Mental Health, Addictions, and Criminal Justice, Advanced Certificate

The Advanced Certificate in Mental Health, Addictions, and Criminal Justice is designed to broaden participants lens of practice and provide them with the knowledge, skills, and values to deliver and advocate for an integrated service model in the fields of criminal justice and mental health and addictions. The program prepares graduates to apply an inter-professional approach to the provision of services and supports for individuals with mental health or substance use challenges in contact with the criminal justice system.

Students build on their existing knowledge and skills to develop a shared foundational knowledge of the theories, systems, methods, and models of practice of the criminal justice and mental health disciplines, in addition to a common professional language and values.

Upon completion of the program, graduates will have an enhanced understanding of and ability to provide integrated services and supports, as well as to advocate for change in the systems and structures that individuals with mental health or substance use challenges experience in the justice system. Graduates will also have an increased understanding of the impact of systems, colonization, decolonization, and systemic racism on Indigenous peoples and communities.

Operating from a social justice perspective, the program emphasizes the values related to and importance of social responsibility, advocacy, community-capacity building, and inter-professional practice.

Are you passionate about social justice?

Operating from a social justice perspective, the Mental Health, Addictions, and Criminal Justice program emphasizes the values related to and importance of social responsibility, advocacy, community-capacity building, and interprofessional practice. The program provides a basis to build an environment where students in health, social services, and the criminal justice fields can develop collaborative, cooperative, and coordinated practice for providing client-centred care.

What to expect

The Advanced Certificate in Mental Health, Addictions, and Criminal Justice has been designed with working professionals in mind. The program is an interprofessional fully online eight-month program consisting of a series of four 7-week courses

Academic Term 1

In your first term, you’ll critically examine the intersection between the criminal justice and mental health systems and addictions, and apply an interprofessional approach to reviewing existing systems and organizations that service these populations.

Academic Term 2

In your second term, you’ll develop evidence-based approaches to support people facing mental health, substance use, and criminal justice challenges; develop approaches to address service barriers and challenges and explore contemporary social issues and perspectives through a social justice, human rights, advocacy and practice lens.

We’ll help you succeed

Upon completion of the program, you'll have an enhanced understanding of and ability to provide integrated services and supports, as well as to advocate for change in the systems and structures that individuals with mental health or substance use challenges and the justice system experience. You'll also have an increased understanding of the impact of systems, colonization, decolonization, including information related to the systemic racism of Indigenous peoples and communities.

Professional practice

As a graduate, you will enhance your existing skills to support you in the workplace and the community to better advocate, and meet the needs of clients. Our graduates are prepared to address challenges related to mental health, addictions, and criminal justice with an approach that is  focused on problem solving in a collaborative integrated way. Professionals completing the program focus on ways to work together to better meet the needs of individuals and communities.