Harm Reduction Approach to Substance Use (Graduate Certificate)
This certificate will introduce students to the concept of harm reduction, discuss a range of harm reduction services and programs in the United States and beyond, and offer practical training on non-stigmatizing, social justice-oriented, and trauma-informed engagement strategies with people who use drugs. The certificate consists of three, 3-credit courses (i.e., 9 credits in total), offered in an asynchronous online format to provide optimal flexibility for students and professionals from various human service disciplines.
Students who complete the certificate will be able to:
- Identify major drug classifications, their routes of administration and neurobehavioral effects, and describe the major differences in current intervention approaches (i.e., abstinence-focused vs. harm reduction-focused).
- Define harm reduction and describe the major principles of harm reduction work.
- Describe the historical and social contexts of harm reduction work in the United States and other parts of the world.
- Demonstrate familiarity with a range of harm reduction interventions (e.g., syringe access programs, distribution of naloxone, medication-assisted treatment, supervised consumption sites), and the evidence base for their effectiveness.
- Demonstrate an understanding of major principles for client engagement using a harm reduction lens, and its therapeutic benefits to people who use drugs.
In order to make applying for graduate school as seamless as possible for you, we have
created an application checklist. This checklist can be a reference point for you during the
application process to ensure that you have a comprehensive understanding of the steps
needed to apply, as well as all of corresponding supplemental materials for your specific
program of interest.
- Application Deadline: Rolling Admission
- Submit Online Application: Please create your online account and submit your application by following the general application instructions and pay (or waive) the non-refundable $60 application fee. Once this step has been completed, the online portal will allow you to upload your supplemental materials.
- Transcript: One from each college attended.
- Undergraduate GPA minimum of 2.5
- Resume (optional)
HLTH 511 Biomedical and Psychosocial Perspectives on Drugs (3 credits)
(Restriction(s): Restricted to Counseling w/conc in Addictions Counseling and Public Health w/conc in Community Health Education majors)
- Examines the complex biomedical and psychosocial dimensions of contemporary drug use, emphasizing consideration of a broad spectrum of physiological responses to and health consequences of involvement. Provides a comprehensive view of the historical and social aspects of drug use, and an analysis of selected major issues presented by our current problems with drugs.
Existing course in the Public Health program.
SOWK 540: Harm Reduction Interventions in the Management of Substance Use and Misuse (3 credits)
- This course provides an overview of harm reduction approaches to substance use, and the historical and social contexts of harm reduction work in the United States and globally. Students will become familiar with a range of harm reduction interventions, their major principles, and the challenges in their implementation. Students will also learn to critically evaluate available research on harm reduction interventions and compare it with research on abstinence-based intervention programs. May be repeated for a maximum of six credits.
Existing course in the Master of Social Work program.
SOWK 541: Engaging Individuals Affected by Substance Use and Misuse (3 credits)
Prerequisite(s): SOWK 540
- This course discusses major principles for engagement with people who use drugs, using a non-stigmatizing, social justice-oriented, and trauma-informed approach. Students will learn how to establish trusting, collaborative relationships with people affected by drug use; how to identify bias and stigma in common interactions; and how to practice self-reflection and self-regulation to maintain effective engagement. In addition, students will be able to identify the impact of clients` intersecting identities, cultural practices, and personal histories on engagement, disengagement, and reengagement processes. May be repeated for a maximum of six credits.
Existing course in the Master of Social Work program.
If you have any general questions regarding the application process and requirements, please email or call us:
Office of Graduate Admissions
Email: graduate@syria-events.com
Telephone: 973-655-5147
Fax: 973-655-7869
If you have specific inquiries regarding your program of interest, please contact the Harm Reduction Approach to Substance Use Certification Program Coordinator.
*During the summer months, there will be a rotating department chair available to answer your inquiry. Find the updated summer chair for this program.*
Program Coordinator: Dr. Svetlana Shpiegel
Office: Dickson Hall 370
Email: shpiegels@syria-events.com
Phone: