhere to professional ethics that include, but are not limited to:
- Maintaining confidentiality
- Recognition and maintenance of professional boundaries
- Adherence to the legal and site placement policies and procedures
- The ability to follow directions and accept supervision
The inability to demonstrate all of the above may cause a student to be refused admittance to the program or to be dismissed from the program. If students are concerned regarding their status, they should meet with their academic advisor.
Human Services Degree
Students must take a minimum of three (3) 200 level Human Services courses at MCC to meet residency requirements.
HSV Technical Elective – Choose from: HSV205M, HSV206M, HSV208M, HSV210M, HSV213M, PSYC215M, or PSYC217M
PLEASE NOTE – Students may earn only ONE (1) Human Services certificate in this program and are encouraged to then continue on to the Human Services Degree Program.
Direct Support Services Certificate
The Direct Support Services Certificate will provide the basic educational background and a general exposure to the Human Services system for someone to work as an entry level employee within the field. This certificate would be beneficial to people desiring to work with the developmentally disabled, mental health, veteran or elderly populations, as well as with child and family services. The coursework is intended to help develop the student for work as a general direct support services worker within the field of Human Services.
Outcomes
The Direct Support Services Certificate will provide students with the education, skills and competencies for working one on one or with small groups of clients within various Human Services agencies. This education will better enable an individual to be hired within the field as an entry level worker in a variety of subfields such as developmental disabilities, mental health, child and family services, etc.
The certificate is for those who are not yet in the field or those working in the field without any formal education in Human Services.
Mental Health Support Worker Certificate
The Mental Health Support Worker Certificate will provide the educational background and a general exposure to the Human Services system for someone to work in the mental/behavioral health field, more specifically, in the realm of providing support to individuals with mental health disorders. This specific area of human services is in need of trained workers at all levels. The coursework is intended to help develop the student for work as a trained paraprofessional in the field of mental/behavioral health. There is no current certification for a mental health support worker, but the curriculum would give a student the educational background should one be established.
Outcomes
An employee with this certificate would be able to work at entry level positions within agencies that service individuals diagnosed with mental health disorders. Jobs could include mental/behavioral health technicians and mental/behavioral health aids, intake counselors, etc.
The certificate is for those who are not yet in the field or those working in the field with an interest in training in mental health. This would also be a useful certificate for those working in related fields, such as nursing, or for people with shared experience with mental illness.
Recovery Support Certificate
The Recovery Support Worker Certificate will provide students with the education, skills and competencies necessary for working with individuals in recovery from substance use disorders. This specific area of human services is having a resurgence due to societal concerns over the recent opiate/heroin epidemic in New Hampshire and the rest of the country. This education will better enable an individual to be hired within the field in order to gain the required hours of experience necessary for application to become a Certified Recovery Support Worker (CRSW) through the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) as endorsed by the State of New Hampshire.
Outcomes
Currently there is a need for Certified Recovery Support Workers, a national certification offered by the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC). An employee with this certification would be able to work for any agency that contracts for state funding for recovery services, grass roots organizations and private organizations. Jobs could include recovery support worker/recovery coaches at area agencies and coalitions that offer the spectrum of services related to substance misuse.
The certificate is for those who are not yet in the field or those working in the field with an interest in training in substance use disorders. This would also be a useful certificate for those working in related fields, such as nursing, or for people with shared experience with substance use disorders.
Substance Misuse Prevention Certificate
The Substance Misuse Prevention Certificate will provide the educational background and a general exposure to the Human Services system for someone to work in the substance abuse field, more specifically, in the realm of substance abuse prevention. This specific area of human services is having a resurgence due to societal concerns over the recent opiate/heroin epidemic in New Hampshire and the rest of the country. The coursework is intended to help develop the student for work as a professional in the field of prevention. After acquiring field experience, the student would be better prepared to become a Certified Prevention Specialist (CPS) through the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) as endorsed by the State of New Hampshire.
Outcomes
The Substance Abuse Prevention Certificate will provide students with the education, skills and competencies for assessing, planning and implementing substance abuse prevention education, awareness, and activities within a school, agency and/or community. This education will better enable an individual to be hired within the field in order to gain the required hours of experience necessary for application to become a Certified Prevention Specialist (CPS) through the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) as endorsed by the State of New Hampshire.
Currently there is a huge workforce deficit of Certified Prevention Specialists (CPS), a national certification offered by the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC). An employee with this certification is required (within one year) of any agency who contracts for state funding for prevention services. Currently there are over 50 schools, agencies and communities within 13 regional public health networks who contract with the state for such funding and these contractors are finding it difficult to hire people with the proper credentials. Jobs could include student assistance professionals (SAPs) within school districts, community coalition workers, grants writer/coordinators, family services specialists, mental health service workers, youth counselors, youth diversion workers, etc.
The certificate is for those who are not yet in the field or those working in the field with an interest in prevention. This would also be a useful certificate for those working in related fields, such as nursing and guidance counseling.
Academics
of MCC classes have 19 or fewer students.
