What You'll Learn
Developed in coordination with UW and the Department of Health, Evergreen's Behavioral Health Support Specialist certificate program will prepare you with the knowledge and skills necessary for a Washington state BHSS certification*. This certification opens employment in behavioral health settings as well as brief behavioral health treatment and intervention. With our certificate program, you will advance your skills in human services and learn to work with vulnerable populations to develop an equitable, culturally responsive approach to mental health treatment. You'll learn from a range of experiences, including an internship placement in a behavioral health setting.
*The state certification requires a Bachelor's degree, internship, and Washington Department of Health exam.
You'll learn:
- Essential counseling and relationship skills
- Cultural responsiveness
- Team-based care
- Screening and assessment
- Targeted behavioral health interventions
- Ethics and law
- Care planning and coordination
- Health equity
Certificate Prerequisites
Abnormal Psychology - (4 credits) is a required prerequisite. This course is offered in Spring 2025.
Two of the following courses are also required. These can be fulfilled as co-requisites, taken at the same time as the certificate courses.
Introduction to Neuroscience - Fall Quarter, 4 credits*
Lifespan Development- Winter Quarter, 4 credits
Theories of Personality- Winter Quarter, 4 credits
*There are full-time programs such as Neurobiology, Behavior, and Consciousness: The Science and Study of the Mind(offered for 16-credits in Winter Quarter) that would equally satisfy this prerequisite.
Transfer students may satisfy prerequisites with courses offered at other institutions.
Email certificates@evergreen.edu if you have questions about these prerequisites.
Certificate Coursework
This certificate consists of 32 undergraduate credits. Some courses must be taken in sequence: The Helping Relationship must be completed before Integrative Behavioral Health and the Behavioral Health Internship can be taken.
Addiction and Treatment: Strengths Based Perspectives - FallorSpringQuarter, 4 credits
The Helping Relationship: Introduction to Counseling Theory, Skills and Ethics* - Fall Quarter, 8 credits
Integrative Behavioral Health: Assessment, Interventions and Case Management - Winter Quarter, 8 credits
Behavioral Health Support Specialist Internship-Fall,Winter,SpringQuarters, 12 credits (this course is taken over two or more quarters).
Learn more about courses in the Academic Catalog