Integrated Career, Substance Use, and Mental Health Counseling

This is the first version of the 2026–27 General Catalog. Please check back regularly for changes. The final edition and the historical PDF will be published during the fall semester.

Graduate certificate: integrated career, substance use, and mental health counseling

Faculty: https://education.uiowa.edu/directory

The purpose of the graduate Certificate in Integrated Career, Substance Use, and Mental Health Counseling is to provide students with the foundational knowledge needed to assess, diagnose, and offer treatment recommendations to individuals struggling with addiction and co-occurring mental health challenges across diverse settings. The curriculum blends core elements of mental health, substance use and career theory to identify behavioral focused interventions and techniques to help clients achieve higher levels of functioning within work, or the community settings.

Students seeking to pursue this certificate must: a) be enrolled and in good standing in a University of Iowa graduate degree program, or b) be enrolled in the Graduate College as a non-degree-seeking student.

Learning Outcomes

  • Assess and diagnose substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders using evidence-based tools and culturally responsive approaches.
  • Apply career counseling theories to support individuals whose vocational functioning is impacted by addiction and mental health challenges.
  • Develop integrated treatment plans that address addiction, mental health, and career development needs simultaneously.
  • Evaluate the impact of chronic illness and pain on substance use and mental health, and design workplace support strategies.
  • Demonstrate ethical and culturally responsive counseling practices applicable to diverse settings, including correctional, workplace, and community environments.
  • Utilize generative AI and deliberate practice tools to enhance clinical decision-making and client engagement in addiction and mental health counseling.
  • Understand psychopharmacological interventions used in the treatment of addiction and mental health disorders, and their implications for counseling practice.
  • Collaborate effectively with interdisciplinary teams to support clients in recovery and reintegration into work and community life.

The Certificate in Integrated Career, Substance Use, and Mental Health Counseling is administered by the Department of Counselor Education and is granted by the Graduate College.