What You'll Learn

By the end of this course, you will be better prepared to:

  • explain the relationship between sociocultural context, social determinants of health, and co-occurring disorders;

  • explain how treatment considerations vary across contexts such as poverty, homelessness, and involvement in the justice system, and categories of difference such as age, race/ethnicity, veteran status, LGBTQ+ identity; and

  • identify areas you need to explore further in order to integrate these considerations into treatment for those with co-occurring disorders.

Who This Course Is For

Mental health and addictions treatment providers and peer specialists across the globe, including:

  • Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors (CADC);

  • Qualified Mental Health Associates (QMHA);

  • Certified Recovery Mentors (CRM);

  • Qualified Mental Health Professionals (QMHP);

  • family therapists, art therapists, mental health counselors, social workers, psychologists, and other mental health clinicians; and

  • those who work work in Oregon's approved Integrated Co-occurring Disorder treatment programs.

What Is Included

This on-demand, online training invites you to look beyond diagnosis and consider the sociocultural contexts that shape experiences of mental health, substance use, physical health, and co-occurring disorders. You will explore these intersections through a diversity and equity lens, strengthening your awareness of how context influences care and your ability to respond with greater intention, curiosity, and sociocultural attunement.

  • The course includes videos, presentations, and readings.

  • We suggest you take your time, view content as many times as you like, and access suggested readings and resources when possible.

  • It is not necessary to complete the course in a single sitting. You are free to open and close the course as many times as you like.

  • Once you have reviewed and mastered the content, you will be required to pass short quizzes before you are eligible for verification that you have successfully completed the course.

Who Developed This Course

Senior Instructor Teresa McDowell

Teresa McDowell, EdD, LMFT is professor emerita at Lewis & Clark, where she served as department chair and co-founded the college’s Problem Gambling Services. With over 40 years of experience as a clinician, educator, administrator, and consultant, Teresa focuses on workforce development, equity-based clinical practice, integrated treatment for problem gambling, and clinical supervision. She is a social researcher, program evaluator, and consultant with Partners in Social Research and Senior Instructor for ACORN. Dr. McDowell has authored more than 50 scholarly publications and is lead author of Socioculturally Attuned Family Therapy: Applying Third Order Thinking to Theory and Practice (3rd Ed., 2026).

Course Reviews

4 star rating

This was great!

Jordan Schaefer-Limbach

This was very great!

This was very great!

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5 star rating

This has so much amazing info!

Traci Ball

I thought I knew most of this because of working in the field. I was wrong - this course had info that was new and updated.

I thought I knew most of this because of working in the field. I was wrong - this course had info that was new and updated.

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5 star rating

Relevant

Timothy Phillips

Informative

Informative

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5 star rating

Informative

Jenna Stark

Good information!

Good information!

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4 star rating

excellent

Donna Lepley

Very educational

Very educational

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5 star rating

good

jason achee

good

5 star rating

This was a great course and very informative

Jordan Robinson

5 star rating

Learned a great deal to help in my current position

Michelle Dix

Good content

Good content

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What About CE Hours

Certificate of completion will be made available on the Student Dashboard after you complete all required course activities and the course evaluation survey.

ACORN is approved by the Mental Health & Addiction Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO), Provider ID: 26-0044, to provide continuing education courses. Additionally, ACORN is approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7274. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. ACORN is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Start Learning Today

Free of charge, courtesy of Oregon Health Authority. For questions about Oregon’s Integrated Co-occurring Disorders Program contact OHA program support at [email protected].

Oregon Health Authority (OHA) logo
Mental Health and Addiction Certification Board of Oregon logo
National Board for Certified Counselors logo
Oregon Council on Problem Gambling logo