Academic Program Proposal

Date Proposal Activated	Institution and Proposal	Degree Awarded	Academic Program Name	Objection Deadline	MHEC Final Action	Final Decision Date
1/13/2017	Community College of Baltimore County Proposal	LDC	At-Risk Youth Practitioner	3/14/2017	Approved	5/10/2017
At-Risk Youth Practitioner Program Description
The Lower Division Certificate (L.D.C.) in At-Risk Youth Practitioner provides the core set of skills and abilities utilized working with vulnerable children and adolescents. This At-Risk Youth Practitioner certificate meets the state guidelines for Residential Child and Youth Care Practitioner certification, preparing students to work with at-risk children and adolescents, and particularly children in out-of-home care. Additionally, students who complete this coursework are qualified to sit for the state Residential Child and Youth Care Practitioner (RCYCP) exam. This certification is required by the State of Maryland to work at residential child care programs licensed by the Department of Health and Human Resources, Department of Juvenile Services or the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.  Graduates of the program will be able to utilize a variety of counseling skills and abilities to function effectively as counselors in a variety of settings; assess and document a client's current status and apply basic therapeutic techniques; develop, prioritize, and implement a plan to address a client's presenting problem; conduct themselves professionally and ethically as counselors in culturally-diverse settings; and, express themselves professionally, both verbally and in writing, to a variety of audiences, including clients, other professionals, and external monitoring agencies.