PGCert in Addictions and Mental Health at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Canada is a postgraduate certificate in Counselling & Psychotherapy programme. The programme runs for 3 semesters, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English.
At a glance
Degree:Postgraduate Certificate
Field:Counselling & Psychotherapy
Duration: 3 semesters
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
We have no tuition fees on record for this programme yet.
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Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
Overview This online Ontario College Graduate Certificate program is primarily designed to enhance and further develop the skills of individuals who already work in health care or the social services field and who are interested in specializing in addictions and mental health. There is a growing need for coordinated services by professionals with the knowledge and skills to treat concurrent disorders. Students take an interdisciplinary approach to the study of mental health, mental illness, substance use including focus on holistic assessment and intervention strategies, recovery process, and promotion of ongoing mental health. Students acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities required by mental health professionals to deliver responsive and effective substance use disorder treatment and mental health services, while promoting empowerment, self-determination, and optimum quality of life to individuals. Students gain practical experience through the supervised field placement where they can apply knowledge of best practices and further enhance their skillsets. During placement, students are paired with a Field Placement Liaison for support and guidance. Upon completion of the program, students possess the knowledge and skills to work with vulnerable populations in a variety of community mental health and addictions services settings, dependent on their prior experience and credentials, and skills built in the program. These settings may include social service and government agencies, mental health agencies, residential treatment centres, group homes, homeless shelters, school boards, services for specific vulnerable populations, family counselling programs, crisis response services, community outreach programs, community justice programs, medical detox programs, long-term care facilities, hospices, and other establishments. The Addictions and Mental Health Graduate Certificate (AMH) is recognized by the Canadian Addiction Counsellor Certification Federation (CACCF), Canada's Addiction Workforce Regulator. The CACCF affirms that this program meets the education requirement component of their certification process. To qualify for this graduate certificate, you must complete the program within four years.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: This graduate certificate admits on any of three routes: an Ontario College Diploma, Advanced Diploma or degree in a human, health, or social sciences field; an equivalent credential in another field plus at least five courses in those fields; or, short of a completed credential, a minimum of two years of post-secondary study in good academic standing in a human, health, or social sciences field. No numeric grade-point average is published for this program. Applicants with international transcripts must document the same subject background and, where required, prove English proficiency: Academic IELTS overall 6.5 with no band under 6.0, or TOEFL iBT overall 88 with 22 per component (pre-21-January-2026 tests) or 4.5 overall with 4.5 per component (tests after), or a Duolingo score of 120 overall with 120 in Literacy and nothing below 105; domestic applicants with international transcripts are assessed through ICAS or WES. The program also requires immunization records and a Police Records Check for Service with the Vulnerable Sector before the required field placement.
Application Details
Start Date:September, January and May
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants apply through ontariocolleges.ca: for September 2027 entry the application portal opens 26 September 2026, the equal consideration date is 1 February 2027, and offers must be accepted by 1 May 2027, while later applications are still assessed as space allows; Algonquin publishes no separate equal-consideration date for the January 2027 intake. International applicants apply directly via Algonquin's own International Application Portal, not ontariocolleges.ca; instead of one fixed date the college posts a program-by-program closing-date list shortly before each term starts - for Fall 2026 most programs closed 16 September 2026, technology programs by 9-10 September; no Winter 2027 or Fall 2027 international list has been posted yet, so admission remains effectively rolling until each list is published and fills. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
