Health Promotion in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Nursing (7cr)

Evaluation scale

H-5

Content scheduling

Mental well-being and positive mental health.
Factors affecting mental health development.
Crisis and mental illness. Addictions and substance abuse treatment. Therapeutic relationship work in mental health and substance abuse treatment
- Therapeutic interaction
- Principles of the Open Dialogue treatment
- Motivational discussion (interview)

Objective

You understand the significance of mental well-being and know how to support it in maintaining people’s overall well-being.
You understand the stressors that affect mental health vulnerability.
You can initiate and maintain dialogic and therapeutic interaction with customers and their network.
You can identify and assess the need for treatment in the care of mental disorders and addictions. You can use interactive care methods and provide safe pharmacotherapy according to customers’ needs.
You can work as part of a multi-professional team.
You can guide and support customers in using digital services that support their self-care. You grasp the dynamic nature of the service system as a whole and its individual nature in particular.

Content

-Mental well-being and positive mental health, Green Care
-Stress, a trauma-conscious approach
-Key mental disorders, traumatic crises and related care (therapeutic interaction, multi-professional care, psycho-educative care, family- and network-centred care)
-Addictions and related care (motivational interviews, mini-interventions)
-Pharmacotherapy for mental disorders and substance abuse
-Digital services
-Service system knowledge

Location and time

Spring 2026 (Weeks 11- 15)
Info of the course and 1st campus day is 12.3.2026

Materials

Skhole

Mielenterveyshoitotyö: Kuhanen, Oittinen, Kanerva, Seuri & Schubert

Päihdehoitotyö: Partanen, Holmberg, Inkinen, Kurki & Salo-Chydenius

Moodle-material 

Teaching methods

Lectures, case studies, simulation, independent work.
Reflective learning online
Case assignment and independent reflection assignments

The course includes written documentation, which must be completed using the reporting template of Lapland University of Applied Sciences.

Finnish language is integrated into this teaching

Employer connections

5 weeks practical training after theory
Weeks 18-22 (27.4. - 31.5.2026)

Exam schedules

The first submission of the written document is on April 10, 2026, the second on May 11, 2026, and the third on November 8, 2026.

Student workload

The course is 7 credits (1 credit equals 27 hours of student work).

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

Satisfactory (1–2)
You can define and understand the significance of mental well-being and positive mental health in maintaining people’s overall well-being.
You know and identify the stressors that affect mental health vulnerability. You know and understand dialogic and therapeutic interaction.
You know and understand different aspects of assessing the need for treatment in the care of mental disorders and various addictions.
You can name interactive care methods and understand safe pharmacotherapy. You know the importance of multi-professional teamwork in nursing.
You are familiar with digital services that support self-care.
You can name parts and partners of the mental health and addiction care service system.

Fail:
The student has not achieved an acceptable level of competence.

Assessment criteria, good (3)

Good (3–4)
You can describe and apply the principles of mental well-being and positive mental health in maintaining people’s overall well-being.
You can describe and understand how stressors affect mental health vulnerability. You can engage in dialogic and therapeutic interaction under supervision.
You can describe and apply different aspects of assessing the need for treatment in the care of mental disorders and various addictions.
You can apply interactive care methods and safe pharmacotherapy under supervision. You can work as part of a multi-professional team under supervision.
You can use digital services that support self-care as part of care.
You are familiar with parts and partners of the mental health and addiction care service system.

Assessment criteria, excellent (5)

Excellent (5)
You can evaluate the significance of mental well-being and positive mental health in maintaining people’s overall well-being.
You can assess how stressors affect mental health vulnerability. You can engage in dialogic and therapeutic interaction and assess it.
You can evaluate different aspects of assessing the need for treatment in the care of mental disorders and various addictions.
You can apply interactive care methods and safe pharmacotherapy and assess it. You can work as part of a multi-professional team.
You can use digital services that support self-care as part of mental health and addiction care and assess them.
You are familiar with parts and partners of the mental health and addiction care service system and use them as part of care.