MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTIONS
Diploma Program
Distance Education
Learn the necessary skills to provide support, understand behaviours and offer treatment.
Program Overview
Mental health and addictions workers help clients with the activities of daily living within various settings to encourage full independence.
The main duties of a of a mental health worker includes:
- create a safe and welcoming environment for people to live
- provide brief counselling to individuals and families about mental health and mental health issues
- make home visits as needed
- make referrals for services required by the clients
- provide community education
- collaborate with community agencies.
This program will help you to develop the knowledge and skills required to effectively address two of Canada’s leading health care issues – mental health and addictive behaviours. You will gain both; a theoretical understanding and the clinical skills required to help your clients successfully navigate their challenges with mental health and/or addictive behaviours as they begin their journey to wellness.
Graduates may find employment in a variety of different job titles including:
- Addictions crisis worker
- Addictions counsellor
- Addictions and mental health rehab support worker
- Case manager
- Community support worker
- Counsellor/group facilitator
- Crisis outreach/intervention worker
- Harm reduction worker
- Housing stability counsellor
- Mental health/wellness counsellor
- Mental health support worker
- Outreach services advisor
- Psycho-educator
- Withdrawal management counsellor
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Admission Requirements
- 18 years of age or older.
- Assessment: Online or In-person Counselling
- Result to Prove English Proficiency:
- IELTS (Academic) – 6.0 overall
- IELTS (General) – 6.0 overall with each band 6.0
- PTE (Academic) – 51 overall
- TOEFL IBT – 60 overall
- CELPIP – 7 overall with each band 7
- In the absence of the above ESL required.
- Secondary or Post Secondary Degree Diploma.
Learning Outcomes
- Develop the ability to create safe and welcoming environments for individuals seeking assistance in various settings, promoting their independence.
- Acquire the skills to provide brief counseling to individuals and families, offering support and guidance on mental health and related issues.
- Gain the knowledge and expertise to conduct home visits when necessary, ensuring clients receive essential care and assistance in their own environments.
- Master the art of making referrals to connect clients with the specific services and resources they require for their mental health and addiction challenges.
- Learn to deliver community education programs, increasing awareness and understanding of mental health and addiction issues in the broader community.
- Build strong collaborative relationships with community agencies, facilitating a comprehensive approach to client care and support.
- Attain a theoretical understanding of mental health and addictive behaviors, enabling effective problem-solving and intervention strategies.
- Develop the clinical skills necessary to guide and assist clients as they embark on their journey to wellness, addressing mental health and addiction issues within the Canadian healthcare landscape.
Job Responsibilities
- Review client’s background information, interview clients to obtain case history and prepare intake reports
- Assess clients’ relevant skill strengths and needs
- Assist clients to sort out options and develop plans of action while providing necessary support and assistance
- Assess and investigate eligibility for social benefits
- Refer clients to other social services or assist clients in locating and utilizing community resources including legal, medical and financial assistance, housing, employment, transportation, day care and other services
- Counsel clients living in group homes and halfway houses, supervise their activities and assist in pre-release and release planning
- Participate in the selection and admission of clients to appropriate programs
- Implement life skills workshops, substance abuse treatment programs, behaviour management programs, youth services programs and other community and social service programs under the supervision of social services or health care professionals
- Meet with clients to assess their progress, give support and discuss any difficulties or problems
- Assist in evaluating the effectiveness of treatment programs by tracking clients’ behavioural changes and responses to interventions
- Advise and aid recipients of social assistance and pensions
- Provide crisis intervention and emergency shelter services
- Implement and organize the delivery of specific services within the community
- Maintain contact with other social service agencies and health care providers involved with clients to provide information and obtain feedback on clients’ overall progress
- Co-ordinate the volunteer activities of human service agencies, health care facilities and arts and sports organizations
- May maintain program statistics for purposes of evaluation and research
- May supervise social service support workers and volunteers.
Program Modules
- Understanding Substance Abuse
- Abnormal Psychology
- Understanding concurrent disorders
- Sociology of Healthcare
- Cognitive Development and Mental Health Across the Lifespan
- Technology for Success Microsoft Office and 365
- Record Keeping and Documentation
- Crisis Intervention
- Client Referral, Screening, Assessment, Treatment Planning
- Program Development, Implementation and Evaluation
- Case Management
- Counselling Principles
- Group Facilitation
- Medications (Pharmacology)
- Prevention and Health Promotion
- Family and Social Support
- Trauma-Specific Care
- Issues and Ethics in Healthcare and Self Care Practices
- Community Development and Outreach
- Mental Health and Addictions Virtual Project
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