An 8‑week “Tobacco Cessation Certification Program” can move from epidemiology and addiction science to assessment, intervention skills, relapse prevention, and program planning, with a strong behavioral and mental health focus.​

Week 1: Epidemiology and Fundamentals
Global and India‑specific burden of tobacco use; patterns of smoking and smokeless use; health consequences across organ systems.​

Tobacco products, nicotine delivery, dependence concepts, and public health frameworks (WHO FCTC, MPOWER, national tobacco control program).​

Week 2: Addiction Science and Mental Health
Neurobiology of nicotine addiction, conditioning, and withdrawal; links with depression, anxiety, psychosis, and substance use disorders.​

Biopsychosocial model of tobacco use, social determinants, stigma, and the role of mental health professionals in integrated care.​

Week 3: Assessment and Brief Interventions
Identifying tobacco users in clinical and community settings; using 5A/5R models, Fagerström test, readiness rulers, and motivational assessment.​

Delivering brief advice and motivational interviewing‑informed conversations in 3–5 minutes for primary care and busy OPDs.​

Week 4: Behavioral Counseling Skills
Structured cessation counseling sessions: setting a quit date, coping planning, stimulus control, and problem‑solving for high‑risk situations.​

Cognitive‑behavioral strategies for cravings, affect regulation, and habit substitution; family and peer involvement to support quitting.​

Week 5: Pharmacotherapy for Cessation
Evidence‑based medications: NRT (patch, gum, lozenge), bupropion, varenicline; indications, contraindications, common side‑effects.​

Choosing and combining behavioral and pharmacological strategies; addressing myths and improving adherence to treatment.​

Week 6: Special Populations and Settings
Approaches for adolescents, women, pregnant people, persons with severe mental illness, and low‑literacy or rural communities.​

Integrating cessation into oncology, NCD clinics, psychiatry, and workplace or community programs, including brief group interventions.​

Week 7: Relapse Prevention and Long‑Term Follow‑up
Understanding lapse versus relapse, common triggers, and high‑risk periods; designing follow‑up schedules and telephone/online support.​

Stress management, mindfulness, and coping skills; building self‑efficacy and using digital tools or quitlines to maintain abstinence.​

Week 8: Program Design, Ethics, and Evaluation
Planning a tobacco cessation service: workflow, documentation, referral pathways, and collaboration with national or state programs.​

Ethical issues, cultural sensitivity, confidentiality, and monitoring outcomes (quit rates, reduction, user satisfaction); final case‑based assessment or mini‑project designing a brief cessation initiative.