Falk College announces Certificate of Advanced Studies in child therapy program
Will Carrara | Contributing Photographer
The David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics at Syracuse University has announced a Certificate of Advanced Studies in child therapy.
The David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics has announced a Certificate of Advanced Studies in child therapy for master’s level students or licensed and certified professionals.
The certificate is addressing a growing national shortage of mental health professionals trained to work with children and adolescents and their families, according to a press release sent by Michele Barrett, director of communications for Falk.
The CAS in child therapy will help address the great need for mental health and related services to children and their families. It will also help address the huge shortage of child-centered practitioners in the mental health workforce by forming a group of trained and educated professionals.
The certificate is designed for clinicians, mental health professionals and practitioners from similar disciplines that want to expand their education and skills in the field of child therapy, said Thom deLara, chair of the Marriage and Family Therapy department, in an email.
Falk has had a considerable amount of input from community agencies and community advocacy groups in relation to the need for more trained mental health providers and the need for expanded services to children for about two years, deLara said.
He added there isn’t another certificate program like it in New York state. There are some programs that give students and mental health professionals training in play therapy. However, this certificate is intended to prepare people with a broader range of clinical skills, deLara said.
The program is meant to assist mental health professionals — such as marriage and family therapists, social workers and mental health counselors — to be more effective and prepared for engaging in therapy with children and their families, deLara said. It will assist mental health providers who are working in mental health agencies, schools, community agencies, social service settings and other organizations that serve the needs of children.
Classes for the certificate are available now and students are able to register for the program in the fall, spring and summer semesters.
Published on October 12, 2016 at 10:41 pm
Contact Lauren: lmdoyle@syr.edu
