CO-OCCURRING COLLABORATIVE SERVING MAINE
Bridging Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services

Curriculum Introduction

This on-line course provides fundamental knowledge about co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Designed for professionals and paraprofessionals working in the behavioral health field and/or with individuals with co-occurring disorders, the course covers eleven (11) core competency content areas divided into learning modules. Direct access to the course is provided after your registration form is completed and a payment of $30 is received.

Each module offers learning activities, Web resources to explore, and a learning integration self-test. An automated, graded test is given at the end of each core competency. When tests are passed with at least 80% correct answers, certificates of completion for each area are emailed to course participants When all courses have been completed, there is a final overall test. When passed with a score of at least 80%, a course certificate of completion is sent as an Adobe Acrobat document (PDF). There are references and resources for each core competency, as well as an on-line resource list.

• Menu of Core Competency Areas
• Orientation to the Online Course
• To register/enroll for the on-line course

Development of this on-line course, as well as a trainer curriculum on co-occurring disorders, is possible through a grant from the Mental Health Funding Collaborative to the Co-Occurring Collaborative Serving Maine (CCSME). The funding collaborative effort included the private sector philanthropies, the Bingham Program, the Betterment Fund and the Jane B. Cook 1992 Charitable Trust and a public sector agency, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services (the Department), with grant management by The Muskie School of Public Service.

The CCSME has been on the leading edge of change regarding the treatment of co-occurring disorders since its formation in 1992 as the Cumberland County Dual Diagnosis Collaborative (CCDDC). With support and insight from the Office of Substance Abuse of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, the Collaborative continues to be at the forefront of a nationally growing acceptance of a holistic, welcoming and integrated approach to individuals with both mental health and substance use issues.

Our Thanks

There are many people to thank for making this curriculum a reality. We are thankful to our clients, who have been invaluable in teaching us how to do a better job of responding to their issues. A heartfelt thank you goes out to all the people who worked on the curriculum, whether on an oversight and development committee, or as consultants. All are dedicated and passionate people working to improve services for individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse problems.

The committee members included Catherine S. Chichester, Barbara Dacri, Bonnie MacInnis, Jarad Platt, Karen A. Repaski, Diana Stokke and Peter Wohl. The content consultants, in addition to the committee members, included Mary Jean McKelvy, Caroline Davison, James Wuelfing, and Carol Carothers and Carrie Horne from NAMI Maine. Ann Jennings, Mary Auslander, and Don Trites provided thoughtful commentary. All these individuals represent the diversity of providers, administrators, trainers, academics, trauma survivors, advocates, and consumers. We also want to thank Mark McKenzie and Eric Van Buren, who provided the technical and design assistance needed to make the on-line course a reality.

94 Auburn Street, Suite 110
Portland, Maine 04103
General Information: 207-878-6170
Fax: 207-878-6172
ccsme@ccsme.org