INTRODUCTION: Welcome to the Professional Stress Management Consulting & Therapy
Certificate Program offered by Canyon College. You have made a wise decision to pursue study and
acquire the knowledge and skills needed to practice in this growing health care and behavioral
health specialty. This area of specialty practice is growing all the time and many health care
professionals and behavioral health practitioners and professionals are using their skills to
practice full or part time in this area. This practice specialty grows more important each day
and many graduates of our program will have opportunities to practice in the field of Stress
Management. Obtaining the credential from a quality program is essential to capitalize on this
career opportunity. You have made an excellent choice for your continuing education and skill
attainment. I am sure you will be pleased with our certificate program's course of study. This
course will surely prepare you to begin your career as a professional in Stress Management
Consulting and Therapy.
This certificate course is designed for 180 contact hours of self-paced study with group
discussion and faculty mentoring. Upon completion of the course, participants will be awarded
the Certificate in Stress Management Consulting and Therapy, as well as 12 semester hours of
credit from the College.
This comprehensive college-based course is developed to include introduction, basic,
intermediate, as well as advanced education and skills in stress management consulting and
therapies. The design of the program is such that any licensed health care professional and
behavioral health specialist, whether or not they have practice experience in stress management,
can enroll in this course of study. Those who currently practice in the field of stress
management will find the course comprehensive, complimentary to their practices, and highly
valuable for study of advanced concepts and skill attainment. This course is also designed for
those who have a great interest in stress management, but are not health care or behavioral
health practitioners. A high school diploma is required for admission to this course of study.
This course is designed to be self-paced. Many, current, authoritative, and classic texts are
used and communication with the course instructor is by email, telephone, fax, and/or US postal
mail. Students can utilize all of any one of these vehicles to communicate with the instructor,
although email and phone are preferred.
The course is presented in eight (8) modules. Each module is outlined below. Following the
completion of each module, the participant will take an examination. The examinations are
objective type or short essay.. After successful completion of all eight (8) Modules, including
the examinations, the student will complete the program and receive the Certificate in Stress
Management Consulting and Therapy.
The certificate program is a self-paced, guided study program. Participants are given twelve
(12) months to complete the program. You may study at your own pace, and can progress through
the course as quickly as you like, or as paced as you like. Instructions for moving through the
course, including all assignments are provided upon registration.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES: Stress Management Consultants and Therapists are in large demand.
Many have their own private practices and are very successful. Many work for organizations,
including health care facilities. Many health care facilities today offer stress management
programs for the community and the clients they serve. Facilities and organizations that often
hire Stress Management Consultants and Therapists include; hospitals, clinics, physician
practices, psychologist and counseling practices, gyms, fitness centers, psychiatric outpatient
and inpatient units, wellness centers, and many corporations now offer stress management programs
to their employees. The opportunities in this growing professional specialty are vast.
CEU APPROVAL:This certificate course has been approved by the American Institute of
Healthcare Professionals, Inc., for 180 contact hours of continuing education. Graduates of
the program are eligible to obtain a certificate of verification of approved contact hours from
the American Institute. A nominal processing fee is charged by the Institute.
CERTIFICATION: This certificate program has been approved for Certification of graduates,
by the American Institute of Healthcare Professionals, Inc. Upon successful completion of the
certificate program, graduates can apply for and receive "Certification" as a Stress Management
Consultant. Those certified may use the initials SMC-C ( Stress Management Consultant-
Certified) after their name. Additional information regarding Certification is provided following
enrollment. www.aihcp.org
INSTRUCTOR CONTACT: There have many avenues of access to the course instructor. You may
contact the instructor anytime you have questions, would like clarification, etc. Your
interaction with the instructor is one-on-one and this is highly beneficial as you proceed
through the course. You may contact your instructor anytime.
TEXTBOOKS:- Online Bookstore
Many authoritative and some classic texts in Stress Management are used for
this certificate program. Students are required to obtain text books on their own. For the
student's convenience, ordering information is provided below. Please note that you may obtain
these books from any local bookstore, or online through your preferred internet bookstore.
