Identifies the major causes and pathways of the stress response. Describes how worry, traumatic events, threats, and crises can cause anxiety and trauma-related disorders. Lists the characteristics of acute stress disorder and the principles of crisis intervention. Identifies the symptoms, subtypes, and treatments of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Discusses effective stress management strategies including resilience building, mindfulness, relaxation, cognitive behavioral therapy, and medications. Lists the methods of managing compassion fatigue in caregivers and health care professionals. Describes how the information in this course can be utilized to improve patient care outcomes across disciplines. Describes, for this course, the implications for nursing, dentistry, mental health, and other health professionals and improve patient treatment co-morbidity outcomes for occupational and physical therapy.

Describes how perception, thinking, emotions, and memory combine to produce cognitive appraisals and behavior. Outlines the causes, components, and management of psychological stress. Defines resilience and explain the factors that compose the ability to “bounce back” from stressful events. Lists the major components of the positive-psychology approach to increasing life satisfaction. Identifies the elements of happiness and optimism and how to apply them to increase well-being. Describes how the information in this course can be utilized to improve patient care and patient outcomes. Describes, for this course, the implications for dentistry, mental health, nursing, and other healthcare professions.

Reviews the recent Medicare law regarding end-of-life discussions with patients and define options for patient and provider consideration. Discusses the psycho-social implications of death and dying among varied cultures and religions and how this effects healthcare delivery. Identifies the concerns most expressed by the dying. Identifies patient rights to live with dignity and as much independence as possible until the end. Cites the philosophy, history and tradition of death and dying over time and how current beliefs developed. Discusses heroic measures verses natural death and discuss caregiver support. Describes the stages of death, the timeline of what happens to the physical remains after death, and care of the body after death. Identifies necessary legal documents regarding death, disposition of the body, family and patient rights, and how these important statutes assist the poor and the marginalized.