Te Taketake Diploma in Applied Addictions Counselling (Level 7)

This programme is designed for people who are already working in the mental health and addictions sector. You will gain the specialised technical knowledge and skills to provide treatment to people seeking assistance with problems of gambling, alcohol and drug use. While you learn to apply specialised knowledge, Te Taketake is also about promoting your own personal growth.

About the programme

This Moana House Training Institute programme is offered in partnership with Otago Polytechnic and will give you the qualification you need to take up a professional role within the mental health and addictions sector.

It is recognised by DAPAANZ (Drug and Alcohol Practitioners’ Association Aotearoa–New Zealand), the relevant professional body for addictions practitioners, and will give you the skills and knowledge to work independently to provide both assessments and treatment services. Upon successful completion of this Diploma, you can apply for professional registration with DAPAANZ*.

Courses include Foundation Counselling and Assessment Skills, Pharmacology, and Case management, Care and Prevention. There is also the addition of Te Hauhakenga, practical work and competencies.

Training will take place on 8 x three or four-day wānanga/workshops throughout the year in either Dunedin or Rotorua. Three-day wānanga are held from Friday to Sunday. Four-day wānanga are held from Thursday to Sunday. Some of the teaching will be done together but most of it will take place in separate streams according to the year of study you are in.

*Your success with DAPAANZ is dependent upon meeting their criteria.

Te Taketake is a Level 7 Addictions Counselling Diploma that produces graduates who are ready to work in the field. It actively combines theory with practice, and as a Level 7 qualification, it is the same level as the final year of a bachelor's degree.

You will gain the specialised technical knowledge and skills to provide treatment to people seeking assistance with problems of gambling, alcohol and drug use.

While you learn to apply specialised knowledge, Te Taketake is also about promoting your own personal growth; just as you will work with whaiora to encourage their personal growth, so too Te Taketake expects that you will be a more self-aware and reflective practitioner by the end of the diploma.

Please note: We no longer offer direct entry to the second year of the programme.

Courses

Year One - Te Aka | The Vine
  MH701003 (AKA1) Foundation Counselling and Assessment Skills
  MH702001 (AKA2) Pharmacology
  MH703003 (AKA3) Change and Motivation
Year Two - Te Rea | The Shoot
  MH704001 (REA1) Culture and Whānau
  MH705003 (REA2) Diagnostic Systems
  MH706002 (REA3) Case management, Care and Prevention
Years One and Two - Te Hauhakenga | The Harvest 
  MH707001 Applying Theory to Practice 1
  MH708001 Applying Theory to Practice 2

For a more detailed programme overview, click here.

Clinical placement 

Te Taketake teaches you the theory of addictions counselling at the same time as expecting you to apply your theoretical knowledge into your practice. If you don’t already work in the addictions field, you will need to find yourself a student placement as you are required to complete 400 hours of clinical practice over the two years of the diploma (200hrs each year). As a result, we believe that we produce graduates who are ready to start work in the addictions field on completion of their training.

Note: Your clinical hours must be recorded in your Log Book and can only start once the course starts. We will provide you with the log book. 

Clinical placement work with tangata whaiora (clients) and the clinical supervision that supports this is your responsibility to arrange. You must provide evidence of your clinical placement from the agency where you are completing your placement. This must be on letterhead and signed by the appropriate manager. Supply this with your application.

Tauira must negotiate their own whaiora work as part of the programme criteria. 

You will be asked as part of the enrolment process whether you have arranged a whaiora (client) caseload. From wānanga 2 in year one, you will be asked to complete assessments that involve your work with tangata whaiora.

We are part of Te Pūkenga

When you apply to study with Otago Polytechnic, you will be enrolled with Te Pūkenga, the new national network of vocational and applied education in Aotearoa New Zealand. You will learn in the same way, in the same place, and with the same people, and you will graduate with a Te Pūkenga qualification.

Disclaimer

While every effort is made to ensure that this sheet is accurate, Otago Polytechnic reserves the right to amend, alter or withdraw any of the contained information. The fees shown in this document are indicative only. Both domestic and international fees are subject to change and are dependent on the development and implementation of Government policies. Please note that additional fees may from time to time be required for external examination, NZQA fees and/or additional material fees.