ICHAS - Certificate in Addiction Studies Gambling

The Gambling Awareness Trust has collaborated with ICHAS on the design and development of a Level 9 Specialist Training Certificate in Addiction Studies (Gambling) which will provide practitioners in the field with an opportunity to enhance their qualifications and expertise in the delivery of high quality, specialised support to those affected by harmful gambling and gambling addiction.

GAT believes this course will compliment the existing Level 8 training available at MTU and encourage practitioners to further develop their skills and knowledge in an area that is seeing increasing demand for specialist support. The training is subsidised by GAT to encourage and support student participation. Our aim is to improve service delivery across the country ensuring anyone who seeks help is provided with the most contemporary knowledge and skills in the field to support their treatment and recovery.

Course Overview

This Certificate in Addiction Studies (Gambling) is validated by QQI (Quality and Qualifications Ireland) at Level 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications and is 20 ECTS.

The programme specifically aims to increase practitioner  awareness and enhance relevant skills and competencies to engage with those with Gambling Addiction and to support them in their journey towards recovery The programme is delivered by  lecturers who have both therapeutic experiences  of working in an addiction environment, but more specifically, gambling addiction.

The programme is supported by the Gambling Awareness Trust for 11 applicants where 70% of fees will be funded.

Award Title: Certificate in Addiction Studies (Gambling) – QQI Level 9
Duration: 12 Weeks (Full-Time) / 24 Weeks (Part-Time)
Tuition Fees: €2,400 (This programme is supported by the Gambling Awareness Trust for 11 applicants where 70% of fees will be funded.)
Start Date: September 2023
Location: Available at Dublin and Limerick campuses

Who is this course for?

This Level 9 Certificate Award is designed for graduates in health and human sciences and in particular graduates of counselling and psychotherapy related programmes as well as disciplines such as, nursing, social care, social work, psychology and programmes in cognate areas who wish to enhance the knowledge and competencies to engage with those with Gambling Addiction and to support them in their journey towards recovery. The Programme has been designed to take due cognisance of the distinctive features of Gambling Addiction and the specific ethos associated with the Recovery Model in Addiction to expand their knowledge and understanding of Recovery Approaches to Gambling Addiction and the contribution of theoretical and applied perspectives at advanced level to gambling addiction recovery practice.

It is designed for those working with individuals, families and communities impacted by Gambling Addiction. This Programme specifically focusses on understandings of Gambling Addiction and Recovery from Addiction Perspectives.

Course Aims

  • Provide a postgraduate qualification in the theories and practice of Gambling Addiction principles for professionals who work with (or seek to work with) individuals, families and communities exposed to or experiencing gambling addiction and its consequences in a range of health or social care environments – to enable them to specialise, lead and work for better outcomes for individuals with complex needs at a policy, leadership and practice level.
  • Support graduates of the programme to act as professional leaders as well as advocates and agents for change at an individual or broader level, advocating for social justice and human rights for their clients, and through specialised interventions, promote principles of respect and empowerment for clients and their families or communities in the context of gambling addiction.
  • Provide a programme which, through interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary engagement, models best evidence-informed practice and expands cross-disciplinary boundaries to develop and inform systemic development at the forefront of the field of gambling addiction practices.
  • Respond to the increasing and expanding demand for policy and practice initiatives which are evidence-based in gambling addiction approaches within voluntary, community and healthcare settings to respond to everchanging social and culturally sensitive needs and act autonomously in often unpredictable and ill-defined professional contexts informed by recovery principles.
  • Promote the understanding of best-practice in gambling addiction approaches, through evidencebased knowledge, reflection and scholarship.
  • Enable students to employ theoretically informed competencies to support health promotion, prevention and rehabilitation/recovery in gambling addiction by creating and modelling learning opportunities where all learners can participate successfully within the context of their own strengths and abilities.
  • Provide access routes to higher education and the opportunity for participants to specialise in Gambling addiction practices, based on their current professional needs, individual professional interests and/or career orientation.