High Risk Youth Studies
- Probation/Parole Services
- Youth Case Management
- Mental Health Services
- Juvenile Corrections Professions
- Alcohol and Drug Counseling
- Youth Social or Mental Health Services
- Family and School Counseling
- Law Enforcement
- Vocational/Employment Counselor
- Dropout or Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention
- Adolescent development and counseling approaches
- Cultural responsiveness and competence
- Advocacy skills
- Interdisciplinary communication
- Family intervention and counseling
- Juvenile delinquency and related legal issues
- Special needs youth issues including cultural diversity, gender, co-occurring mental health disorders, gay and lesbian youth, and other special needs
- Assessment, treatment planning and case management
- Prevention strategies specific to substance abuse, delinquency, school dropout, violence and teen pregnancy.
- The Human Services core 47 credit hours
- HSP 3230 High Risk and Offender Youth -4 credit hours
- HSP 3260 Survey of the High Risk Youth Integrated Services and Treatment Network -2 credit hours
- HSP 3490 Multicultural Issues in Human Services -4 credit hours
- HSP 3590 Resistive Adolescent Client -1 credit hour
- HSP 3620 Prevention Generalist Workshop -2 credit hours
- CJC 3350 Seminar in Delinquency Causation, Prevention and Control -3 credit hours
- SWK 3010 Social Work Services for Children and Adolescents -4 credit hours
- PSY 3260 Psychology of Adolescence -3 credit hours
- SOC 3400 Childhood and Adolescent Socialization -3 credit hours
- HSP 3410 Alcoholism Family Counseling -3 credit hours
- HSP 3430 Addictive Behaviors -3 credit hours
- HSP 3450 Crisis Intervention and Legal Issues -4 credit hours
- HSP 4200 Child Abuse and Neglect -2 credit hours
- HSP 4290 PTSD Counseling -1 credit hour
- HSP 4540 Youth, Drugs and Gangs -2 credit hours
- HSP 3230-4 High Risk and Offender Youth
- HSP 3260-2 Survey of the High Risk Youth Integrated Services and Treatment Network
- HSP 3490-4 Multicultural Issues in Human Services
- HSP 3590-1 The Resistive Adolescent Client
- MDL 190-2 (or equivalent) Spanish for Human Services or Law Enforcement (approval pending)
- CJC 3350-3 Seminar in Delinquency Causation, Prevention and Control
The Department of Human Services offers a specialized course of study in the Center for High Risk Youth Studies. This center was devleoped through a large community collaboration project involving the Denver Juvenile Court and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division. Primary activites include the develpment of a specilized interdisciplinary degree (between activity is being coordinated through a large community project through the Denver Juvenile Court and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division. Primary activities include the development of a specialized interdisciplinary degree (between human services and criminal justice) focusing on the needs of the alcohol and drug involved or at-risk youth and family, a Professional Certificate in High Risk Youth Studies, and a community based training program in which community partners gather for two days at MSCD to work on understanding the issues and needs of youth and their families. Career opportunities abound in this exciting and meaningful field.
Call (303) 556-2951 or (303) 556-3105 to obtain further information about the High Risk Youth area of concentration.
About the Center for High Risk Youth Studies
The evidence linking juvenile delinquency and alcohol and drug abuse among high risk youth is overwhelming. Many of these juveniles have multiple problems, in addition to a substance abuse problem, and are involved with multiple systems. They may be involved with social services, or have mental health problems. They may have been suspended from school. Effective treatment should include services that deal with all of these facets of the juvenile systems as well as other systems, including providing primary health care, enrolling the juvenile in employment and social activities such as sports, recreation programs or cultural activities. Denver is engaged in an effort to build on existing infrastructure to develop a culturally competent and comprehensive continuum of care across systems to meet the needs of substance abusing juveniles.
Students and professionals working with high risk youth need access to opportunities to learn about the complex variety of services and systems available to serve the high risk youth. The Center for High Risk Youth Studies has been developed to meet this need in Denver and throughout Colorado.
In 1995, The Metropolitan State College of Denver Department of Human Services entered into a partnership agreement with a new federally funded project intended to expand the network of agencies serving the needs of alcohol and other drug involved juvenile offenders and their families. A new Center for High Risk Youth Studies was formed at MSCD to provide numerous resource services to the network of over 200 agencies throughout the Denver region. Since that time several components have been initiated including a certificate of completion program for youth workers, a Human Services degree or Criminal Justice and Criminology Degree with a specialized emphasis area in high risk youth studies, an Interdisciplinary Cross Training curriculum for community professionals, and a research/resource center providing assistance to community members interested in issue of high risk youth. All programs offered have been developed in concert with the "real world" input of community providers and professionals.
Faculty involved with the Center for High Risk Youth Studies include Charles Branch, Ed. D., Coordinator and some courses are taught by part-time faculty who are experts working in the field.
Career Opportunities
Jobs in work with high risk and delinquent youth are increasing dramatically in Colorado and across the United States. Career opportunities include:
Human Services or Criminal Justice and Criminology Bachelor of Science Degree With Concentration in High Risk Youth Studies
Both the Department of Human Services and the Department of Criminal Justice in the School of Professional Studies are working together to develop options for interdisciplinary degrees offered out of either discipline with a concentration in high risk youth studies. Each degree involves a discipline-specific core with an array of high risk youth oriented coursework designed to prepare youth workers in a unique interdisciplinary framework!
Those pursuing the degree program will find coursework that addresses:
The degree program has been approved:
Courses for High Risk Youth Studies Concentration Area Hours
Classes within Human Services
Human Services Total 59
Required Coursework outside the Department of Human Services
Total, Interdisciplinary Courses 13
Note: High Risk Youth students must take SOC 1010 and PSY 1010 as part of their General Studies.
Electives
To complete the 120 hours for the degree, 14 hours of electives are required. Advisors will counsel students about possible electives. Some suggested electives include:
Electives 15
Total for the Degree 120
** It is strongly recommended that students in the High Risk Youth course of study consider taking elective courses from the Addiction Studies concentration area. Many classes in the Addiction studies concentration area meet requirements for Certification as a Substance Abuse counselor through the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division for the State of Colorado.
Certificate of Completion in High Risk Youth Studies
The Certificate of Completion offers a series of specialized courses focused on the adolescent youth at risk. Some prerequisites are required, including a previous degree and/or experiential profile to bet determined on a case-by-case basis. An application is required of all potential certificate students. The certificate is comprised of 16 semester hours of coursework as follows:
Interdisciplinary Cross Training
This two day training experience brings youth professionals to MSCD campus for a dynamic action-oriented opportunity to network in an academic setting to discuss current trends, strategize on barriers to more effective service delivery and increase interdisciplinary partnerships across the youth services system. Several trainings are scheduled each academic year.