Format: Live-online Lecturer Led Classes (Virtual-Classroom) via Zoom

Duration: 1 Evening Every Week 6pm to 9pm

Length: 10 Weeks

Online Live Attendance: 30 Hours

Self-Directed Learning: 30 Hours

Total CPD Credits: 60 Credits

Assessment: Written Assignment +/- Viva Voca Assessment

Award: Accredited Professional Diploma

Course Accreditation

• • Professional Development Consortium

  • Provider of Excellence

  • CPD Standards Office

  • Irish Counselling & Psychotherapy Association (ICPA)

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Course Description:

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The Professional Diploma in Addiction Studies is a comprehensive, evidence-based programme designed to deepen understanding of addiction and enhance professional competencies in working with individuals affected by substance use and behavioural addictions. Delivered online over 10 weeks, this diploma is suitable for psychotherapists, counsellors, healthcare workers, educators, social care professionals, and anyone with a professional or personal interest in addiction and recovery.

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Grounded in a trauma-informed and integrative framework, the course explores the psychological, neurobiological, social, and cultural dimensions of addiction. Each weekly module combines theory with practical case examples, group discussions, and reflective practice to ensure applied learning. Participants will gain tools for assessment, intervention planning, and ethical decision-making, while also learning about recovery models, relapse prevention, and self-care in the therapeutic relationship.

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Whether you’re new to the field or seeking to build on existing experience, this diploma offers a valuable and accessible foundation in addiction studies — equipping you to support clients with empathy, clinical insight, and professional integrity. The course also integrates a strong theory and application principles of Psychoanalysis

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Learning Outcomes

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By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

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• Understand the key theories and models of addiction and recovery.

• Identify the neurobiological and psychological mechanisms underlying addictive behaviours.

• Recognise the role of trauma, mental health, and social context in addiction.

• Apply ethical principles and professional boundaries in addiction-related work.

• Use practical tools for assessment, treatment planning, and relapse prevention.

• Engage with a range of addiction treatment modalities, including harm reduction and abstinence-based models.

• Reflect on personal attitudes, biases, and the emotional demands of working with addiction.

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Course Outline

WEEK 1: Introduction to Addiction Studies

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Outline:

1. Welcome & Introduction to the Course

2. About State of Mind Psychotherapy, Counselling & Education

3. Learning Outcomes for Week 1

4. Defining Addiction: Key Concepts

5. Types of Addiction: Substance vs. Behavioural

6. Historical Context of Addiction

7. Myths & Misconceptions

8. Biopsychosocial Model Introduction

9. The Impact of Addiction on Individuals & Families

10. Course Roadmap (Weeks 2–10 Overview)

11. Group Discussion Questions

12. Summary & Reflections

13. Further Reading & Assignments

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WEEK 2: The Neuroscience of Addiction

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The Addicted Brain: What Science Tells Us!

1. Recap from Week 1

2. Brain Structures Involved in Addiction

3. Dopamine & the Reward Pathway

4. Neuroplasticity & Habit Formation

5. Genetic and Epigenetic Factors

6. The Role of Trauma on Brain Function

7. Substance-Induced Brain Changes

8. Withdrawal & Craving

9. Implications for Treatment

10. Video Clip: Brain Scans & Substance Use

11. Case Study Discussion

12. Summary & Learning Check

13. Homework: Brain and Addiction Reading Reflection

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WEEK 3: Psychological Theories of Addiction

Understanding the Mind of Addiction!

1. Recap from Week 2

2. Behavioural Psychology Theories

3. Cognitive Approaches (CBT models)

4. Psychodynamic Theories (Freud to Modern Interpretations)

5. Attachment & Developmental Psychology Links

6. Personality Disorders and Addiction

7. Dual Diagnosis

8. Case Examples

9. Therapist–Client Dynamics

10. Tools for Psychological Assessment

11. Group Discussion

12. Summary & Learning Check

13. Homework & Reading

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WEEK 4: Toxicomania: A Psychoanalytic Perspective on Addiction

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1. Addiction as a Psychic Phenomenon

