Graduate Diploma of Addictive Behaviours

The Graduate Diploma of Addictive Behaviours is offered in partnership with Turning Point, an internationally renowned clinical treatment, research and education centre located in Melbourne, Australia.

This course provides you with a strong conceptual and theoretical foundation for understanding and responding to addictive behaviours. It draws on contemporary, evidence-based clinical practice and public health responses to addiction. Key topics covered include addiction science, epidemiology, public health and policy, addiction assessment, treatment and other support options.

In the first year, you will develop foundational knowledge and skills to help you recognise and respond to substance use disorders and other addictive behaviours and understand key factors contributing to the development and maintenance of addiction. Emphasis is placed on practice-relevant education that encompasses a holistic view of addiction applied through a biopsychosocial lens, and within the context of current public health and policy. In the second year, you will explore addiction concepts in more depth to understand how society and culture shape our understanding of the addiction experience; how public health and policy processes are designed to respond to population-level harms; and evidence-based therapeutic interventions to support individuals, families, and communities living with addiction. You will learn about current substance use and other addiction trends, how social, political and environmental factors impact the addiction experience; and local and international responses for preventing and responding to addiction-related harm. You will develop relevant skills for critiquing the evidence base and understanding its contribution to shaping policy and therapeutic response and how research is translated into practice.

This course is relevant for graduates of, and professionals working within the health and social sciences, allied health, mental health or community services, legal or public policy fields. It will benefit people with an interest in progressing their career within the alcohol and other drugs (AOD) or behavioural addictions sectors, and those seeking a rewarding educational experience to develop knowledge of addiction concepts, academic and practical skills relevant for application in a range of clinical, government, or community settings.