Hywel Griffith BBC Wales education correspondent

Lecturer Trudi Petersen said substance misuse affected everyone

The graduate diploma is in response to the need for more professionals to be trained in helping people with drug and alcohol problems.

According to figures from the Welsh Assembly Government, 7,000 people were treated for substance misuse at centres across Wales in the last year.

But thousands more do not register their addictions.

Their problems can only be detected when they come into contact with other health workers.

"This is in response to the increasing number of people abusing substances who were contacting the clinical situation," says Damien Black, a tutor at the University of Glamorgan.

Tutor Damien Black said substance misuse was a rising problem

"We want people coming on the course who are from all sorts of agencies, people working in social services, housing, the criminal justice system, education.

"All sorts of people can benefit from this course."

One of the students on the course has first-hand knowledge of the problems, after managing to overcome an addiction to amphetamines.

June Corcoran, from Bridgend, was an addict for 20 years, but is now training to be a counsellor.

"I've been told by former clients of mine that they'd prefer to have someone with prior knowledge of substance misuse working with them," she said.

"Otherwise they really don't understand what it's like to feed an addiction.

"That's the difference, I do - I know what it's like."

The course aims to help overcome the stigma related to drug users, and puts the focus on dealing with them as human beings.

Former addict June Corcoran is training to be a counsellor

Lecturer Trudi Petersen says it is important to try and break down barriers to try and reach out to more people.

"When clients come into contact with health agencies, they don't want to admit using drugs because they fear being treated in a judgemental way," she said.

"But substance misuse is everybody's problem - you are at some point going to be affected by the outcome of abuse.

"Whether it be in relation to crime, or having to wait longer at your GP because people are queueing up to see your GP - it will somehow affect you."

The course is made up of modules including psychology, care sciences and criminology.