Douglas College offers Mental Health and Substance Use Work Certificate, a certificate in Health Sciences programme in New Westminster, Canada. The programme runs for 2 semesters, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English.
At a glance
Degree:Certificate
Field:Health Sciences
Duration: 2 semesters
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
We have no tuition fees on record for this programme yet — see the official programme page.
— it helps other students.
Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
In the Mental Health and Substance Use Certificate, you'll learn to provide safe, competent and ethical client-centred care to those with mental health and substance use challenges. Under the guidance of qualified instructors, you’ll practise in an in-person clinical setting, applying principles of recovery, equity, diversity and inclusion.
Gain insight into personal care, daily living activity and medication assistance, trauma-informed practices, Indigenous Peoples care and the impact of colonization. As a government-funded project, the Certificate in Mental Health and Substance Use Work program offers you unique financial benefits. When you are accepted and enter the program, your education will be paid for and you will receive a weekly stipend for your efforts.
Direct application to Douglas College is closed. Interested applicants can apply to the BC Health Career Access Program (HCAP).
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Academic admission follows Douglas College's General College Admission Requirements (https://www.douglascollege.ca/admissions/requirements-and-assessment-testing/general-college-admissions-requirements), with applicants also expected to meet Douglas College's institution-wide English Language Proficiency requirement: Grade 12 English at a minimum grade of C (English Studies 12, English First Peoples 12, or English 12) or Communications 12 at B, or a recognized test score such as IELTS Academic overall band 6.5, TOEFL iBT overall 4.5 with no section below 4.0, PTE Academic 56, Duolingo English Test 110, or CAEL 60. Non-academic conditions apply after an offer of admission: a Criminal Record Check at the applicant's own cost, and applicants may be required to complete an admission interview with the Program Coordinator for additional information or academic advising. Before clinical practice begins, students must also provide a current record of immunizations, with all related costs the applicant's responsibility; the college recommends attending an information session beforehand.
Application Details
Start Date:Douglas runs three fifteen-week semesters a year: Fall from September to December, Winter from January to April and Summer from May to August. The programme page lists intakes in Summer (May). The Fall 2026 semester began on 8 September 2026 and Winter 2027 classes begin on 4 January 2027.
Application Deadline:Douglas publishes college-wide application windows rather than a single date for every programme, and the domestic and international timetables are different. DOMESTIC APPLICANTS apply on EducationPlannerBC. Applications for a semester open about eleven months ahead, at 9:00 a.m. on the first business day of the opening month: 1 June for the following Summer. Douglas labels this a limited-enrolment programme, so it sets no single fixed closing date: the round shuts when the intake fills, and the college’s own test is whether the programme still appears in the EducationPlannerBC drop-down list. Applicants are acknowledged in writing about two to three weeks after applying, and qualified applicants are then ranked against the programme’s published criteria. INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS: this programme page carries no international application block, so confirm with Douglas International Admissions that the programme is open to you before applying. The college-wide international dates are 30 September 2026 for Winter (January) 2027 and 31 January 2027 for Summer (May) 2027; the Fall (September) 2026 intake closed on 31 May 2026. Read from the programme page and the college deadline pages on 6 September 2026; Douglas had not yet published Summer 2027 domestic closing dates.
