Mental Health, Social Service, and Addiction Counseling - Program Details

Professionals in Mental Health, Social Service, and Addiction Counseling serve a critical public need helping children, families, adults, and seniors. Through this program you can start a meaningful career as a social worker, addiction counselor, corrections worker, youth mentor, case manager, and more.

Degrees and Certificate Options to Start Your Education

Whether you are looking for a path to an immediate career, or want to continue on to a four-year degree after Mt. Hood Community College, MHCC has the program for you.

Mental Health, Social Service, and Addiction Counseling Degree: This program earns you an Associate of Applied Science degree. It is designed to help you enter the workforce immediately. However, 89 percent of MHCC students completing this program transfer to a four-year college to earn a bachelor’s degree.

Behavioral Health Care Specialist Certificate: This certificate is designed to help you get entry-level jobs in behavioral health. Courses teach you the basic knowledge of counseling, case management, professional practice, diagnosis, and treatment. This certificate is a great way to gain skills quickly to join the workforce before continuing on to finish your associate degree.

Youth Worker Certificate: The Youth Worker program is designed to teach you everything you need to know for entry-level work with at-risk youth. Youth workers provide support, outreach, interventions, and conflict resolution to children and young adults.

Program Outcomes

After completing this program you'll be able to:

• Demonstrate the values and ethics that are intrinsic to the social service profession.
• Demonstrate professional interviewing skills.
• Demonstrate writing skills appropriate to clinical documentation.
• Identify resources for clients within agencies and communities.
• Describe the role of culture and diversity in social service and counseling.
• Describe the role of neurochemistry in the addiction process.

Courses and Curriculum

Your classes will include topics like counseling, case management, diagnosis, and treatment. You must complete all core courses and cooperative education internships within five years of starting the program.

Your Future in Service of Others

Future careers in this field include substance abuse counselor, social services assistant, mental health worker, and more.

See Job Placement Opportunities