Bachelor of Community Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs

The Bachelor of Community Mental Health, Alcohol and Other Drugs at Chisholm Institute is a three-year degree for people who want to work alongside individuals and communities affected by mental ill health and substance use. It sits in the medicine and health sciences field, but the focus is community-based practice rather than clinical treatment in a hospital. You study how mental health conditions present, how alcohol and other drug use affects people and families, and how the Australian service system responds through community organisations, outreach, counselling and support work.

Australian bachelor degrees are structured around units of study, each worth a set number of credit points. You normally complete eight units a year across two semesters, and you need to pass a required number of credit points to graduate. The course typically builds from foundational subjects in psychology, sociology and health communication into specialist units on assessment, referral, dual diagnosis, case management and recovery-oriented practice. Because this is a vocational and applied field, the degree usually includes a supervised professional placement where you work in a community mental health or alcohol and other drug service under qualified supervision. That placement is where most students first put their skills to work with real clients, and it is a requirement for graduation. Some students also complete a capstone or applied research unit in their final year, pulling together what they have learned into a project relevant to community practice.

Skills you pick up along the way include conducting intake and assessment conversations, writing case notes and reports, working within legal and ethical frameworks, understanding the National Standards for Mental Health Services and the principles of harm reduction, and communicating with people in distress without judgement. You learn to work in multidisciplinary teams, refer clients to the right supports, and understand how social factors like housing, employment and family breakdown shape a person's health. Graduates often say the placement is what makes the degree click.

This course suits school leavers who want a career in the helping professions, mature-age students moving from support work or lived experience roles into a qualification, and people already working in the sector who need a degree to progress. It is not a psychology or nursing degree, and it does not lead to registration as a psychologist, nurse or social worker. Instead, it prepares you for the community sector, which is a large employer across Australia. International students can apply, and the English requirement sits at IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall, though you should check the current published requirement and confirm details on the official Chisholm page or the CRICOS register, where tuition is also listed. While studying, a student visa allows 48 hours of work per fortnight, and after graduating you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream. Confirm all visa and course details with the Department of Home Affairs and the institution before you apply.

• Community mental health support worker, non-government organisations, community health centres and outreach services across Australia.
• Alcohol and other drug (AOD) case worker, residential rehabilitation services, day programmes and harm reduction agencies.
• Peer support worker, services that employ people with lived experience of mental ill health or substance use to support others.
• Mental health intake and referral officer, phone and online support lines, headspace centres and community intake teams.
• Youth support worker, youth mental health services, schools and early intervention programmes.
• Family and carer support worker, organisations supporting families affected by mental illness or substance use.
• Community rehabilitation and recovery worker, psychosocial support programmes and supported accommodation services.
• Case manager in homelessness and social housing services, many clients in these services have co-occurring mental health and AOD needs.