Spanish for Mental Healthcare, Minor
The Minor in Spanish for Mental Healthcare enhances students’ preparation for careers in mental healthcare by developing their Spanish language proficiency and cultural competence. The program is designed to equip students to serve as interpreters in healthcare/mental healthcare facilities, to work as intercultural mediators in a variety of healthcare settings or pursue careers as mental health professionals who specialize in the care of Latino patients, especially Spanish-speaking LEP (Limited English Proficiency) patients. The minor thus complements major and minor programs in a wide variety of other University disciplines.
Requirements - Minor in Spanish for Mental Healthcare:
A minor in Spanish for Mental Healthcare consists of at least 21 semester credit hours of coursework, to include a minimum of 6 semester credit hours at the 3000 level or above, completed with a grade of “C” or better. Students must complete all of the following courses:
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SPAN 2202 | Intermediate Spanish II | 3 |
| SPAN 2211 | Intermediate Grammar and Composition | 3 |
| SPAN 2212 | Intermediate Oral Communications 1 | 3 |
| SPAN 3325 | Advanced Spanish for Mental Healthcare | 3 |
| PSYC 1100 | Survey of Psychology | 3 |
| One of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Medical Spanish I | ||
| Medical Spanish II | ||
| Advanced Internship | ||
| One of the following courses: | 3 | |
| Competency in Latino Culture for Health Care | ||
| Introduction to Medical Interpretation in Spanish | ||
| Advanced Internship in Mental Healthcare Settings 2 | ||
| Total Hours | 21 | |
- 1
Heritage speakers—students who grew up in a Spanish-speaking home—should not take SPAN 2212 Intermediate Oral Communications but seek departmental advice and approval for an alternative course above SPAN 2212 Intermediate Oral Communications.
- 2
SPAN 4398 Advanced Internship in Mental Healthcare Settings gives students the opportunity to work in mental healthcare settings. All internships require an application and departmental consent to be scheduled or counted towards the minor.
In order to complete the minor, students in Spanish for Mental Healthcare must demonstrate Intermediate-Mid level proficiency or higher in spoken Spanish according to the ACTFL proficiency guidelines. Students should arrange to take the oral proficiency exam during the semester prior to the semester in which they plan to graduate. This ACTFL oral proficiency exam is administered online for a modest fee. After taking the test, students receive a nationally recognized certificate of their oral Spanish proficiency from ACTFL. For information on the ACTFL online test, students should contact Dr. Rafael Iglesias at (630) 829-6268 or riglesias@ben.edu. The ACTFL oral proficiency interview may be repeated for an additional fee until the required level of proficiency is demonstrated. Students minoring in Spanish for Mental Healthcare may not major or minor in Spanish or minor in Medical Spanish.