Dates: 28 January - 18 March

Time: 7pm-9pm

Venue: Western Gateway Building room G08, UCC 

Fee: €250

Closing date for registrations: 20 January 2025

Course Overview: 

This short “An Introduction to Addiction Studies” course invites students to engage with an important health and societal issue. The course will provide students with an introduction to the theories, treatment models, frameworks, services and practices associated with substance misuse, addiction and recovery in contemporary Ireland. Students will explore the effects addiction has on the health and well-being of individuals, families, communities and the health, social care and criminal justice systems of the state. Students will be provided with an understanding of how addiction theory, policy and practice have developed socio-culturally and historically. They will be introduced to the models of addiction treatment, and the services that are available national, regionally and locally for some of the most vulnerable in society. Lived experience speakers will illuminate the theoretical learnings with real life stories.   

Course Content: 

An overview of current discourse and practice in the area of substance use will be provided for students. It will focus on the evolution of the various narratives around 

addiction and its impact on the individual, family, communities and society as a whole. It will pay particular attention to the Irish context but international influences will be drawn upon to stimulate debate in the areas of harm reduction; decriminalisation; legalisation; trauma and evidence informed care and other recent developments in this field. Teaching sessions will focus on the nature and context of addiction (including characteristics, definitions and distinguishing features from non-problematic drug use); drug prevention, education and awareness with a focus on young people; models of treatment including discussions around abstinence vs harm reduction methodologies; dual diagnosis; behavioural therapies and drug policy issues. Community and family focused issues such as drug related intimidation will also be included. 

Eight proposed lecture titles include: 

• Substance Use and Addiction : What is the difference? (Rebekah Brennan) 
• What causes addiction? (Rebekah Brennan) 
• Different ways of treating and responding to addiction (Robert O’Driscoll) 
• Drug prevention, education and awareness: then vs now (Rebekah Brennan) 
• A Lived Experience of Irelands Drug policy (James Leonard) 
• Drug related intimidation (Rebekah Brennan) 
• Problematic Gambling (Tony O Reilly) 

Course Lecturers: 

Rebekah Brennan is proposed as the lead lecturer for this course. Dr. Brennan is an experienced and extensively published qualitative research consultant and postdoctoral researcher. She currently has 25 publications in high impact peer reviewed journals, 11 published evaluation reports and 3 book chapters. Previous consultancy clients include SICDATF (South Inner-City Drug & Alcohol Task Force); NICDATF (North East Inner City Drug and Alcohol Task Force); Tusla, Child & Family Agency; Tabor Lodge – Cork; Adult Continuing Education (ACE) UCC; National Oral Health Office, HSE amongst others). She is Research Lead for the SOAR Project at Access UCC and for the Cork Local Drug and Alcohol Task Force. Her research interests include: social inclusion, human rights and substance use. Dr. Brennan is a lecturer at Adult Continuing Education (ACE) on Level 7 Substance Use and Addiction Studies Diploma and Level 8 (NFQ) Certificate in Professional Development: Responding to Problem Gambling in UCC. She is also a lecturer at An Cosan Higher Education, Tallaght, Dublin 24 on the Level 7 Applied Addiction Studies and Community Development BA degree. Dr. Brennan has experience of programme development at QQI Levels 9, 8, 7, 6 and 5 and is experienced and competent at blending learning delivery, virtual learning environments, assessment, examination, delivery of feedback and mentorship. She has also presented research findings at national and international conferences in the US, the UK and Europe Dr. Brennan holds a PhD by research in drug sociology from Waterford Institute of Technology (graduated October 2018). She is a former Irish Research Council Scholarship awardee (2013). She holds a BA (Hons) in Addiction Counselling (1.1). 

Robert O’Driscoll has a Professional Doctorate in Health and Social Care from the University of Wales. His area of practice and research interest is in implementing evidence-based substance misuse treatment and prevention programmes. He has worked with the HSE Cork Kerry Community Healthcare Child and Adolescent Addiction Treatment Services in Arbour House, St Finbarr’s Hospital for twenty years and currently in Senior Addiction Counsellor in the Anchor Treatment Centre in Mallow, Co. Cork. 

Robert developed, coordinates and lectures on the UCC/HSE Level 7 (NFQ) Diploma in Substance Misuse and Addiction Studies, the UCC Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, Munster Technology University BA Degree in Counselling with Addiction, the UCD Masters in Public Policy and the NUIM Addiction Studies Programme. He has also developed Level, 8 and 9 Addiction Counselling and Advanced addiction Studies Programmes. Most recently he developed the Level 8 (NFQ) Certificate in Professional Development: Responding to Problem Gambling in UCC. Robert has published a peer reviewed journal article on the cultural adaptation of evidence-based substance misuse programmes in Ireland. He has published a book chapter on what type of learning is required for social workers and addiction counsellors to work collaboratively on behalf of children in the care of the state. He has also presented research findings at 

international conferences in the US, the UK and Europe. He is a member of the International network trainers of Motivational Interviewing and has trained, counsellors, social workers GPs, clinical psychologists, probation officers, Gardai, nurses, dental surgeons, oral health technicians and mental health nurses in Motivational Interviewing and Brief Interventions in Ireland and in Europe. 

James Leonard - The Two Norries – HSE

Tony O’Reilly – DSMAS Lecturer and Lived Experience Speaker 

Entry Requirements:

Applicants must be at least 18 years old at course commencement. Short courses are not assessed. Students will receive a UCC Certificate of Attendance upon completion. 

Contact Details for Further Information: 

Email: shortcourses@ucc.ie  

Please note our refund policy as follows: 

100% refund if student cancels 1 week prior to course commencement, less €50 processing fee.

100% refund if student's course is cancelled due to insufficient numbers.