Amazon.com information is given only as one example of access to these books. Your local
bookstore may have some or all of them in stock, or can likely order them for you.
The required textbooks are cited below with each of the module course descriptions.
Dominick L. Flarey, Ph.D., MBA, RN,CS, CNAA, FACHE - is President of Dominick L. Flarey &
Associates, a health care consulting and education firm, located in northeast Ohio. He has held
positions as a certified nurse practitioner, associate administrator of patient care, chief
operating office and administrator in acute care hospitals. He is Dean of Nursing and Alternative
Health Care Programs at Canyon College, and lectures for Heritage Professional Education, a
national seminar company based in Nashville. He was an executive consultant to a national "big
6" accounting firm's health care practice and was a service line administrator and consultant
for case management for another national consulting firm. He holds a BSN, an MBA, and Doctorates
in nursing administration and management. He is a certified adult nurse practitioner and
certified clinical hypnotherapist. He is also certified as a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse by
the American Nurses Credentialing Center in Washington, DC. He lectures extensively across the
country on Management, including models, systems, outcomes and legal/ethical issues. He also
lectures nationally on the topic of Biopsychiatry. His clinical practice includes hypnotherapy's
for Grief and Bereavement, care of adults with depression, anxiety disorders and panic disorder.
He uses hypnotherapy's, guided meditation and visualization in his work with those grieving. He
also practices and offers a complete Stress Management Program for clients via hypnotherapy and
meditation. He is an instructor of Relaxation Techniques and Meditation.
He is co-author/editor of two textbooks on Case Management (see below) and is a member of the
Editorial Board of the journal, "Nursing Case Management: Managing the Process of Patient Care."
Dr. Flarey is also certified in nursing administration advanced. He is a board certified health
care executive by the American College of Healthcare Executives, and is a Fellow in the college.
He also holds national certification in managed care from the Professional Education Institute.
He is a Certified Medical-Legal Consultant.
He is editor-in-chief of JONA's (Journal of Nursing Administration) Healthcare Law, Ethics, and
Regulation. He is a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Nursing Administration,
Seminars for Nurse Managers, Case Management: Managing the Process of Patient Care, and Nursing
Outcomes. He has authored over 50 published articles in peer-reviewed journals.
Dr. Flarey is editor/author of the book, "Redesigning Nursing Care Delivery: Transforming Our
Future," published by Lippincott/Raven publishers. He is also co-editor/author of the following
books by Aspen Publishers: "Reengineering Nursing and Health Care: The Handbook for
Organizational Transformation," winner of a 1995 AJN book of the year award, "The Handbook of
Nursing Case Management: Health Care Delivery in a World of Managed Care," "Case Studies in Case
Management," "Health Care Outcomes: Collaborative, Path-Based Approaches," and "Cardiovascular
Outcomes: Collaborative, Path-Based Approaches," and "Process-Centered Healthcare Organizations."
GRADING: Examinations are objective type or short answer. The number of questions per
examination varies. The grading scale is:
90 - 100 %
=
A
80 - 89 %
=
B
70 - 79 %
=
C
60 - 69 %
=
C
Below 60 %
=
F
A passing score of 70 % is required on all examinations.
TAKING EXAMS: Examinations are taken online via the Canyon College website. Once you have
registered for this program, you will receive instructions on accessing and taking the
examinations.
GETTING STARTED: As soon as your receive your textbook for Module I, you may begin your
course of study. Below is the program course outline. Be sure to review it as you progress
through the course. Once you have registered for the course, your instructor will send to you a
letter of introduction with more explanations and the course assignments.
ON-LINE MESSAGE BOARD: Canyon College has provided an on-line message board for the
participants of this course. The message board is a vehicle whereby the instructor can post news,
current events, new findings related to the study content, etc. All currently enrolled students
may at any time post to the message board. This includes questions or information related to the
course and the course content. Once enrolled, you will receive directions for accessing and using
the message board. Access to the message board is via the "Stress Management Consulting and
Therapy" classroom at the Canyon College website.
