Te Taketake Diploma in Applied Addictions Counselling (Level 7)

Offered through the Moana House Training Institute, this two year part-time programme will give you the qualification you need to take up a professional role within the mental health and addictions sector.

It is recognised by DAPAANZ (Drug and Alcohol Practitioners’ Association Aotearoa–New Zealand), the relevant professional body for addictions practitioners, and will give you the skills and knowledge to work independently to provide both assessments and treatment services. Upon successful completion of this Diploma, you can apply for professional registration with DAPAANZ*.

Courses include Foundation Counselling and Assessment Skills, Pharmacology, and Case management, Care and Prevention. There is also the addition of Te Hauhakenga, practical work and competencies.

Training will take place on 8 x three or four-day wānanga/workshops throughout the year in either Dunedin or Rotorua. Three-day wānanga are held from Friday to Sunday. Four-day wānanga are held from Thursday to Sunday. Some of the teaching will be done together but most of it will take place in separate streams according to the year of study you are in.

* Please note that your success with DAPAANZ is dependent on you meeting their criteria.

More about the programme

Te Taketake is a Level 7 Addictions Counselling Diploma that produces graduates who are ready to work in the field. It actively combines theory with practice, and as a Level 7 qualification, it is the same level as the final year of a bachelor's degree.

You will gain the specialised technical knowledge and skills to provide treatment to people seeking assistance with problems of gambling, alcohol and drug use.

While you learn to apply specialised knowledge, Te Taketake is also about promoting your own personal growth; just as you will work with whaiora to encourage their personal growth, so too Te Taketake expects that you will be a more self-aware and reflective practitioner by the end of the diploma.

Note: We no longer offer direct-entry to the second year of the programme.

Programme content

Year One

Te Aka - The Vine

• MH701001 (AKA1) Foundation Counselling and Assessment Skills
• MH702001 (AKA2) Pharmacology
• MH703001 (AKA3) Change and Motivation

Year Two

Te Rea - The Shoot

• MH704001 (REA1) Culture and Whānau
• MH705001 (REA2) Diagnostic Systems
• MH706001 (REA3) Case management, Care and Prevention

Years One and Two
Te Hauhakenga - The Harvest 

• MH707001 Applying Theory to Practice 1
• MH708001 Applying Theory to Practice 2

For a more detailed programme overview, click here.  

Entry requirements

• There are no formal academic prerequisites although it is expected that tauira have achievement of Level 5 or above. We are aware, however, that some of the target group will initially present a range of skills in study and writing. 
• Te Taketake is designed for adult tauira who are already working in the mental health and addictions sector. Other people are considered to the extent that they have the opportunity to work with tangata whaiora who are affected by addiction. 
• It is essential that tauira have access to this type of work, as Te Taketake is an applied qualification, requiring 400 hours of supervised practice over two years. 
• Tauira must arrange their own placement to complete their clinical hours. 
• Tauira should be committed to attending all course wānanga and be able to undertake at least ten hours of self-directed study per week. 

Other requirements

• Access to tangata whaiora. (400 clinical hours are needed over the two years of the course.) 
• Basic computer skills 
• Access to a computer and to the internet 
• At least two years in recovery from any substance or process addictions or offending (subject to Police Vetting)
• Ability to pay course fees or to obtain a scholarship that will cover them. 

Completing your application

You can enter information and upload documents directly into the application form. You may wish to prepare some of the required documentation beforehand.

1. To begin your application, click the light blue Apply button.
2. Select the location you want to study at:

1. • Distance - if you intend to study in Rotorua
   • Dunedin - if you intend to study in Dunedin

You will need to provide:

1. If you are shortlisted, Moana House will contact you regarding Police Vetting. A Ministry of Justice report is no longer accepted.
2. Your Curriculum Vitae
3. Evidence of a Professional Association Membership
4. Details of your Supervision Arrangements
5. A substance declaration and mental health status attestation
6. Written statements (approx. 300-500 words each) about:
   • your life experiences and motivations for wanting to study this programme
   • your relevant professional experiences
   • how the te Tiriti o Waitangi might underpin your work in the social sector
   • issues facing New Zealanders.
7. Contact details for two referees.

You will also need to attend an interview as part of the application process. We will contact you to arrange this.

Waitlisting

There is high demand for Te Taketake, so we operate a waitlist for places in the programme. This means we can offer places to the next person on the list if someone withdraws from the programme at the start of the year.

We give priority on the waitlist based on:

1. Support from your employer to study this programme and supervise you
2. Your track record of achievement - academic or a proven ability to complete tasks
3. Your contribution to your community
4. Academic ability and literacy
5. Your ability to access work with whaiora for your clinical hours

Wānanga details

Most wānanga last for three days. Please note, the April and August Wānanga last for four days. Each Wānanga commences at 9.00am each day. Classes on Thursday, Friday and Saturday conclude at around 8.30pm but no later than 3.00pm on the Sunday. You are expected to arrive on time so please arrange your transport accordingly.

There will be 13 sessions lasting 90 minutes for each wānanga. Days begin and end with karakia/quiet time. All teaching is done biculturally and tangata whenua are always acknowledged as part of the process.

Attendance at every wānanga is expected. Should you miss a wānanga due to sickness or family emergency, please bear in mind that you must attend a minimum of 80% of wānanga time. This means that if you miss more than three days over the year of study, you will not be eligible to continue to year two or graduate (if you are in year 2). If you are unable to meet this requirement, you will need to attend wānanga in the following year to complete the programme expectations.

There is often mahi kainga (homework) during wānanga for the next day.

