Psychology students and counseling professionals will find educational resources and training guides online through open courseware classes. Open courseware helps busy students and counselors further their careers, increase earning potential and learn more about their field without having to enroll in and commute to an expensive college or continuing education organization. These classes are available for free and can be accessed anywhere, at any time, as long as the student has access to an Internet connection. Industry specific resources available through open courseware include classes in dynamic family relationships, marital issues, substance abuse, general mental health, personal psychology, and even disaster preparedness.

These courses give students a broad-based understanding of the different types of counseling, and can help students figure out which part of the field they’d like to pursue. They also give working psychologists and counselors access to leading edge practices and theories in the field. Students taking classes like Challenging Ideas in Mental Health, Introduction to Mental Health and Disaster Preparedness, and Substance Abuse and the Family will develop strong communication and interpersonal skills, quick decision-making skills, and an understanding of the scientific and social issues surrounding the field. Classes in this collection are offered from schools like Utah State University, the University of Massachusetts – Boston, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Health, the University of Michigan, and The Open University.

• Marriage and Family Relationships [Utah State University] – This intro-level course gives a broad overview of marriage and family. The syllabus includes assignments and discussions in personal expectations, finances, sexual relations, and other topics.
• Substance Abuse and the Family [UMass Boston] – Learn how to help families struggling with supporting a drug abuser in this course.
• Introduction to Mental Health and Disaster Preparedness [Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health - Counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists are trained in disaster and public health preparedness to provide mental health evaluations and services to mass populations.
• Introduction to Personal Psychology [University of Michigan] – Gain an understanding of the basics of personal psychology in this course.
• Challenging Ideas in Mental Health [The Open University] – Lessons in this course include “The business of madness,” “Whose risk is it anyway,” and “Boundaries of explanation.”