Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Understand the history, philosophy, and trends in addiction counselling.
• Discuss the histories of the following substances: alcohol, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, opioids, amphetamines, hallucinogens, tobacco and caffeine.
• Describe accepted models and theories of addiction and accept prevention and treatment strategies.
• Describe the various assessment instruments and structured clinical interview techniques available.
• Discuss the societal costs of use, abuse, and dependency.
• Describe the ethical and legal considerations related to the role of the addiction support worker.
• Describe the roles, functions, and settings of addiction and community support worker, as well as the relationship between addiction counsellors and other mental health professionals.
• Understand the factors that increase the likelihood for a person, community, or group to be at risk for substance.
• Describe how abusive substances affect the brain and central nervous system.
• Describe the effects that must be considered in detoxification, treatment and aftercare planning.