COURSE CURRICULUM

This comprehensive hybrid graduate certificate program equips students with essential skills in mental health and addictions support through a blend of theoretical and practical learning. In the first semester, courses focus on foundational knowledge, including case management, ethics, professional practice, and legislation, emphasizing a bio-psycho-social-cultural-spiritual approach to client care. Students explore mental health, addictions, and concurrent disorders, learning evidence-based strategies and therapeutic interventions such as motivational interviewing, cognitive behavior therapy, and trauma-informed practice. Cultural competency is addressed through courses on understanding diversity, emphasizing the importance of culturally safe service delivery for diverse populations. Interprofessional collaboration is highlighted, preparing students to work effectively within interdisciplinary teams using communication, conflict resolution, and shared decision-making skills. The second semester builds on these foundations with applied interprofessional practice and supervision, integrating theory and fieldwork through high-fidelity simulations and community placements. Courses on crisis intervention and chronic mental health develop practical competencies in frontline assessment, stabilization, and self-care strategies. Group interventions are explored, focusing on psychoeducation and mutual support to enhance therapeutic outcomes. Students gain specialized knowledge in psychopharmacology for mental health and addictions, understanding drug classifications, side effects, and culturally sensitive applications. Additionally, learners address working with individuals with disabilities and complex needs, including neurocognitive and developmental disorders, and learn to adapt interventions accordingly. Support for families and youth is emphasized, with courses on developmental stages, resilience, and evidence-based approaches for nurturing mental health. The program’s culminating field placement offers hands-on experience in community or clinical settings, allowing students to apply comprehensive knowledge in assessment, treatment planning, and harm reduction, fostering client-centred, recovery-oriented care within diverse populations and complex mental health and addiction contexts.