Certificate in Autism | Texas State University

Skills & Competencies

Skills developed through this program

Auto-populatedfrom O*NET via SOC 29-2053.00

Skills

Social PerceptivenessMonitoringActive ListeningSpeakingCoordinationReading ComprehensionService OrientationCritical Thinking

Knowledge

PsychologyTherapy and CounselingEnglish LanguageCustomer and Personal ServiceMedicine and Dentistry

Abilities

Oral ComprehensionOral ExpressionProblem SensitivityDeductive ReasoningWritten ComprehensionInductive ReasoningWritten ExpressionSpeech RecognitionSpeech ClarityNear Vision

Tasks

Provide nursing, psychiatric, or personal care to patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developm
Encourage patients to develop work skills and to participate in social, recreational, or other thera
Restrain violent, potentially violent, or suicidal patients by verbal or physical means as required.

Technology

Medical softwareInventory management softwareSpreadsheet softwareOffice suite softwareElectronic mail software

Tools

Bag valve mask BVM resuscitatorsBlood drawing syringesBlood pressure cuffsCold therapy equipmentCrutchesDesktop computersElectronic patient thermometersEmergency cartsEnema equipmentEvacuated blood collection tubesGlucometersGurneysHazardous material spill kitsHeat therapy equipmentHospital beds

Work Values

RelationshipsSupportWorking ConditionsIndependenceAchievementRecognition

Career Pathways

Occupations this program prepares you for

Auto-populatedfrom O*NET + BLS

Occupations matched to this program, with median wage, top wage, growth, and openings
SOC	Occupation	Method	Wage	Growth	Openings
Match confidence: medium29-2053.00	Psychiatric Technicians	title_inference	$42,590 median$60,150 top	+19.93%	2,890

Program Pathways

Credentials this program stacks toward

No program pathways.

What You'll Learn

Key competencies developed through this program

Auto-populatedfrom NSX Competency Framework

Mastery: proficient (Level 3)(based on Post-Baccalaureate Certificate)

Complex psychiatric and behavioral presentations including self-harm risk and acute psychosis — assess independently, implement evidence-informed interventions, and coordinate responses with the multidisciplinary clinical team.
Individual and group therapy sessions prescribed within treatment protocols — lead autonomously, applying counseling, instructional, and motivational techniques tailored to patients' cognitive and emotional levels.
Non-routine behavioral crises including violent or suicidal episodes — manage with skilled verbal and physical intervention, ensuring patient and staff safety in high-acuity inpatient environments.
Patients' trajectories across the full scope of psychiatric technician practice — monitor holistically, integrating physical vital data, behavioral observations, and family input to inform ongoing care decisions.
Therapeutic skill-building programs targeting social relationships, vocational readiness, and daily living independence — design and implement for individual patients in collaboration with occupational and rehabilitation specialists.
Critical thinking and deductive reasoning — apply when interpreting ambiguous patient behavioral data to distinguish psychiatric symptoms from medical complications and recommend appropriate escalation pathways.
Negotiation and persuasion techniques — employ skillfully to engage resistant or non-compliant patients in prescribed treatments, using patient-centered motivational strategies in outpatient and residential settings.
Electronic health records and medical software platforms — use proficiently to maintain comprehensive, legally compliant documentation of patient assessments, interventions, and outcomes.
Complex problem-solving — demonstrate when adapting care strategies for patients whose conditions do not respond to standard protocols, drawing on psychology and therapy and counseling knowledge domains.
Interdisciplinary team communication — contribute substantively in clinical rounds and care conferences, delivering precise oral and written assessments that inform physician and nursing decision-making.

Course Pathway

16 courses in this program

116 courses