VCU School of Social Work
Help others improve their mental health. 100% online.
Do you want to develop the skills to help individuals affected by serious mental illness? VCU’s online graduate certificate in mental health helps students understand what shapes brain development and influences clinical interventions. A trauma-informed approach prepares students to support individuals who are often misunderstood or marginalized.
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The purpose of the Certificate in Mental Health is to equip students with advanced knowledge and skills for working with individuals affected by serious mental illness (SMI). Students will learn to create treatment plans, respond to mental health crises and engage in post-crisis planning.
Students will understand how brain development is shaped by life experiences, genetics and illness, as well as how neural pathways and brain anatomy influence clinical interventions. Students will be equipped to support individuals with mental health illness who are often misunderstood or marginalized, and to build strong partnerships across systems of care to support those individuals.
Graduates of the program will be prepared to work in a variety of settings with individuals, families and communities who are affected by mental illness by using various trauma-informed approaches. Cassie DeSena-Jacobs, D.S.W., leads the certificate program in her role as director of Mental Health Initiatives at the VCU School of Social Work.
Students who complete this certificate will be able to:
Apply through April 1, 2026.
You can learn more about the certificate through the School of Social Work or the VCU Bulletin.
Employment statistics for “Social Workers” in the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Degree outcomes data based on graduate responses to VCU’s First Destination Survey.
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