Noncredit Classes at Berkeley City College

This 105-hour non-credit certificate is for students who plan to pursue a career in community health or social work. This program is ideal for returning adult learners, folks who have been out of school for some time, new immigrants who are learning about how human service professions function in the United States, or those who are making a career shift into social work and human services. Students learn about the various roles community health workers have in our communities, create lasting connections with fellow-classmates, hear guest-talks given by local professionals in the field, clarify your own career goals, and become prepared for entering the for-credit program.

The certificate enables students to gain exposure to various career options in community health, and develop skills necessary for entry-level employment in the field. Topics covered include: overview of community health work, terminology and basic physiology, assessment of health promotion programs, individual and community advocacy, basic skills for the profession, survey of community health workers and agencies, cultural humility, implicit bias, professional behavior, ethics, and all nine industry standard CHW core competencies (communications, professional and personal development, cultural competency and ethnic diversity, health care systems, barriers and resources, technology). Students may elect to continue their education through Berkeley City College’s non-credit Social Work and Human Services Work Readiness Certificate, the 18-credit unit Peer Support Specialist Certificate, or the AA-T Degree in Social Work and Human Service.

This certificate can be completed in one semester. Weekly time commitment is about 7 hours, including lecture time and self-paced study. Currently, this program is offered exclusively online. BCC provides WiFi hotspots, Chromebooks, and text books for this program. We also have multiple student support programs to give you wrap around support.

Required Courses
HUSV 500A: Community Health Worker I (first 7-week course)

HUSV 500B: Community Health Worker II (second 7-week course)

Program Learning Outcomes
Students who complete the program will be able to:

• Explain the career opportunities as a community health worker.
• Demonstrate skills for placement in entry-level volunteer, internship, or paid opportunities.
• Determine a successful pathway to reach career goals as a community health worker.
• To enroll complete this interest survey: TINYURL.COM/PICKMYCLASSES

If you have any enrollment questions, you can reach out to Midhun Joseph, BCC Transitions Coordinator | mjoseph@peralta.edu

Students who complete the 52-hour Social and Human Service Work Readiness Certificate of Completion receive training on individual and group facilitation skills, fundamentals of the referral process, mental health crisis management, and HUSV Work Readiness wellness recovery action plans (WRAP) and qualify to receive the nationally recognized Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) certificate. A significant portion of the training covers trauma-informed self-care and successful personal/professional boundary setting. This program is required training for students in work-based learning opportunities as Mental Health Ambassadors at Berkeley City College, and a pre-requisite for the Social & Human Services Fieldwork Placement (HUSV 120B).

The MHFA credential and specific skills-training provides students with the ability to empower peers with skills to successfully identify and complete their personal goals. Participants will learn to lead peer-to-peer support groups and provide 1:1 peer-support sessions. Students who complete this program will be able to demonstrate their training has met national standards for Mental Health First Aid, and many core competencies for Peer Support Specialists, which enhances their ability to find employment in a variety of social and human service settings. Students may elect to continue their education journey with another certificate or degree program in Social Work and Human Services.

This certificate can be completed in one semester. BCC provides WiFi hotspots, Chromebooks, and text books for this program. We also have multiple student support programs to give you wrap around support.

Required Courses

HUSV 510A: Mental Health Ambassador I (first 7-week course); 100% online and self-paced; about 3 hours a week of work.

HUSV 510B: Mental Health Ambassador II (second 7-week course); meets in person for three training event days (28 hours of training, including online prep work).

Program Learning Outcomes

Students who complete the program will be able to:

1. Demonstrate fundamental understanding of mental health crisis management, including obtaining the Mental Health First Aid Certificate (MHFA) issues by the National Council on Mental Wellbeing.
2. Demonstrate awareness of trauma-informed self-care.
3. Demonstrate entry-level group and individual facilitation skills. 

To enroll contact:

Midhun Joseph, BCC Transitions Coordinator | mjoseph@peralta.edu | TINYURL.COM/PICKMYCLASSES