Elsevier launches web-based curriculum for community mental health practitioners

New curriculum is designed for continued professional training and education of community mental health practitioners

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announced today the launch of a new curriculum, The College of Recovery and Community Inclusion. In conjunction with the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities, Elsevier has made this new curriculum available via DirectCourse, a suite of online curricula designed to help the workforce who support the social and employment needs of people with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities. This new curriculum now offers five web-based courses.

The College of Recovery and Community Inclusion is an integrated, web-based curriculum designed for community mental health practitioners working at state and county mental health offices, private providers, and nonprofit agencies who have day-to-day contact with individuals who have mental health conditions.

"Our new online curriculum is designed to help community mental health practitioners develop the attitudes, knowledge and skills necessary to competently and compassionately support individuals trying to live satisfying, successful and self-directed lives," said John Schrefer, Senior Vice President, Performance Management, Elsevier. "Community mental health practitioners are being expected to handle an increasing influx of individuals with mental health conditions, thus increasing the demand for well-trained staff focused toward the advancement of mental health recovery."

Elsevier's DirectCourse online curricula are crafted by established educational institutions, known and respected for their dedication to research and training in community and workforce development. The new curriculum includes:

• Seeing the Person First: Understanding Mental Health Conditions
• Mental Health Treatments, Services, and Supports
• Cultural Competence in Mental Health Service Settings
• The Effective Use of Documentation
• Universal Precautions and Infection Control

"Our aim in the development of this new curriculum is to make certain that those living with mental conditions have a stable, reliable, better-trained workforce to best help them live more independent lives in community settings," said Richard Baron, MA, Co-Director of the College of Recovery and Community Inclusion and Director of Knowledge Translation for the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities.

Courses are all self-directed and administered by Elsevier's industry-leading learning management system, and were created in collaboration with the University of Minnesota's Research and Training Center on Community Living. Administrators and supervisors track progress, assign lessons and create customized content with ease in an effort to ensure all workers have access to the high-quality training throughout their career. The content meets national practitioner competencies and is guided by recognized experts in the field.

SOURCE Elsevier