NPC’s behavioral health program prepares students to work directly in areas of mental health treatment, early childhood mental health, developmental disabilities, behavioral training programs, substance abuse treatment, and community education. Students learn how to work in a care-team facilitating behavioral health treatment, among other skills related to assessment, treatment planning, psychoeducation, case management, and cultural competence. Students will also be required to take courses related to self-care, stress resiliency, and crisis management to increase their ability to successfully navigate the specific challenges of this field.
Certification opportunities from state and third-party organizations will be available at the CAS level. The AAS level also prepares students for certain occupational standards that require a minimum of an AAS (or 60 college level credits) and is designed to provide students with further experiential learning.
Program Requirements
Students are required to have active First Aid and CPR Certification. NPC offers a half-credit course, EMT 104, for certification or students can demonstrate their certification through other training.
Certifications & Training
The CAS program requires student training in Article 9, Psychological First Aid, and as a Certified Mental Health Technician (via the National Career and Certification Board) and provides the opportunity for certification in these areas. The AAS program also provides additional training for students who wish to pursue training in Applied Behavior Analysis as a Registered Behavioral Health Technician. All programs require a CPR and First Aid Certification.
Job Opportunities
The need for behavioral health workers has been increasing and is projected to grow more as mental health disorders are becoming more common. Job opportunities that can stem from this training program range from mental health organizations and children’s behavioral programs to state and county positions. They can include:
- Behavioral Technician (Specialist/ Paraprofessional, Certified Mental Health Technician, Psychiatric Technician, Counselor Aide, Direct Care Provider)
- Residential Technician
- Support Coordinator
- Registered Behavioral Technician
- Substance Abuse Technician
- Direct Care Worker
- Family Advocate
- Rehabilitation Services Technician
- Parent/Community/Public
- Health Educator
- Victim Services
- Department of Child Services Case Aide
- Life Skills Aide/Paraprofessional
- Behavior Coach
- Crisis Advocate
- Case Manager
Further Training and Education
This program is also designed to introduce students to fields such as substance abuse counseling, school counseling, social work, psychological assessment, therapy and counseling, clinical psychology, special education, and occupational therapy with the ability to pursue further education in these training areas with transferability to Arizona universities.
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