PSYC 718 Theories & Research in Behavioral Health

In this course, students explore behavioral health and how management within behavioral healthcare is similar and different from healthcare management in general. Furthermore, how to apply theories of leadership to behavioral health is examined.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

The purpose of this course is to equip the student with a solid theoretical basis from which to understand behavioral healthcare and its management. This course will assist the student in exploring current theories, practices, and trends relating to behavioral healthcare. The student will survey key topics and practices in behavioral healthcare with a focus on understanding what is currently known in the field. 

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. Each thread must be 300 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. The student must support his/her assertions with at least 2 peer-reviewed sources and Scripture. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be 150 words and be supported by at least 1 academic source and Scripture. All citations must be in current APA format. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E)

Behavioral Healthcare Plan Assignments (4)

The student will write a comprehensive behavioral healthcare plan incrementally in four parts. The student will have the opportunity to explore the process of developing a business plan for a behavioral healthcare organization start-up. In Part 1, the student will consider the type of organization they would like to develop. In Part 2, the student will consider how the organization will be set up and managed. In Part 3, the student will consider how the organization will be marketed and engage in financial planning. In the final submission, all previous parts will be combined into one fluid document with an Executive Summary. Scholarly source support and scriptural integration will be included in each part of the plan. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E)

Funding Exploration Assignment

The student will create a concept map based on student research about the funding process. The concept map will depict the student’s research as to various types of funding available in the field of behavioral healthcare, sources of those types of funding, and how to secure funding. The student will submit a PDF file of a handwritten draft showing the beginning of his/her original research and then a finalized, computer-generated concept map submitted as a PDF file. The student will also submit a reference list of sources utilized to create the concept map, presented in current APA format. (CLO: A, B, C, D)

Online Scavenger Hunt Assignment

The student will engage in an online scavenger hunt to inspect the websites for behavioral healthcare organizations. This scavenger hunt will enable the student to examine how other organizations present themselves as a company and how well the student feels the companies are reaching their intended audience with the information they provide on the website. The student will complete a template to relay the information he/she gleaned from the online scavenger hunt. Responses in the Strengths column and the Weaknesses column in the template should be 50 to 75 words for each organization in either bullet point or paragraph format. (CLO: A, B, C, D)