Behavioral Health

Catalog description

This course will focus on an introduction to theory and concepts of behavioral health nursing. Emphasis is on the use of self in relationships with mental health consumers. The importance of the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship will provide the framework for exploring the factors, which contribute to stress, maladaptive behavior, and mental illness. Care will be delivered based on psychiatric standards of nursing practice. The student will then explore the role of the behavioral health nurse working collaboratively with the community as part of an interdisciplinary team. An introduction to conceptual frameworks that focus on behavioral health care is included in both the classroom and clinical portions of the course. Selected inpatient mental health settings will be utilized for clinical practice.