Preparing students for the tough reality of mental illness and drug abuse

Fentanyl is not an easy topic to discuss; however, a professor at the University of Guelph-Humber has found a way to dissect the crisis in the classroom.

Dennis Long, executive director at Breakaway Addictions and professor at Guelph-Humber, has spent more than 30 years working with people who encounter mental illness and addictions.

In the course Mental Health and Addictions, Long introduces the Family and Community Social Services (FCSS) students to topics such as the opioid crisis.

An opioid is a drug that is used to relieve pain. Drugs such as fentanyl or oxycontin are examples of opioids.

Long credits the surge in media coverage regarding opioid use to two reasons: the first is that people are dying, “at unprecedented levels” due to opioid overdoses which has become, “a significant public health problem.”

The second reason for extended media coverage Long described is because opioids such as fentanyl are, “starting to affect people outside of the traditional opiate-using community.” This means opioids are being found in other drugs.

“One of the objectives of the course is for people to understand the systemic issues around drug policy,” Long said.

In the course Long highlights how Canadian drug policy is, “prohibitive. In other words they say ‘here are the drugs you can’t use [because] they’re illegal.’”

He asks his students whether prohibition: “work[s] in terms of dealing with the crisis. The evidence and data to date [says] that it absolutely does not work and it’s a problem.”

Cristina De Iuliis, a third year FCSS student at Guelph-Humber, said she went into the class knowing the fentanyl crisis existed but did not know the context of the issue.

De Iuliis said Long framed the issue not only from an institutional level but through an individual perspective.

While Long’s course is good preparation for students who might have to deal with drug addictions in their placement, FCSS assistant program head, Dave Kydd, said in the introduction to field practicum course is when students get prepared for their placements.  

In the course, “students will be introduced to some of the issues that they will come across in placement,” said Kydd. These issues range from getting along with their supervisors to working with clients who have experienced abuse.

During the introductory course, Kydd said students create, “a learning contract where they develop their own learning goals and objectives.”

They also discuss how agencies are structured and operate, how the government is involved and how to develop and maintain stable relationships in the industry.

This course paired with Long’s mental health and addictions course in the same semester allows students to learn about the impact of drug addictions such as fentanyl and how to properly deal with the weight of the issue.

Kydd, who is is researching the importance of integrating what is learned in the class and what is learned in the field, has found, “both kinds of learning are important but they are even more powerful when they’re brought together.”

De Iuliis found something similar when reflecting on her time in Long’s class and her placement.

She learned in her time during the mental health and addictions course there is no protocol for dealing with individuals who have addictions. She said, “that it’s not about how many times you try, it’s about the fact you still have the courage to try.”