A health degree for today

The Bachelor of Community Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs was developed by Chisholm to meet the growing demand for people with the appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes to work across the spectrum of community-based mental health and Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) treatment services.

This degree is unique in that it is the first dedicated undergraduate qualification in Australia to provide specialist teaching across mental health and AOD disciplines in the community health sector. It offers a practical, applied approach which is geared to the demands of today’s mental health services workplace.

The degree supports the latest policy developments of State and Federal Government, including recognition of dual diagnosis. The Federal Government’s national reform strategy of giving greater recognition to social inclusion as an integral element in influencing the impact and outcome of mental illness is another key feature of the degree.

This makes it an ideal qualification for long-term community service workers who either don’t have a qualification or want to develop their existing qualifications.

A key aspect of the degree is that it prepares the graduate to be an integral part of the kind of multi-professional team that is common in today’s community support services environment. In these teams the primary clinical role is usually filled by psychiatrists, nurses, social workers and other professions with focused skill sets. A graduate of the Bachelor of Community Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs will have a broad but allied set of specialised, non-clinical skills that complement the more clinical orientation of their colleagues.

Developed in close consultation with practitioners, academics, professional bodies, employer groups and policy makers at State and National level, this unique new qualification was launched by mental health expert, advocate and Australian of the Year Professor Patrick McGorry in October 2010.

The degree has also been developed with post-graduate pathways in mind and is designed to lead naturally into higher qualifications, such as a Masters. There are strong lead-in pathways from existing diplomas and relevant qualifications.

For more information please contact Jose Hernandez on (03) 9238 8434.