The School of Community and Health Studies offers the Addiction and Mental Health Worker program. It will help students acquire the education to work in mental health and addiction services using evidence-based knowledge and skills in screening, assessing, and responding to people with mental health and substance-use issues from diverse cultural and community perspectives.

In Addiction and Mental Health Work courses, students will learn to work — in a variety of community health and human services settings such as mental health and addiction agencies, homeless drop-in centres and crisis service centres — with individuals, family members and small groups impacted by addiction and mental health issues. Students will also gain the knowledge to advocate for equitable access to supports and services including health promotion, prevention and harm reduction. The Addiction and Mental Health Work program has a commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous communities in Canada. As a result, courses will offer Indigenous perspectives to addiction and mental health work.

Classroom instruction will be combined with a second-year field placement experience during which students will spend several days each week working with clients in social service agencies under the supervision of experienced service providers. Students will have the opportunity to work in interprofessional teams to gain direct experience providing support to clients and families through case management, assessment, referral and navigating systems of care. The practical experience students gain will help to reinforce classroom learning and provide grounding for full-time work after graduation.

Please Note: This program is taught using a combination of modalities. Courses may be delivered face-to-face, online or in blended/hybrid combination of both online and traditional classroom teaching.