NIMHANS eLearning · Certificate Module · Centre for Addiction Medicine
The Counselling Skills That Actually Close the Gap in Addiction Recovery
This certificate module directly addresses what you just described. Early access to build exactly these skills.
Expression of Interest for early access →Empower Your Practice: Master Evidence-Based Psychosocial Skills for Addiction Recovery with NIMHANS
This professional development module, developed by the Centre for Addiction Medicine (CAM) and the Virtual Knowledge Network (VKN) at NIMHANS, equips you with practical, easy-to-use psychosocial skills to make a real difference in addiction care, rehab care, and solo-practitioner settings.
This primer introduces key skills to help providers recognise emotional distress, offer brief psychological support, and refer individuals to appropriate care when needed.
Who will get maximum benefit
This primer is designed for counsellors, psychologists, social workers, and lay counsellors who are already working — or are being trained to work — in addiction care settings in India
It may be best suited for the counsellor but can be a learning for any one interested
The primer is particularly relevant for those without formal postgraduate mental health training but with hands-on experience — lay counsellors, community rehabilitation workers, peer support specialists, and social workers who conduct counselling sessions as part of their daily role.
Secondary audience: Masters-level trainees in clinical psychology, psychiatric social work, and psychiatric nursing on field placement at addiction care facilities; programme managers and supervisors overseeing counselling staff in the above settings.
Module Objectives
On completing this primer, you will be able to:
Recognise how emotional association hindering recovery journey
Recognise how emotions such as shame, anger, loneliness, and distress intolerance drive craving and relapse — and explain this connection to clients in plain, non-clinical language suited to the Indian recovery context.
Support clients in building a recovery-sustaining life
Guide clients in identifying high-risk emotional states and risky social networks, building substance-free routines, and developing healthy sleep, activity, and social patterns that protect long-term recovery.
Conduct semi-structured, stigma-free counselling sessions
Demonstrate core counselling micro-skills — active listening, open questions, reflective responses, and culturally sensitive engagement — in brief sessions
Respond to setbacks, safety concerns, and crises
Respond to slips and relapses without shaming, recognise red flags that require immediate referral — including suicidal ideation, domestic violence, and psychosis — and communicate with trauma-sensitive awareness during difficult disclosures.
Apply practical easy implementable psychosocial statregy in session
Use structured problem-solving, thought-challenging, behavioural activation, and distress tolerance techniques as session-ready tools to help clients manage everyday recovery challenges without requiring specialist support.
Sustain & Thrive yourself as a counsellor
Identify early signs of burnout and compassion fatigue in your own practice and apply a self-care framework appropriate for lay counsellors and frontline workers in resource-limited, high-need settings.
Instructional Design
| Certificate Module | Primer on Psychosocial Counselling Skills in Addiction Recovery (Under Review) |
| Learning Level | This primer is intended for beginner to intermediate learners and focuses on building foundational knowledge and practical skills in recognizing emotional distress related to substance use and delivering basic psychosocial interventions. |
| Learning Modality | Online, self-paced asynchronous learning via the NIMHANS e-Learning platform. Each lesson is independent — you may begin with any lesson and complete topics at your own pace. Estimated engagement: 2–3 hours per lesson, across 5 lessons. |
| Module Structure | 5 Lessons | 20 Topics | 5 Quizzes | 1 Pre-module Survey | 1 Post-module Feedback Lesson 1: Emotions, substance use and Counsellor Role (4 Topics ) Lesson 2: Communication, Stigma and Assertiveness (4 Topics ) Lesson3: Problem Solving and Unhelpful thinking (4 Topics ) Lesson 4 : Emotions, Triggers and Behavioural Activation (4 Topics ) Lesson 5: Setbacks, Safety and Counsellor Wellbeing (4 Topics ) |
| Pedagogical Approach | Evidence and Awareness – Introduces key concepts supported by brief research insights and case examples. Reflection – Encourages self-reflection through short exercises and scenarios to build empathy, reduce stigma, and increase awareness in working with individuals with substance use concerns. Practice – Focuses on simple, practical LIPI skills such as empathetic communication, problem-solving, behavioural activation, and stress-management strategies for use in community and primary-care settings. |
| Design | Developed by the Centre for Addiction Medicine (CAM) and the Virtual Knowledge Network (VKN), NIMHANS, Bengaluru, |
| Duration of Access | Two months from the date of enrolment. |
| Professional Development Certificate | Upon completion of all lesson quizzes with a score of ≥80%, participants can download an e-Certificate of Achievement displaying their score. Three attempts are allowed for each quiz. Quizzes assess applied understanding through scenario-based and reflective questions, rather than rote recall. A Letter of Completion for each individual lesson is also available upon successfully passing the respective lesson quiz. |
| Suggested Citation | NIMHANS eLearning, Centre for Addiction Medicine & Virtual Knowledge Network, NIMHANS. Primer on Psychosocial Counselling Skills in Addiction Recovery. Bengaluru, India. Available from: https://nimhanselearning.org/courses/primer-on-psychosocial-counselling-skills-in-addiction-recovery/ |
| Copyright Information | This license requires that reusers give credit to the creator. It allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadopted form only, for non-commercial purpose only. https://nimhanselearning.org/courses/primer-on-psychosocial-counselling-skills-in-addiction-recovery/ © 2024 by Virtual Knowledge Network, Centre for Addiction Medicine & NIMHANS Digital Academy is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0     |
| First Edition | April 2026 |
| Funding and Support | A collaboration between NIMHANS and Mental Health Institute, Odisha Digital Academy for Mental Health, SCB Medical College Cuttack, Dept of Health and Family Welfare, Govt of Odisha, |
| Connect with us | vk*@********ns.in |
| FAQS | 1. Is this an accredited course? This is a professional development certification module from the Centre for Addiction Medicine & NIMHANS Digital Academy and is NOT a formally accredited academic course. 2. How do I get the Certificate of Completion? Complete all lesson quizzes with a score of ≥80%. Three attempts are available for each quiz. Download the e-Certificate of Achievement after successfully completing all requirements. 3. Can I get a letter for completing individual lessons? Yes. Complete the respective lesson quiz with a score of ≥80% (three attempts available) and download the Letter of Completion immediately. 4. Do I need to complete lessons in order? No. Each lesson is independent. You may begin with any lesson that interests you most. |
| Team | This primer is designed for frontline health and social care providers who encounter individuals with substance use concerns in community and clinical settings, including Community Health Officers (CHOs), ASHA workers, staff nurses, counsellors, social workers, medical officers in PHCs, NGO workers, peer support specialists, and general physicians. Also valuable for Public health professionals working in substance use and mental health programmes Medical and nursing students seeking foundational exposure to psychosocial interventions for substance use Program managers and supervisors involved in implementing community-based addiction services Other allied health professionals interested in integrating low-intensity psychological interventions into practice |
Generative AI tools were used in the preparation of this content. All materials have been reviewed and validated by subject matter experts before inclusion.
Letter of Completion for each lesson and Certificate for complete module
This primer is in its final stage of preparation before peer review. If you'd like to express your interest, suggest content, or volunteer as a peer reviewer, please fill out the short form below.
