Addictions and Mental Health

Description

Students develop the skill set to provide a client-centered and client driven continuum of treatment for individuals with addiction problems. With a strong framework of individual and group counselling skills, students study individual, gender, and societal considerations and the resulting treatment implications through the lens of trauma informed care. They practice motivational interviewing techniques, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and dialectal behaviour therapy (DBT) while learning to match client needs with intervention options. In addition, students reconstruct education and prevention strategies in an effort to design, facilitate and evaluate such tools.

Career Opportunities

Graduates may find career opportunities in a variety of settings and job roles including addictions counsellors, substance use counsellors, chemical withdrawal management counsellors, addictions nurses, problem gambling counsellors, and attendants in residential, out-patient, and street-front treatment settings.

Program Learning Outcomes

The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

1. provide wholistic and culturally relevant assessments in collaboration with individuals experiencing addiction and mental health challenges guided by trauma-informed and anti-oppressive practices;
2. co-create and collaboratively monitor wellness plans that meet the unique needs of the individual to determine if additional goals, interventions and supports are needed;
3. provide services and resources to individuals, families/natural supports and communities in accordance with various frameworks and informed by multiple research perspectives;
4. make ethical decisions aligned with professional standards that adhere to workplace policies and legislation within scope of practice; 
5. educate and advocate alongside individuals, families/natural supports, and communities to reduce stigma, navigate referral processes and challenge barriers to wholistic care;
6. build collaborative relationships with individuals, families/natural supports, community members and networks to enhance addiction and mental health services; 
7. work safely and in accordance with trauma-informed critical incident and crisis management practices to increase safety of self and others;
8. develop individualized self-care and critical self-reflection strategies to maintain health, growth and resilience as an addiction and/or mental health practitioner;
9. comply with confidentiality requirements and documentation standards to respect individual rights and self-determination. 

Program Progression

The following reflects the planned progression for full-time offerings of the program.

Fall Intake

• Sem 1: Fall 2026
• Sem 2: Winter 2027

Articulation

A number of articulation agreements have been negotiated with universities and other institutions across Canada, North America and internationally. These agreements are assessed, revised and updated on a regular basis. Please contact the program co-ordinator for specific details if you are interested in pursuing such an option. Additional information can be found on our website at https://www.georgiancollege.ca/admissions/credit-transfer/

Admission Requirements

• Ontario College Diploma, Ontario College Advanced Diploma, Degree or equivalent with a specialty in related human services, social work, or social sciences.

Selection Process

Applicants are selected on the basis of their academic grades. An overall minimum average of 65%, C+ or GPA of 2.5 is recommended in post-secondary studies. Prior credential (diploma and/or degree) relevancy to be determined by program coordinator.

Criminal Reference/Vulnerable Sector Check

Placement agencies require an up-to-date clear criminal reference check and vulnerable sector check prior to going out on placement. Students should obtain their criminal reference three months prior to placement; checks conducted earlier may not be considered current. As some jurisdictions require longer lead-time for processing, please check with the program coordinator to ensure you allow for sufficient turn-around time. It is the student's responsibility to provide the completed document prior to placement start.

NOTE: A record of criminal offences, for which a pardon has not been granted, may prevent students from completing their placements, thereby affecting their ability to graduate.

Graduation Requirements

9 Program Courses
1 Internship

Graduation Eligibility

To graduate from this program, a student must attain a minimum of 60% or a letter grade of P (Pass) or S (Satisfactory) in each course in each semester. The passing weighted average for promotion through each semester and to graduate is 60%.

Program Tracking

The following reflects the planned progression for full-time offerings of the program.

Plan of Study Grid

Semester 1		Hours
Program Courses
ADCT 1001	Group Counselling: Dynamics and Processes	42
ADCT 1005	Practitioner Skills Development	42
ADCT 1015	Concepts of Chemical Dependency	42
ADCT 1020	Gambling and Other Behavioural Dependencies	42
ADCT 1025	Motivational Counselling	42
ADCT 1026	Issues in the Field of Addictions	42
ADCT 1027	Internship Preparation Course	12
	Hours	264
Semester 2
Program Courses
ADCT 1022	Enhanced Therapeutic Approaches in Addictions Counselling	42
ADCT 1023	Best Practices in Supporting Selected Populations	42
Internship
ADCT 1028	Addictions Consolidation	307
	Hours	391
	Total Hours	655

Graduation Window 

Students unable to adhere to the program duration of one year (as stated above) may take a maximum of two years to complete their credential. After this time, students must be re-admitted into the program, and follow the curriculum in place at the time of re-admission.

Disclaimer: The information in this document is correct at the time of publication. Academic content of programs and courses is revised on an ongoing basis to ensure relevance to changing educational objectives and employment market needs. 

Program outlines may be subject to change in response to emerging situations, in order to facilitate student achievement of the learning outcomes required for graduation. Components such as courses, progression, coop work terms, placements, internships and other requirements may be delivered differently than published.