Introduction:

Addiction is a complex multidimensional problem that is affecting all aspects of our society today. Substance abuse and addiction specialists help and support people overcome drug, alcohol, gambling, and other dependencies through counselling, education, and other services aimed at helping people identify and control undesired compulsive behaviours. They may work in hospitals, public and private treatment centres, community agencies, or private practice-providing individual and group therapy, facilitating support groups, liaising with professionals and developing individual treatment plans, providing emotional support to families and loved ones, and developing prevention programs-to help people overcome their addictions and re-build their lives. This real-world training will help students understand and appreciate the impact of active addiction both for the person and the family members. Through classroom teaching and these practitioner-based opportunities, students will also learn the ethical and professional guidelines of the Addiction Counselling Profession.
Our team of Lecturers are all fully qualified Addiction Specialists and provide students with the skills they will need to treat addiction disorders in the populations they will encounter in their professional work.
The program will provide students with the essential diagnostic, therapeutic, and consultative skills necessary to work with many diverse populations afflicted with a variety of emotional and psychological conditions related directly to Addiction Disorder Counselling.

Module duration:  15 weeks of 4 academic (3 clock hours) = 60 academic hours

Course Goals:

• Participants will gain an understanding of alcohol drug abuse and prescription drug abuse.
• They will understand the physical, physiological and psychological impact of substance abuse and dependence.
• Understanding the impaction of this disease on the spiritual, social and cultural framework of the population.
• In addition students will learn the most current models used in addictions treatment: C.B.T.; motivational interviewing; solution-focused therapy; narrative therapy appreciative inquiry   and other social-constructionist models.  Participants will also be able to integrate the research of positive psychology into addictions treatment and practice.
• Participants will learn the origin of 12 steps recovery, AA and self-help recovery, understand how they work.
• The power of group sponsorship will be explored.
• Addiction cessation course: Learn the signs and symptoms of smoking, and other addictions, such as internet, gambling, pornography and sex addictions. Also understand the bio (psycho) social factors which contributed to these addictions, and to enable clients to expand attitudes and beliefs to provide more effective treatment, and matching the needs of the client.
• Participants will gain an understanding of addictions as it relates to teenagers versus adults (also realize the emotional life of adolescents and its influence on adolescent development). The influence of group as an effective modality of treating adolescents. In addition – the curious and difficult situation of the COA and family life in adolescent development.

Topics Covered:

Introduction to Course:  Overview of addictions: alcohol and other drugs

Multiple approaches to addictions treatment (includes video critiques)

Understanding AA, self-help and 12 steps

Early intervention & prevention of substance abuse

Gambling/smoking/eating/pornography/sex/internet

Working with adolescents and addictions

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