New website centralizes mental health and substance use education

​For the first time, the newly-launched BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services' (BCMHSUS) Centre for Learning website consolidates innovative learning resources for mental health and substance use providers.

Funded by the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions and developed by BCMHSUS, part of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), this online hub offers new and emerging knowledge, best practices, evidence-based learning and informational resources.

"People who work in mental health and addictions care are unsung heroes who are giving their all to help save lives and connect people to the help they need," said Jennifer Whiteside, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. "Through the BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services' Centre for Learning, we're providing the latest evidence and best practices on caring for people with complex mental health and addictions challenges, so staff can better support them."

Individuals experiencing concurrent disorders are often amongst the most stigmatized and misunderstood. The Centre for Learning aims to help build the skills and knowledge of anyone working with this population, and ultimately better help those with mental health complexities and substance use concerns.

"As a psychiatric nurse for over 25 years, I know the benefit of creating resources that truly benefit the people who need them," said Justine Dodds, senior director, Inter-Professional Practice, BCMHSUS. "We're proud to offer a suite of the latest evidence-based teachings, which draw on the expertise of those with lived and living experience of mental illness and substance use, and those of our clinical, educational and medical staff at BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services."

The Centre for Learning is a free resource available to anyone who works with people who experience complex mental health or substance use challenges. The site includes the following, which are professional education resources and tools to further learners' knowledge of complex, concurrent disorders:

• Concurrent Disorders Competency Framework & Toolkit
• Concurrent Disorders Curriculum
• Provincial Mental Health and Substance Use Learning Rounds
• Provincial Mental Health and Substance Use ECHO
• Provincial Mental Health and Substance Use Network

"As an educator, I find the Centre for Learning to be a valuable tool in meeting with staff and developing education plans to suit their individual learning needs," said Miranda Barnas, clinical nurse educator, BCMHSUS. "The new Concurrent Disorders Curriculum is a well-laid out program that provides a good starting point for any staff working with this population, and the way it is broken into smaller pieces helps ensure even those who have very limited time on their hands for education are able to fit it in between other tasks."