Substance abuse affects every community. You can make a difference in yours by learning how to prevent addiction and intervene with compassionate, ethical treatment plans.
Making a difference in the lives of people affected by addiction can start with understanding how you can help, whether through your current job or something new you want to pursue. If you’ve seen the impact of addiction in your community and feel ready to work on solutions and prevention, your next step may be learning how addiction and substance abuse can be prevented and treated.
Why do we need to train people to recognize and treat addiction?
Our communities need people trained to recognize, treat and prevent addiction across disciplines and fields. These professionals are playing an important role in the falling numbers of overdose deaths across the United States. In 2025, Virginia had 16,416 drug overdose emergency department visits, a 10% decrease from 2024, but there’s more work to be done.
Every community needs intervention and prevention, from rural areas to major cities. At Old Dominion University, students can build knowledge in crisis management and substance abuse, learning the fundamentals of intervention and treatment in the Addiction Prevention and Treatment undergraduate certificate offered online through ODUGlobal. It’s a swift program students can complete on their own or add to other majors like criminal justice, psychology, human services or health services administration.
This certificate is ideal for learners who want to do restorative work for individuals facing substance abuse and addiction. Whether you’re adding qualifications to your current role or pursuing a new career, ODU’s flexible courses with hands-on learning can give you the jumpstart you need to make a difference.
How do courses in the Addiction Prevention and Treatment Certificate prepare you for real-world application?
The certificate program includes assignments that challenge you to practice and sharpen your skills, like case vignettes and role play, writing treatment plans, and practice assignments of actual tasks you’ll need to do in the field. You’ll build interpersonal skills, practice critical thinking and problem solving, and understand how substance use disorders affect individuals, families, and communities.
This certificate also serves as one step toward earning a substance abuse credential in Virginia: the Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) or the Certified Substance Abuse Counselor-Assistant (CSAC-A) credential. After you complete the certificate, additional credential requirements may include earning a bachelor’s degree, registering with the board, getting approved to complete residency and supervision hours, and passing a test.
What can you do with an undergraduate certificate in addiction prevention and treatment?
ODU’s undergraduate certificate consists of just six online courses offered in an accelerated eight-week format. In the program, you will:
Decide which helping-focused jobs fit you in Introduction to Human Services
- Learn about the helping process and the role and function of the human service worker.
- Explore the role of human services workers in local and state facilities.
- Understand the spectrum of services these professionals provide, from mental health programming to community service organizations.
Learn techniques for helping people in Human Services Methods
- Develop a foundation in theories that can help you in real-world practice.
- Adopt techniques used by human services workers in a variety of settings.
Understand how different roles work together in Case Management & Crisis Techniques through Field Observation
- Visit and examine human services systems, including mental health, substance abuse, criminal justice, education, rehabilitation, and professional associations.
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of the roles of human services professionals through experiential learning.
Start building your professional identity in Introduction to Substance Abuse
- Learn the signs and symptoms of substance abuse.
- Understand the recovery process and how to prevent relapse.
Intervene and prevent crises in Crisis Intervention, Prevention and Ethics
- Build effective crisis intervention skills.
- Take a deep dive into prevention strategies.
- Explore what ethical decision making within human service practice looks like.
Plan treatments and interventions in Substance Abuse Treatment and Research
- Learn to plan effective substance abuse treatments and interventions.
- Use research to inform your work as you help people affected by addiction.
The ODUGlobal Difference
ODU’s online programs offered through ODUGlobal are built for people who are already busy. With online courses offered in an accelerated eight-week format, you can expand your impact without pausing your other commitments, including work, family, and military service. You’ll have opportunities to learn hands-on while seeing how your classes can start impacting your work every day.
The certificate can also help you start small and transition later into a full bachelor’s degree program or deepen your current studies in another area. However you use it, ODU provides the support you need to turn your desire to make a difference into real impact.
