International training on Counselling in Addiction Management opened
Mangaluru: Ecolink Institute of Well-being in collaboration with Center for Global Health Research and Policy, Atlanta has started a web-based training series on Counselling in Addiction Management for psychologists and mental health professionals from July 24.
Fifty-two participants, mostly psychologists and mental health professionals from over 20 cities in India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and the United States, are taking part in the online course, facilitated by certified global trainers. Two months training also include a guided internship with Autumnmind with casework, webinars and addiction counselling.
Dr Josephine Choong with Dr Thomas Scaria
The program was opened by Dr Josephine Choong, Programme Manager for Asia under Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Programme. Inaugurating the program through a zoom meet from Colombo, Dr Choong said substance abuse disorder is a growing mental health issue all over the world which demands more therapists who are trained in addiction management.
Dr Choong also signed an MOU with Ecolink Institute of Well-being and Colombo Plan for conducting training courses on Universal Treatment and Prevention Curricula (UTC & UPC courses) which enables participants to take an examination and get credentials to practice as an addiction counsellor.
The current training program is a short term course aimed at imparting addiction counselling skills with general counselling practitioners, most of them postgraduates in psychology. The syllabus includes understanding addiction as a brain disease, the effects of psychoactive substances on individuals, stages and symptoms of addiction, pharmacology of drugs, behavioural addictions, medical management as well as counselling and therapeutic skills in addiction management.
Dr Choong addressing the virtual conference
Internationally certified trainers like Dr Thirumagal V, Dr Thomas Scaria, Francis Moothedan, Dr Kiran Kumar PK, Dr Thulitha Wickrama, Reshma Malick and Prabhakar Shetty are facilitating the training course.
Ecolink Institute of Well-being is recognized as a “Training Provider” by the Colombo Plan for implementing training courses on Universal Treatment Curriculum (UTC) in addiction management and Universal Prevention Curriculum (UPC) which are approved by the UNODC, as WHO as evidence-based.
Dr Thomas Scaria, the Director of the Institute, announced that more similar training programs on addiction management would be carried out in collaboration with the Colombo Plan for training addiction professionals with credentials.
