Practical course for alcohol and other drug workers
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(c) iStockphoto.com/Nuno Silva |
The alcohol and other drugs strand of the Postgraduate Certificate in Social Health provides students with a range of practical skills and knowledge to allow them to work on the front line.
"The drug and alcohol program (AOD) aims to provide front line workers with a solid grounding in current theory and research regarding drug and alcohol abuse," explains Associate Lecturer and Course Coordinator, Michelle Dickson. "They also develop and strengthen critical skills in best practice, counselling and intervention techniques for drug and alcohol clients."
A highly practical program
While theoretical knowledge underpins the entire program, providing students with practical skills is of utmost importance. "The practical side is what the workers need when they graduate," says Dickson. "Our aim is to make the training very easily related to what they do at the coal face."
During the course students examine real unidentified case studies; get practice and skills in assessing clients; conduct case consults in teams; talk about possible treatment programs and the impact for the client; and undertake small group work where they work with each other, a supervisor, academic, or visiting expert.
Articulation program
Students have the opportunity to articulate through the AOD program. Alongside the Postgraduate Certificate there is also a Postgraduate Diploma and a Masters Program.
"Our articulation program is important for drug and alcohol workers as it is hard to get released from the field to complete study," says Dickson. "People often choose to begin with what they know they can balance and once they have completed the Certificate we find many then move to the next stage."
Learning from front line workers
An important feature of the course is that front line workers are invited to conduct workshops on important issues such as the needle and syringe program or types of intervention used by drug and alcohol counsellors.
"This helps to make our course current," says Dickson. "Front line workers bring in their knowledge and their experiences from the field and pass those on to our students."
The alcohol and other drugs program is presented in the form of full day workshops. "In this field it is hard to get time off and as such we have designed the courses to be delivered as 9-5 workshops on Thursday, Friday or Saturday," explains Dickson. "We find that employers are more able to reshuffle the week when courses are presented at the end of the week."
Job opportunities
In the alcohol and other drugs field there is opportunity for employment as face to face counsellors but there is also an increasing need for other support mechanisms such as phone counselling, web based services and counselling in a rehabilitation setting.
"Our aim is to make sure that the training and counselling skills we provide will equip students to work in all those fields," says Dickson.
For further information on the alcohol and other drugs strand of the Postgraduate Certificate in Social Health contact Michelle Dickson via email: michelle.dickson@mq.edu.au or visit the Department of Psychology website: www.psy.mq.edu.au/postgraduate.htm