Mental Wellness and Addictions Worker

Program Overview

The Mental Wellness and Addictions Worker program at St Lawrence College equips students with specialized training in mental health and addictions for employment in healthcare and social services. Through a hands-on approach, students develop essential skills for working with diverse client populations, fostering critical thinking, and applying a holistic model of client-centered care. The program culminates in two field placements, providing practical experience and preparing graduates for frontline roles in the field.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

Mental Wellness and Addictions Worker - St Lawrence

This two-year (four-semester) program prepares students with specialized training in addictions and mental health for employment in the healthcare and social services field. Graduates of the program will acquire the knowledge, skills, tools, and abilities required by frontline professionals to deliver responsive and effective practice.

Objectives:

• Equip graduates with a solid understanding of mental health and addiction issues.
• Develop essential skills for working with diverse client populations in the field of mental health and addictions.
• Foster critical thinking and problem-solving abilities related to mental health and addiction services.
• Enable graduates to recognize, understand, and apply a holistic model of client-centered care.
• Provide students with opportunities to translate classroom knowledge into practical experience through field placements.

Description:

The program features a hands-on approach to learning, where students acquire theoretical knowledge and apply it to real-world situations. Graduates are equipped to engage with individuals facing mental health and/or addiction concerns and offer compassionate support within a framework of ethical professional practice.

Outline:

Structure:

• The program spans four semesters over two years.
• Semester 1 and 2 offer foundational courses focusing on mental health, addiction, and professional skills.
• Semester 3 introduces advanced topics like family dynamics, pharmacology, and case management.
Specific course offerings and sequencing may vary slightly for different intakes.)

Semester 1

• AMHW 1000: Lifespan Development
• AMHW 1001: Workplace Communications 1
• AMHW 1002: Understanding Power and Privilege
• AMHW 1003: Interviewing and Counselling 1: Building the Therapeutic Alliance
• AMHW 1004: An Introduction to Mental Health And Dependency
• General Education Course (GENE)

Semester 2

• AMHW 1005: Ethics, Legislation, and Social Policy in Mental Health and Addictions
• AMHW 5: An Analysis of Mental Health Issues
• AMHW 1006: Interviewing and Counselling 2: Professional Practice
• AMHW 1007: Group Development, Implementation, and Facilitation
• AMHW 1008: Crisis Prevention
• General Education Course (GENE)

Semester 3

• AMHW 10: Helping Families Develop, Cope and Change
• AMHW 11: An Examination of Pharmacology in Mental Health Substance Use
• WORK 2001: Field Placement 1
• AMHW 13: Unlocking the Process of Change by Using a Recovery Oriented Approach
• AMHW 2000: The Essentials of Screening, Assessment, and Case Management
• General Education Course (GENE)

Semester 4

• AMHW 2001: Prevention, Harm Reduction, Recovery, and Relapse Management
• AMHW 2002: Integrated Approaches to Mental Health and Addictions
• AMHW 2003: Trauma Informed Practice
Specific content within modules may vary slightly from semester to semester.)

Lifespan Development:

Examines critical periods of lifespan development and how they impact mental health throughout our lives.

Workplace Communications 1:

Develops communication skills for success in the mental health and addictions field.

Understanding Power and Privilege:

Explores the impacts of power and privilege on individuals, institutions, and society.

Interviewing and Counselling 1:

Explores therapeutic alliance principles and practices essential for effective counselling.

An Introduction to Mental Health And Dependency:

Focuses on mental health and substance use issues within a Canadian service framework.

Ethics, Legislation, and Social Policy in Mental Health and Addictions:

Explores ethical codes, legal requirements, and social policies relevant to the field.

An Analysis of Mental Health Issues:

Investigates various forms of mental illness using concepts and perspectives from relevant psychology fields.

Interviewing and Counselling 2:

Emphasizes advanced counselling techniques and deeper engagement in therapeutic practice.

Group Development, Implementation, and Facilitation:

Teaches essential knowledge and skills for working effectively with groups in various mental health settings.