Online Chat Room: Students "meet" with the instructor and other students in the online
chat room. Access to the chat room is via the "Stress Management Consulting and Therapy"
classroom, located at the Canyon College website. Chats are pre-scheduled and all students
receive notification via email as to when a chat session is scheduled. Here, students have an
opportunity to participate in group, online discussions, including question/answer sessions,
with their peers. This feature also provides students with networking opportunities.
Hours of Study/Instruction = 180 hours; 12 Semester credits
Overall Course Objectives:
To prepare health care professionals, behavioral health specialists and lay persons to
practice professionally in the area of Stress Management Consulting and Therapy, with sufficient
knowledge for practice at a standard required by the current job and consumer market.
To prepare graduates to practice in a variety of practice settings such as clinics, delivery
systems, organizations, fitness centers, corporations, outpatient counseling centers, etc.
To gain the knowledge and skills required to seek new opportunities related to Stress
Management Consulting & Therapy practice.
To understand and practice professionally with regards to high ethics and adherence to
established standards of practice.
To assist in the review process for taking related certification and other credentialing
examinations.
To prepare for practice various types of alternative health care settings.
To prepare graduates to practice Stress Management Consulting and Therapy at advanced levels
of practice.
To assist graduates in developing their own marketing plans for career and business growth,
related to these practice specialties.
To provide graduates with a college level credential for this practice specialty.
To provide a means for health care and behavioral health practitioners to compliment their
current practices by the added knowledge and skill of Stress Management.
Module I -
Course Title: Clinical Stress Management, I: Introduction to Stress and Stress Management
Required Text: The Stress Management Source Book: Everything you Need to Know, by J. Barton
Cunningham. McGraw-Hill (Lowell House), 1998. ISBN: 0737300124
Contact Hours = 20
Semester Hours = 1.3
Course Content:
Stress
Myths of Stress
How Stress Kills
Principle-Centered Stress Management
Stress-Prone Personality
Control your Organization
How to Manage your Stress Organization
Coping with Stress-Promoting Relationships
Avoid Burnout
Manage the Stress Promoting Life
Reduce Stress Promoting Foods
Exercise to Reduce Anxiety
Meditation and Relaxation
Self-Renewal
Required Text: Comprehensive Stress Management, 8th edition, with Power Web/OLC Bind-in Passcard and HealthQuest CD-Rom, by Jerrold S. Greenberg. McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2003. ISBN: 0072878568
Contact Hours = 20
Semester Hours = 1.3
Content:
What is Stress?
Stress Psychophysiology
Stress and Illness Disease
Intervention
Life Situational Interventions - Intrapersonal
Life Situational Interventions - Interpersonal
Perception Interventions
Meditation
Autogenic Training and Imagery
Progressive Relaxation
Biofeedback and Other Relaxation Techniques
Physiological Arousal Interventions
Strategies for Decreasing Stressful Behavior
Diversity and Stress
Occupational Stress
Stress and the College Student
Family Stress
Stress and the Elderly
Module III -
Course Title: Relaxation Strategies
Required Texts:
The Relaxation Response, by Herbert Benson. HarperCollins (Avon Books), 1975/1976. ISBN: 0380006766
Beyond the Relaxation Response, by Herbert Benson. Penguin Group (Berkley Books), 1984/1985. ISBN: 0425081834
Breathing: The Master Key to Self Healing. Audio cassette by Dr. Andrew Weil. Sounds
True, 1999. ISBN: 1564557308
Contact Hours = 15
Semester Hours = 1
Content:
Victims of Stress
The Fight or Flight Response
Physiological Functions
Cholesterol Connection
Stress Scales
Internal Signs of Stress
Mental Control
Breath Work
The Relaxation Response
Meditation
Decreasing Blood Pressure
The Faith Factor
Greater Physical and Mental Well-Being
Personal Beliefs
Power over Physical and Mental Problems
Breath Work in Health and Illness
Breath Work in Clinical Practice
MODULE IV -
Course Title: Meditation
Required Text: Simple Meditation and Relaxation, by Joel Levey and Michelle Levey. Conari Press (Red Wheel/Weiser), 1999. ISBN: 1573241512
Contact Hours = 20
Semester Hours = 1.3
Content
Awakening Wholeness and Full Potential
What is Meditation?
