Course Form (revised 7-2008)
I. Summary of Proposed Changes
Dept / Program School of Social Work
Course #
Course Title
Social Work Practice in the Field of Addictions
SW 553
Short Title (max. 26 characters incl. spaces)
Social Work Addictions
Summarize the change(s) proposed
New Course
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Please type / print name Signature
Requestor:
Dr. Timothy Conley
Phone/ email :
x5557/timothy.conley@umontana.edu
Program
Dr. Ryan Tolleson Knee
Chair/Director:
Other affected
n/a
programs:
Dean:
Dr. Dave Forbes
Date
4/28/09
III: To Add a New Course Syllabus and assessment information is required (paste syllabus into
section V or attach). Course should have internal coherence and clear focus.
Exact entry to appear in the next catalog (Specify course abbreviation, level, number, title, credits,
repeatability (if applicable), frequency of offering, prerequisites, and a brief description.) 
SW Prac in Field of Addictions/G or 500-level/SW 553/Social Work Practice in the Field of Addictions/3
credits/offered spring semester/admission to MSW program or by permission of instructor/This elective
course affords participants an opportunity to develop knowledge in a specific area of social work practice:
addictions. The course examines historical and contemporary models of direct practice, and current
ideological, political, policy and systemic challenges to the practice of social work in the addictions.
Justification: How does the course fit with the existing curriculum? Why is it needed?
It is a graduate-level elective course in the MSW program with a consistent enrollment over the past three
years that is has been offered as a “special topics” course. The program needs practice electives.
Are there curricular adjustments to accommodate teaching this course?
no
Complete for UG courses. (UG courses should be assigned a 400 number).
Describe graduate increment (Reference guidelines: http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/Grad/UG.htm)
Fees may be requested only for courses meeting specific conditions determined by the
Board of Regents. Please indicate whether this course will be considered for a fee.
If YES, what is the proposed amount of the fee?
Justification:
IV. To Delete or Change an Existing Course – check X all that apply
Deletion
Title
Course Number
From:
Level U, UG, G
Change
To:
Description Change
Change in Credits
From:
To:
Prerequisites
1. Current course information at it appears in catalog
(http://www.umt.edu/catalog) 
YES
From:
To:
Repeatability
Cross Listing
(primary program
initiates form)
Is there a fee associated with the
course?
2. Full and exact entry (as proposed) 
NO
X
3. If cross-listed course: secondary program & course
number
4. Graduate increment if level of course is changed to UG.
Reference guidelines at:
http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/Grad/UG.htm
(syllabus required in section V)
Have you reviewed the graduate increment
guidelines? Please check (X) space provided.
5. Other programs affected by the change
6. Justification for proposed change
V. Syllabus/Assessment Information
Required for new courses and course change from U to UG. Paste syllabus in field below or attach and send
digital copy with form.
VI Department Summary (Required if several forms are submitted) In a separate document list course
number, title, and proposed change for all proposals.
VII Copies and Electronic Submission. After approval, submit original, one copy, summary of
proposals and electronic file to the Faculty Senate Office, UH 221, camie.foos@mso.umt.edu.
SW 595.00: Social Work Practice in the Field of Addictions
January 28 through May 6, 2009 (3 graduate credits; 45 contact hours)
Instructor: Associate Professor Timothy B. Conley, Ph.D., L.C.S.W.,
Certified Addiction Specialist: American Academy of Health Care Providers in the
Addictive Disorders
Office: University of Montana, Jeannette Rankin Hall 115
Telephone: 406-243-5557; 406-240-6617;
E-mail: timothy.conley@umontana.edu
Office Hours: TBA
Prerequisites: Bachelors degree in a related field or enrollment in a human
service related
graduate program or related practice experience.
Room: JRH 19
Course Description:
This elective course affords participants an opportunity to develop knowledge in a specific
area of social work practice: addictions. The course examines historical and contemporary
models of direct practice, and current ideological, political, policy and systemic challenges to the
practice of social work in the addictions in the new Millennium. It affords participants an
opportunity to acquire an understanding of the social science theories which inform direct
practice models including: assessment based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th
Edition Text-Revised (DSM-IV TR), level of care dictated by the American Society of Addiction
Medicine Patient Placement Criteria -Two (ASAM II-R), Stages of Change, Motivational
Interviewing, Alcoholics Anonymous, Rational Recovery and others. Participants will also
critically analyze how social injustice, oppression and poverty impact addictive disorders across
the lifespan and identify the ethical dilemmas these pose to the practitioner. Assigned material
will include recent publications concerning understanding and treatment of co-occurring mental
health/substance abuse disorders (dual-diagnosis), neuro-biological models of addiction,
methamphetamine dependence and other specific drugs of dependence. All class hours fill
specific categories of knowledge required by the National Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Counselors (NAADAC) for certification, and will apply to the Licensed Addiction counselor (LAC)
credential in the State of Montana. Many teaching modules draw directly from the recently
developed National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) training modules,
approved by The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and The Council on Social
Work Education (CSWE) for inclusion in social work curriculum.
