Mental Health Competency 3
Substance use and its connection to mental health is a critically important topic. In Mental Health Competency 3: Substance Use Awareness, you will gain insight into some of the most commonly used types of substances, risk and protective factors for substance use, and practical ways you can help someone find support that can lead to recovery. Based on up-to-date statistics from governing bodies and relevant scholarly articles, this course provides a deeper understanding of substance use disorders and various treatment options. The instructional design is learner-focused and approachable to nearly all individuals with an interest in improving their competency in substance use awareness. NOTE: We recommend completing Mental Health Competency 1 before taking any other Mental Health Ally Series courses.
Course Overview
ESTIMATED COURSE LENGTH: 1 hour
CE CREDITS: 1 hour continuing education/contact hours for social workers, case managers, health and wellness coaches, nurses, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians
TARGET AUDIENCE: Mental Health and Medical Providers, Healthcare Team, Employers, Caregivers, Coaches, Case Managers, First Responders, Teachers, Attorneys, and other pertinent professionals
LEVEL OF INSTRUCTION: Introductory
PREREQUISITE(S): None
INSTRUCTIONAL METHOD: Self-paced, interactive, hybrid of audio, text, video, and learning checks
ACCESSIBILITY ACCOMMODATIONS: Closed captioning of all audio and video components. To request further accessibility accommodations, please email support@psychhub.com.
COMPLETION REQUIREMENTS: To obtain your CE certificate, you must progress through all course segments, complete a participant evaluation, and obtain a score of 80% or higher on a post test quiz. Learners are expected to complete the quiz within 3 attempts. If unable to do so, the learner will need to re-review the course segments.
FINANCIAL/COMMERCIAL SUPPORT STATEMENT: This course has no commercial support.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST: This course has no potential conflict of interest or outside commercial support. Psych Hub's conflict of interest statement is found in the footer of the training center.
GRIEVANCE AND REFUND POLICIES: Grievance and refund policies are found in the footer of the training center.
PARTICIPATION COSTS: The cost to participate in this CE activity is included in the subscription registration fee.
COURSE CREATION DATE: 8/31/2020, updated 4/14/2026
Learning Objectives
- Relate three substances that are commonly used, and the various risk factors that contribute to the development of substance use disorders.
- Summarize practical skills that can be used when responding to someone who may have a substance use disorder. The summary must cover communication skills, using the Stages of Change as a guide for how to help most effectively, and the various treatment options and forms of support that are available.
Course Outline
- Pre-Course Assessment
- What Are Substance Use Disorders?
- What is Addiction?
- Diagnostic Criteria
- Substances
- Dispelling Stigma
- Risk and Protective Factors
- States of Change
- Warning Signs
- Help and Hope
- Knowledge Check
- Discussion Summary
- References
- Post-Course Assessment
CE Information
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)
Social workers completing this course receive 1 general continuing education credits.
Commission for Case Manager Certification (CCMC)
Activity code: H00065749 Approval Number: 250004045. To claim these CEs, log into your CCMC Dashboard at www.ccmcertification.org. Participant must retain this document for one year past their CCM board-certified case manager’s renewal date.
National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC)
Course Number: CE-000008-3
Certificate of Completion
Training hours: {course_duration}
New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work (NYSED-SW)
American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)
UAN: 0829-9999-22-377-H01-P To claim these CMEs, log into https://psychhub.cds.affinityced.com/#959
National Association of Social Workers - New Jersey (NASW-NJ)
Approval #: 9302024-235, CE Approval Collaborative Approval Period: through August 31, 2026. Social workers will receive 1 clinical continuing education hours for participating in this course.
New York State Education Department - Licensed Mental Health Counselors (NYSED-LMHC)
New York State Education Department - Marriage & Family Therapists (NYSED-MFT)
New York State Education Department - Psychology (NYSED-PSY)
Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling
Experts