Guidelines for Developing Meditation Skills
Concentration Meditation
Mindfulness Meditation
Reflective Meditation
Creative Meditation
Heart-Centered Meditation
The Practice of Dedication
Continued Learning
Meditation Practices
MODULE V -
Course Title: Natural Alternatives for Stress Relief
Required Texts:
Healing Anxiety with Herbs, by Harold H. Bloomfield. HarperCollins Publishers, 1998. ISBN: 0060191279
Instant Calm: Over 100 Easy-to-Use Techniques for Relaxing Mind and Body, by
Paul Wilson. Plume, 1999. ISBN: 0452274338
Contact Hours = 30
Semester Hours = 2
Content
What is Anxiety?
Herbs for Anxiety, Insomnia, and Stress
Natural Self Healing
The Herbal Medicine Revolution
Using Herbs Safely
Chinese Medicine
Aromatherapy
Ayurvedic Medicine
Anti-stress Nutrition
Sleep
Healing Anxiety of Loss and Change
Spiritual Crisis
Techniques for Relaxation
Techniques in Clinical Practice
MODULE VI -
Course Title: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Required Text: The Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Sourcebook: A Guide to Healing, Recovery,
& Growth, by Glenn R. Schiraldi. Lowell House (McGraw-Hill), 1999/2000. ISBN: 0737302658
Contact Hours = 30
Semester Hours = 2
Content
The Basics of PTSD
History of PTSD
Symptoms
Anxiety
Dissociation
Principles of Healing
Treatment Approaches
Medications
Self-Management
Stabilization and Balance
Affect Management
Reducing Arousal
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Autogenic Training
Meditation
Eye Movement
Other Treatment Modalities
Transitioning
Intimacy
Spiritual Growth
Relapse Prevention
Module VII -
Course Title: Self-Hypnosis
Required Text: Master the Power of Self-Hypnosis, by C. Roy Hunter. Sterling
Publishing Company, 1998. ISBN: 0806963514
Contact Hours = 15
Semester Hours = 1
Content
Subconscious Control
Motivation
Hypnosis
Altered Consciousness
History of Hypnosis
Art of Hypnotherapy
Legal Recognition of Hypnosis
The Future of Hypnosis
Entering Self Hypnosis
Programming the Subconscious Mind
Gateways to the Subconscious
Exercises to Manage Stress
Clearing Obstacles
Define Success
Choose Goals
Creative Daydreaming
Adding Words of Power
Hypnocise
Helping Others
MODULE VIII -
Course Title: Clinical Stress Management III, Planning, Therapy and Interventions
Required Text: The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook, 4th Edition, by Martha Davis,
Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman, and Matthew McKay. DIANE Publishing Company, 1995. ISBN: 0788150758
Contact Hours = 30
Semester Hours = 2
Content
How you react to Stress
Body Awareness
Breathing
Progressive Relaxation
Meditation
Visualization
Applied Relaxation Training
Self-Hypnosis
Autogenics
Recording Tapes
Biofeedback
Thought Stopping
Refuting Irrational Ideas
Coping Skills Training
Goal Setting and Time Management
Assertiveness Training
Job Stress Management
Nutrition
Exercise
Tuition Payment Plan: Canyon College offers students in the Stress Management Consulting and
Therapy Certificate Program a special payment plan. This plan allows students to pay in
installments as they progress through the certificate program. For more information on this
special plan, please contact the administrative office of Canyon College.
