A Public Health Approach to Behavioral Health

Catalog description

This course is designed to focus on the public health issue of behavioral health, with a focus on mental health and its relation to substance use. The course will apply public health approaches beyond individual clinical treatment to take a population level approach to behavioral health. In addition to learning the prevalence and impact of behavioral health conditions, this course will also look at: the historical impact of mental health policy, including the Community Mental Health Services Act of 1963, on behavioral health services and public health issues like homelessness; strategies to address behavioral health taking a public health approach, e.g., widespread universal screening, community activation, community level interventions, and health promotion in addition to prevention; and local examples of community level interventions to address behavioral health including Mural Arts' Porch Light Program, a partnership with the City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health.