All work in the wānanga is confidential and students are expected to maintain and honour professional boundaries.

Food and accommodation

If you are travelling from out of the region and require accommodation, there is provision made for people to stay at the marae if you wish. If you plan to stay at the whare, please bring your own toiletries, towel and bedding. Please contact us to book a bed (email [email protected])

We will provide lunch, dinner and morning and afternoon tea, however we ask that you look after your own breakfast and supper. Students are also asked to respect the marae and to help with the cleaning and dishes etc. We will meet vegetarian requirements for tauira but any other needs must be met by the tauira (e.g. gluten free, dairy free, sugar free). 

Wānanga 2021 dates

North Island - Rotorua site 

• 12 - 14 March
• 8 - 11 April
• 7 - 9 May
• 11 - 13 June
• July – no wānanga
• 5 - 8 August
• 17 - 19 September
• 8 - 10 October
• 12 - 14 November

South Island - Dunedin (Waitati) site

• 26 - 28 March
• 15 - 18 April
• 21 - 23 May
• 25 - 27 June
• July – no wānanga
• 19 - 22 August
• 24 - 26 September
• 22 - 24 October
• 26 - 28 November

Clinical placement 

Te Taketake teaches you the theory of addictions counselling at the same time as expecting you to apply your theoretical knowledge into your practice. If you don’t already work in the addictions field, you will need to find yourself a student placement as you are required to complete 400 hours of clinical practice over the two years of the diploma (200hrs each year). As a result, we believe that we produce graduates who are ready to start work in the addictions field on completion of their training.

Note: Your clinical hours must be recorded in your Log Book and can only start once the course starts. We will provide you with the log book. 

Clinical placement work with tangata whaiora (clients) and the clinical supervision that supports this is your responsibility to arrange. You must provide evidence of your clinical placement from the agency where you are completing your placement. This must be on letterhead and signed by the appropriate manager. Supply this with your application.

Tauira must negotiate their own whaiora work as part of the programme criteria. 

You will be asked as part of the enrolment process whether you have arranged a whaiora (client) caseload. From wānanga 2 in year one, you will be asked to complete assessments that involve your work with tangata whaiora.

Additional costs 

Laptops

It is expected that you will have access to computers and that assignments are typed. Year two students are expected to bring laptops to class.

Year one students are asked to present some work in class using presentation software (e.g. PowerPoint or Keynote). Please bring a laptop if you have one. These projects are completed in small groups so you will not be disadvantaged if you do not have a laptop at the beginning of year one.

Textbooks

Purchasing textbooks is essential for the successful completion of the programme. A list is provided below. It is not possible to meet programme expectations by only using the internet.

The following books can be purchased from the University Bookshop, Dunedin (www.unibooks.co.nz), an online bookstore or another bookshop in your area:

Psychopharmacology, a Handbook for New Zealand Health Professionals (2nd Ed) (2011) Publisher: Whitireia Community Polytechnic ISBN: 978-1-877192-45-6

The Management of Alcohol and Drug Problems Author: Hulse and Cape et al Oxford University Press,(2004) ISBN:0195513312

The Making of a Therapist Author: Cozolino (2004) ISBN:0393704246

Launching Māori Futures Nga Kahui Pou Author: Durie, MISBN 1--877283--98--3 Huia Publishers

Nga Tini Whetu: Navigating Māori Futures Author: Mason Durie Huia Publishers 2011 ISBN 9781869694524

Tikanga Whakaaro Author: Cleve Barlow Oxford University Press

Addiction Counselling – Content and Process Ali Marsh and Ali DaleISBN 9 780987 290526 IP Communications Melbourne 2013

Counselling – the Skills of Finding Solutions to Problems Author: Manthei RJ and Munro EAISBN 0582739535 Longman 1997

Whaiora: Māori Health Development (2nd Ed) Durie, M.  ISBN:0195584031 Oxford Uni Press

Motivational Interviewing, ”Helping People Change” Author: Miller and Rollnick. October 2012

Interview Guide for Evaluating DSM-5 Psychiatric Disorders and the Mental Status Examination (2nd Ed), Zimmerman, M. ISBN: 9780963382115

Desk Reference to the Diagnostic Criteria from DSM-5 (Spiral-bound edition), American Psychiatric Association, ISBN: 9780890425633

Please remember to bring your textbooks and laptop to each wānanga.

Scholarships

There are scholarships available from Te Rau Matatini, Matua Raki, and iwi. The organisation you work for may also be prepared to pay all or part of your fees. Some students may also be eligible for assistance from WINZ.

Student loans and allowances with TTAF 

Whilst this programme is free for you to study via the Trades and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF), this fund only covers tuition fees and compulsory costs such as student levies.It does not cover any additional costs or living costs.You can pay for additional and living costs by yourself if that is possible for you or by applying for a loan through Studylink. (As this programme is part-time, learners are only eligible for loans not allowances).      

It is important to apply for your student loan at the same time as you apply for this programme, due to the length of time Studylink take to process. Loan applications can be cancelled at any time if you decide to withdraw your programme application or if it is unsuccessful. 

• For information about student loans and allowances please visit the Studylink website 

Frequently asked questions

See the frequently asked questions and their answers >

For further information 

We will provide you with a student handbook at the first wānanga.

If you have any questions or need more information, please use the contacts below:

Visit: www.moanahouse.org.nz

Phone: 03 477 0842 (Moana House); 0800 762 786 (Otago Polytechnic)

Email:

• Programme information enquiries -[email protected]
• Application and enrolment enquiries -e[email protected]