Basic Pharmacology in Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders

Intended Audience:

This course is for frontline workers, care providers, case managers and clinicians working in mental health and substance use programs.

Date and Time:

Please see dates below

Course Duration:

6 weeks

Cost:

$425 Registration Fee; $212.50 CAMH Staff Fee

Contact Phone Number:

Please email

Contact Email:

courses.help@camh.ca

Course Requirements and Prerequisites

This course can be taken alone; however, it qualifies as an elective for the Concurrent Disorders Certificate Program.

Electives must be taken within a four-year period after completing the core course; any courses taken prior to the core program will not count toward the certificate. Participants will need to either re-take those courses or select electives that they have not previously taken.

The Concurrent Disorders Core Course must be taken first; then you will need to complete only two electives (listed below):

• Collaborating with Families Affected by Concurrent Disorders
• Interactions Between Psychiatric Medications and Substances of Abuse 
• Legal Issues in Mental Health Care in Ontario 
• Motivational Interviewing Introduction
• Recovery-Oriented Approach

Course Overview

This six-week course focuses on the basic pharmacology of mental health problems and substance use disorders. It is for frontline workers, care providers, case managers and clinicians working in mental health and substance use programs. Topic areas covered include pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, how neurotransmitters work, and the effects of psychiatric medications and substance use on the brain.

Learning Objectives

• Identify basic neurobiological mechanisms.
• Identify the relationship between medication management and psychiatric disorders.
• Describe the four basic concepts of pharmacokinetics.
• Describe the four basic concepts of pharmacodynamics.
• Explain the mechanisms of drug action in the brain.
• Discuss the management of common medication side-effects.
• Compare three pharmacological approaches to treating substance use problems.

Delivery Method

Online

Course requirements:

• pre-course evaluation
• post an introduction in the introduction discussion forum
• activities and quizzes in each module
• post-course evaluation.

Please note: This course requires you to use an internet browser, but the system does not support Microsoft Internet Explorer. Do not use that to access the course. Instead, use one of the following:

• Apple Safari
• Google Chrome
• Microsoft Edge
• Mozilla Firefox

For more details, please read the browser and compatibility support page.

Certification and Accreditation

This course can be taken alone; however, it qualifies as an elective for the Concurrent Disorders Certificate Program.

This course has 19.0 study credits

Affiliation and Partnerships

University of Toronto

Register

Course start and end dates:  January 17 - February 27, 2022

Please select the link below to register:

https://app.certain.com/profile/3279990

Please review the cancellation policy