Introduction
Foundations of Assessment and Screening for Addiction and Mental Health
This foundational course equips Canadian counsellors, social workers, and healthcare professionals with core competencies in assessment and screening for addiction and mental health concerns. Learners will develop skills in building therapeutic rapport, conducting biopsychosocial assessments, identifying substance use patterns, recognizing concurrent mental health disorders, and understanding the impact of trauma on presentation. The course emphasizes culturally-safe approaches for diverse populations including Indigenous peoples, newcomers, LGBTQ2S+ individuals, youth, and older adults. Topics include stages of change assessment, risk stratification, suicide and violence risk screening, documentation best practices, and collaborative care planning within the Canadian healthcare context.
Lifetime accessCertificate of completion20 lessonsMobile & desktop
Trauma-Informed CareCommunicationCultural CompetencyConcurrent DisordersIndigenous CommunitiesLGBTQ2S+Youth & AdolescentsAssessment & ScreeningCrisis InterventionDocumentation & Ethics
$80CAD
8 CEU hrs
What you'll learn
Conduct comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments aligned with Canadian best practices
Screen for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and substance use using validated tools (PHQ-9, GAD-7, MDQ)
Assess substance use patterns, severity, and identify concurrent mental health disorders
Perform suicide and violence risk screening using structured, evidence-based approaches
Apply cultural safety principles and humility when assessing diverse populations including Indigenous peoples, LGBTQ2S+ individuals, newcomers, youth, and older adults
