Continuing Education

Community Mental Health – Gerontology

Graduate Certificate
In Class Learning Plan # P0222
Start date: Fall / Winter / Spring

About This Certificate | Program Delivery | Career Opportunities | Certificate Benefits | Obtaining Your Certificate | For Further Information

About This Certificate

Geriatric mental health is a rapidly growing specialty within the mental health care field. This part-time program is designed to enhance your knowledge and skills to enable you to provide quality care to mentally ill seniors in their own homes, in institutions, and in other community settings.  This program is one of the first and best of its kind in Ontario.

Program Delivery

This program consists of seven required theory courses, each 45 hours in length, and one Field Practicum of 90 hours. The total length of the program is 405 hours. All theory courses must be completed before the clinical practicum begins.

Individual courses are open to all students whether or not they are working toward the certificate.

Prerequisites may be required for these courses. Please refer to individual course descriptions for specific requirements.

Important Notes

Students are required to complete a Police Clearance Certificate and a Niagara College Communicable Disease Surveillance Form prior to the clinical placement.  Please allow at least two months for processing time.

To graduate with the Community Mental Health – Gerontology Graduate Certificate a College Diploma or University Degree, preferably in a related discipline (as determined by the College), or an acceptable combination of related work experience and post-secondary education in addition to the courses required by this certificate (as determined by the College). These documents must be presented to the Registrar's Office with the Application to Graduate.

Career Opportunities

This certificate prepares individuals for rewarding work in a variety of settings that provide healthcare, social work, counseling, recreational therapy, and other services for elderly people experiencing mental health problems.

This certificate is intended as an enhancement and enrichment program for professionals who already work in healthcare or in social service fields and wish to further specialize in geriatric mental health.

Graduates of this program will combine their new, advanced learning with their previous professional credentials and experience to provide exemplary service to this highly specialized population.

They will be able to provide mental health care services to elderly clients in hospitals, long-term-care facilities, group homes, hospices, psychiatric facilities, the clients’ own homes, drop-in centres, and other areas in the community.

Possible career paths include:

  • Healthcare providers in secured units in long-term-care
  • Healthcare providers in specialized dementia care units
  • Community workers for the Alzheimer Society
  • Adult day care providers
  • Community workers for psychiatric and cognitively impaired seniors
  • Healthcare providers for community agencies
  • Respite Workers
  • Geriatric Mental Health Counsellors
  • Geriatric Assessment Specialists
  • Geriatric Outreach Consultants
  • Emergency Room Geriatric Assessment Consultants

Certificate Benefits

The Community Mental Health – Gerontology Certificate program is one of the first and best of its kind in the Province. Due to the significantly high numbers of seniors living in the Niagara Region, great care was taken to develop and maintain an exceptionally high quality program that would serve our seniors well.

The thorough and up-to-date curriculum in this certificate expands graduates’ knowledge and experience in all aspects of geriatric mental health.

It provides them with an excellent opportunity to combine their previous professional credentials and experience with their newly acquired knowledge and skills to change jobs and work in an entirely different environment.

This can lead to new employment in a highly specialized and rewarding field. As our senior population in Niagara continues to grow, there will be increasing demand for professionals with specialized skills in the field of geriatric mental health.

Obtaining Your Certificate (Application for Graduation)

Upon completion of all requirements, the student must complete an “Application For Graduation” form available from the Registrar’s Office.

If the student wishes to have their certificate presented to them at convocation ceremony in the Fall, there is a $25 fee.

Application, accompanied by fee (if applicable) must be forwarded to Registration and Records, Office of the Registrar before the application deadline.

For further information, contact:

Niagara College Registrar’s Office
Email: registrar@niagaracollege.ca
905-735-2211, Ext 7500

For Further Information

Niagara College Continuing Education
Email: ce@niagaracollege.ca
Web: www.niagaracollege.ca/ce
Phone: 905-735-2211, ext. 7510.