Te Taketake Diploma in Applied Addictions Counselling (Level 7)
This programme is offered through Moana House. Please email info@moanahouse.org.nz for more info and to apply.

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.  

Academic requirements 

• No academic requirements but it's expected that tauira have Level 5 or above. 

Placement requirements

• 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. 
• You must have access to this type of work. 400 supervised practice hours are needed during this programme. 
• Tauira must arrange their own placement to complete their clinical hours. 

Other requirements

• 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
• Give permission for a Police Check
• Ability to pay course fees or to obtain a scholarship that will cover them. 

If you want to apply for this programme, we’ll need to see evidence of your Covid-19 vaccinations (including types and dates). You need to have had three doses. We’re legally obliged to collect this additional information from you as this programme is covered by the Covid-19 Public Health Response (Vaccination) Order 2021. 

Please just complete our online application process as normal. As part of the application process, you’ll be asked to provide your vaccination record. 

The Government have advised that the only proof of vaccination that we can accept is a vaccination record PDF from your My Covid Record. 

Find out how to get your vaccination record here >

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.

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

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 office@moanahouse.org.nz)

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). 

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.

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.

Essential

Collaborative and Indigenous Mental Health Therapy: Tātaihono ­– Stories of Māori Healing & Psychiatry, Author: NiaNia, W, Bush, A and Epston, D. Routledge, ISBN: 9781138230309

Counselling: The Skills of Finding Solutions to Problems, Author: Manthei, RJ. Addison Wesley, ISBN 9780582739536

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

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

The Making of a Therapist, Author: Cozolino, L. Norton, ISBN: 9780393704242

Management of Alcohol and Drug Problems, Editor: Hulse, G, White J and Cape, G. Oxford University Press, ISBN: 9780195513318

Motivational Interviewing: “Helping People Change” (3^rd ed), Author: Miller, WR and Rollnick, S. Guilford Press, ISBN: 9781609182274

Substance Use Disorders and Addictions (Series - Counselling and Professional Identity), Author: Morgen, KJ. Sage Publications, ISBN: 9781483370569

Tikanga Whakaaro: Key Concepts in Maori Culture, Author: Barlow, C. Oxford University Press, ISBN: 9780195582123

The Development of a Therapist, Author: Cozolino, L. Norton Professional Books, ISBN: 978-0-393-71395-4

Handbook of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Author: Preston, JD, O’Neal, JH, Talaga, MC and Moore, BA. New Harbinger Professional Books, ISBN: 1684035155

Psychopharmacology: A Handbook for New Zealand Health Professionals (3^rd ed), Editor: Almand, B and Trimmer, W. Whitireia and WelTec. ISBN: 9781877192623

Highly recommended

Nga Tini Whetu: Navigating Māori Futures, Author: Durie, M. Huia Publishers, ISBN: 9781869694524

Whaiora: Māori Health Development (2^nd ed), Author: Durie, M. Oxford University Press, ISBN: 9780195584035

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

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 are for domestic students who have lived in New Zealand for three years. For information about student loans and allowances please visit the Studylink website. It is important to apply for your student loan/allowance at the same time as you apply for this programme, due to the length of time Studylink take to process. Loan/allowance applications can be cancelled at any time if you decide to withdraw your programme application or if it is unsuccessful. 

See the frequently asked questions and their answers >

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 - claire@moanahouse.org.nz 
• Application and enrolment enquiries - ebsSOS@op.ac.nz