2. Freud on Drive, Pleasure, and Repetition

3. Addiction and the Unconscious

4. The Concept of Toxicomania in Psychoanalysis

5. Lacan: Desire, Lack, and the Addictive Object

6. Addiction as a Solution to Psychic Conflict

7. Trauma, Loss, and Melancholia in Addictive Structures

8. Jouissance and Compulsion Beyond the Pleasure Principle

9. The Function of the Substance in the Subject’s Psychic Economy

10. Addiction vs. Dependence: A Psychoanalytic Distinction

11. Clinical Implications for Assessment and Treatment

12. Limits and Critiques of Psychoanalytic Approaches to Addiction

13. Ethical Considerations in Psychoanalytic Clinical Practice

14. Case Discussion: Psychoanalytic Reading of Addiction

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WEEK 5: Substances of Abuse

Common Addictive Substances: Effects & Risks!

1. Recap from Week 4

2. Alcohol

3. Cannabis

4. Stimulants (Cocaine, Meth)

5. Opiates (Heroin, Prescription Painkillers)

6. Benzodiazepines & Prescription Misuse

7. Tobacco & Nicotine

8. Polydrug Use

9. Harm Reduction Strategies

10. Trends in Substance Use (Local & Global)

11. Guest Speaker Video (if available)

12. Summary & Assessment Check-In

13. Suggested Readings

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WEEK 6: Behavioural Addictions

When Behaviours Become Addictive!

1. Recap from Week 5

2. Defining Behavioural Addictions

3. Gambling Disorder

4. Gaming & Internet Addiction

5. Sex & Love Addiction

6. Shopping / Spending Addiction

7. Food and Eating Disorders

8. Controversies in Diagnosis

9. Treatment Considerations

10. Client Case Profiles

11. Group Roleplay Activity

12. Summary

13. Homework: Reflection Journal

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WEEK 7: Addiction: Search for a Lost Object​

1. Conceptualising Addiction as Loss and Lack

2. Recap of Previous Psychoanalytic Concepts

3. Freud: Loss, Mourning, and Melancholia

4. The Lost Object in Early Psychic Development

5. Desire, Absence, and Substitution

6. Lacan and the Object a

7. Addiction as an Attempt to Fill Psychic Void

8. Repetition, Compulsion, and Attachment to the Object

9. Affect Regulation and the Addictive Object

10. Symbolic vs. Real Satisfaction

11. Clinical Implications for Understanding Addiction

12. Limits of Recovery Without Subjective Meaning

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WEEK 8: Assessment and Treatment Planning

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Working with Addiction: Tools and Interventions!

1. Recap from Week 7

2. Stages of Change Model

3. Screening Tools (AUDIT, DAST, etc.)

4. Risk Assessment

5. Creating a Treatment Plan

6. Person-Centred Approaches

7. Motivational Interviewing Techniques

8. CBT in Addiction Treatment

9. Relapse Prevention

10. Case Study Walkthrough

11. Ethical Boundaries & Confidentiality

12. Summary & Application Task

13. Assignment Brief

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WEEK 9: Treatment Modalities & Recovery

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Pathways to Recovery: What Works?

1. Recap from Week 8

2. Harm Reduction vs. Abstinence

3. Residential Rehab Programs

4. Outpatient & Community Services

5. 12-Step Models (AA/NA)

6. SMART Recovery

7. Psychotherapy Modalities in Practice

8. Role of Family Therapy

9. Building Recovery Capital

10. Peer Support & Aftercare

11. Guest Recovery Speaker (if possible)

12. Summary

13. Reflective Homework

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WEEK 10: Professional Practice & Ethical Issues

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Ethics, Boundaries, and Professionalism in Addiction Work

1. Final Session Overview

2. Code of Ethics (IACP, CORU, etc.)

3. Confidentiality and Safeguarding

4. Dual Relationships & Boundaries

5. Self-Care and Supervision

6. Legal and Reporting Requirements

7. Cultural Competence

8. Working Within Scope of Practice

9. Professional Development Pathways

10. Group Discussion: Ethical Scenarios

11. Final Q&A

12. Course Wrap-Up & Feedback

Professional Diploma in Addiction Studies
(LIVE ONLINE) 
60 CPD POINTS