Understanding Substance Use for Professionals

Understanding Substance Use is an interactive training course designed for professionals working in support services who engage with individuals affected by drug and alcohol use. Whether you're in community work, housing, mental health, social care, youth services, education, or other frontline roles, this course provides the essential knowledge and tools to more confidently and effectively support clients navigating substance use challenges.

Substance use often intersects with a range of other issues including mental health, trauma, poverty, housing insecurity, domestic abuse, and more. This course explores these intersections while equipping participants with a deeper understanding of addiction, the behavioural and psychological impacts of substance use, and practical approaches to engagement and support.

Course Objectives:

• Build a foundation of knowledge around the nature of addiction and dependency
• Understand the social, psychological, and behavioural drivers of problematic substance use
• Recognise how substance use may present in clients, even when it’s not the primary issue
• Develop skills to respond supportively and non-judgmentally
• Learn how to navigate conversations around substance use with sensitivity and confidence
• Explore the impact of familial substance misuse on children and young people
• Gain insight into recovery journeys, including lapses and relapse
• Learn about local services, referral pathways, and tools for multi-agency working

Modules Covered:

• Introduction to Hawkspring
• What is Addiction?
• Why Substances Can Become Problematic
• Dependence vs Addiction
• Addiction vs Values
• Presenting Behaviours within Problematic Use
• The Client Journey
• Pathways to Recovery
• Lapses and Relapses
• Myths and Stigma
• Tools to Support Adults
• Skills for Concerned Others
• Additional Related Issues
• Children and Young People – Living with Familial Substance Misuse
• Supporting Children Affected by Substance Use
• Useful Services and Information

This course goes beyond awareness, offering practical frameworks, evidence-informed strategies, and real-world insights for professionals working alongside individuals and families impacted by substance use. Through a mix of interactive exercises, presentations, case studies, and reflective discussions, participants will leave with actionable skills they can immediately apply in their day-to-day work.