Mental Health Technician, Occupational Certificate

Program Information

Are you a caring person, a good listener, and compassionate to others’ needs? Psychiatric aides and technicians observe and record patient behavior and present their findings to counselors, nurses, and other professional staff. They intervene in crisis situations, actively moderate client behavior, and assist with feeding, moving, dressing patients, personal hygiene, and activities of daily living. If this sounds like you, San Jacinto College’s Mental Health Technician career path is for you.

The San Jacinto College Mental Health Technician program:

• Is specifically designed to train mental health technicians, both psychiatric aides and technicians;
• Prepares students to care for mentally impaired or emotionally disturbed individuals following physician instructions and hospital procedures;
• Provides psychiatric aides and technicians with the skills to observe and record patient behavior and present their findings to counselors, nurses, and other professional staff; and
• Offers training to intervene in crisis situations, actively moderate client behavior, and assist with feeding, moving, dressing patients, personal hygiene, and activities of daily living.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of our program will be able to work in substance abuse and mental health facilities in both private and nonprofit organizations and find opportunities in:

• Hospitals,
• In-patient psychiatric hospitals,
• Out-patient hospitals,
• Veteran affairs clinics,
• Nursing homes,
• Research facilities,
• Pain management clinics,
• Drug rehabilitation centers, and
• Counseling centers.

Earning Potential

Psychiatric Technician: $36,627¹ per year

¹

Source: texaswages.com, median salary Gulf Coast region, 2021

For more information, students may contact 281-998-6350, x7146 or mentalhealthservices@sjcd.edu

Campus

North Campus

San Jac Online

Information

The Mental Health Services program is designed to train mental health technicians, prevention specialists, and provide the educational and practicum requirements toward becoming a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC).* Each program offers a practicum class that allows students to apply classroom skills in a treatment setting.

Students enrolling into San Jacinto College programs with external learning experiences (i.e., clinical, practicum, externship, cooperative, etc.) will be required to comply with the immunization requirements and policies of the clinical/external learning sites to engage in all clinical/external learning experiences. Vaccination requirements at clinical/external learning sites are implemented pursuant to the independent authority of such facilities and are not mandated by San Jacinto College. Failure to meet the immunization requirements mandated by clinical/external learning sites may limit a student’s ability to complete the program and/or may delay the student’s graduation date. San Jacinto College does not process exemptions, and students should address potential vaccination exemptions directly with the clinical/external learning site. 

Prevention Specialist

The College is now offering a Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Occupational Certificate. This 20-hour certificate prepares students to apply to be a Texas Certified Prevention Specialist (CPS). The curriculum is approved by the Texas Department of Health and Human Services.

The coursework, combined with the capstone experience at a prevention approved training center, enables students to work in the area of drug prevention in a variety of settings that include:

• K-12 schools,
• Juvenile justice settings (alternative schools or youth offender programs),
• Local community coalitions, and
• At-risk programs.

Once coursework is completed, students will need 2,000 hours (1 year) of prevention work experience and pass a state exam to obtain their license as a Certified Prevention Specialist (CPS).

Mental Health Technician 

The Mental Health Technician (Psychiatric Aide/Technician) Occupational Certificate prepares students to work with individuals with psychiatric or substance use disorders following physician instructions and hospital procedures. Psychiatric aides and technicians observe and record patient behavior and present findings to counselors, nurses, and other professional staff. They intervene in crisis situations, actively moderate client behavior, and assist with feeding, moving, and dressing patients as well as personal hygiene and activities of daily living.

Potential work opportunities include:

• Aides within inpatient/outpatient psychiatric facilities,
• Day treatment centers,
• Counseling centers, and
• Rehabilitation facilities.

Substance Use Disorder Counseling 

The Substance Abuse Counseling Occupational Certificate and Certificate of Technology prepare individuals to enter the field of human services and provide specialized services to individuals and their families experiencing the effects of substance abuse. Graduates will be able to identify appropriate assessments, diagnosis, and treatment of individuals who are, or have been, engaged in substance abuse. 

*Students who do not have an associate degree (or higher) in a behaviorally related field will not be eligible for full licensure in the state of Texas. A student can complete the Certificate of Technology or Occupational Certificate course work, enter the workforce as a counseling intern, and continue course work towards the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) before receiving their LCDC.

Associate of Applied Science (AAS)

A combination of the certificates and general education courses leads to an AAS in Mental Health Clinical and Counseling Psychology. An associate degree or higher is required for full LCDC licensure. 

Once coursework is completed, students will need 4,000 hours (2 years) of supervised work experience and pass a state exam to obtain their LCDC.

Potential Work opportunities include:

• Hospitals,
• Rehabilitation centers,
• Outpatient clinics,
• Veteran’s affairs clinics,
• Alternative schools,
• Research facilities, and
• Pain management clinics and counseling centers.

In accordance with Texas House Bill 1508, the College informs all students in this program who may have a criminal background that a criminal history could keep graduates from being licensed by the state of Texas. Students with any questions about their background and licensure may speak with the Department Chair.  

Students may view application and information packet on the Mental Health Services webpage.

Plan of Study

6MH-TECH

Capstone Experience: PMHS 2366 Practicum-Mental Health Services Technician

Note: Students must pass each course listed in the degree or certificate for Mental Health Services with a grade of C or higher to be eligible to receive a degree or certificate.