The purpose of the Mental Health Enrichment curriculum is to increase the emphasis on mental health content in existing undergraduate curricula and to increase the pool of minorities who successfully compete in the job market and/or graduate school in mental health areas. The program is a collaborative project involving three state universities, Alcorn State University and Jackson State University with the technical assistance of the University of Southern Mississippi. The curriculum is designed to increase the students' competencies in five basic competency areas in the mental health field: Information, Intellectual, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and Intervention. In addition, the program provides for the development of personal growth skills and qualities that are amenable to successful work in the mental health field. Toward this end, the general goals of the program are:

1. To modify traditional courses to emphasize mental health topics and materials.
2. To use an integrated interdisciplinary course of study in recognition of the intellectual benefits that derive from courses which treat knowledge from allied fields simultaneously.
3. To utilize problem-centered educational techniques which join disciplines in attacking the problems and issues in mental health.
4. To integrate affective growth goals and skills with academic courses. The Mental Health Enrichment Program includes an eighteen (18) credit hour program covering four semesters. A three-month summer practicum is included to increase the practical application of classroom learning. Students will be awarded a certificate in mental health upon satisfactory completion of the program and degree requirements in an academic discipline.

The Mental Health Enrichment Curriculum Program is open to the following majors: Sociology/Social Work, Psychology, Health Science, and Recreation.

Undergraduate Mental Health Enrichment Curriculum Course Requirements

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS (Mental Health Concentration)

                                                  Semester
                                                     Hours
      SW 302 Basic Issues in Mental Health             3
      PH 471 Abnormal Psychology                       3
      SW 362 Interviewing Skills                       3
      PH 402 Community Mental Health Management        3
      SW 409 Mental Health Seminar                     3
      PH 320 Developmental Psychology                  3
      SS 473 Mental Health Practicum                   6
              or
      SW 473 Social WOrk Internship                    9
                                                      __ 
                             TOTAL                    24-27