Course Content:
This course is designed in part to meet the educational requirements of the National
Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) for credentialing. As such,
readings and assignments will reflect the content areas of counseling, pharmacology, ethics,
general chemical dependency studies, treatment planning and documentation and multi-cultural
competency. The course will explore social work in the field of addiction and the necessity and
challenges of integrating clinical skills into more macro-level practice arenas. Students will
express increased knowledge of addictions topics through a series of two papers and interactive
class discussions. Contemporary developments in the field such as drug screening for the
vulnerable populations of Medicaid, TANF recipients and prisoners may be explored. Readings
will cover principles of addiction as well as addiction to specific chemicals.
Course objectives:
1. Identify historical and contemporary models of direct practice in the addictions.
2. Outline current ideological, political, policy and systemic challenges to the practice of
social work in the addictions.
3. Demonstrate culturally competent, gender-sensitive understanding of communication and
interactional skills with addicted individuals and multi-person systems.
4. Articulate a critical understanding of the dominant addiction practice paradigms (i.e. DSMIV, ASAM Criteria).
5. Utilize framework for ethical self-reflection and decision-making as a component of
professional development.
6. Demonstrate effective written communication skills needed for professional
practice.
7. Identify and utilize social science theories which inform direct practice models, processes
and change action plans appropriate to addiction
8. Demonstrate knowledge of theory bases and evidence based practice models relevant to
addiction assessment, intervention and outcome measurement.
9. Exhibit an understanding of the role, rules and regulations of professional organizations
(i.e. NAADAC, NASW) and licensing boards (DPHHS, AMDD, LAC) for the addiction
practitioner.
10. Identify strategies of practice evaluation for addiction clinic social work.
11. Recognize and identify the community’s unique resources in the planning and
implementation of addiction work.
12. Describe implications of rural context of practice in the addictions.
Evaluation of student course work:
The student work assigned for this course is designed to measure achievement of the
course objectives. This is a graduate level course and all work (research and writing) will reflect
an understanding of root theories as well as practice models. A professionally critical tone is
expected for all writing. APA style format for papers with particular attention to the "author,
(date)" method of citation is required.
The very specific criteria by which work will be graded is posted in the assignment section
of the BlackBoard.
Assignment One
Students are expected to submit discussion postings to Blackboard weekly concerning the
readings. Talking points are expected to respond to course readings, or to summarize related
reading that you have done on the weekly topic. Discussions will center around your reactions
opinions and questions concerning the readings, web-sites, NIAAA modules and other materials
assigned for the week. They should also foster development of and opportunities for utilizing
frameworks for ethical self-reflection and decision-making as a component of professional
development. The contextual implication of rural and global perspectives and their implications
on social work practice in the field of addictions will be explored (20% of grade).
Assignment Two
Completed by all students; page limit <15 not including reference page (40% of class
grade). An outline of the proposed paper is due by February 11; the paper is due on March 11.
Early submission is encouraged.
Students will prepare a literature research/review paper, on a practice-related topic in their
area of addictions interest. The paper is to outline current ideological, political, policy or
systemic challenges to the practice of social work in this area of addictions. In so doing it will
demonstrate effective written communication skills which are needed for professional practice. It
should also demonstrate culturally competent, gender-sensitive understanding of the challenge,
and reflect a minority as well as a dominant culture world view.
For example, a student may be interested in the treatment of pregnant substance abusing
women. You could start with the SAMHSA website:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=hstat5.part.22441
And link to the Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) #2 on exactly that topic. Starting from
there she would read the TIP and then select articles from the bibliography for self assigned
reading/review.
All papers may be started using reading material assigned for the course. Also, the library
may be accessed through the internet including full text articles to many major addictions related
journals. Here is the link to the library:
http://www.lib.umt.edu/research
Assignment Three
Students choose one of the following assignments, with a page limit of <15 pages (40% of
course grade). An outline is due by March 11; assignment due by the fourteenth class. Early
submission is encouraged, no late papers accepted.
a) Prepare a literature search paper which reports on a specific model for the treatment of
one addictive substance: cocaine, cannabis, methamphetamine, alcohol, inhalants. The work will
expose popular inaccurate mythologies such as 'crack babies,' 'skid row bums,' etc. The paper
will demonstrate knowledge of theories of addiction including biological, social, psychological,
spiritual (the text is a good initial source). Cover pharmacology wherever possible: can addiction
to this substance be treated with medication? Moreover, the work will exemplify a working
knowledge of evidence based culturally sensitive practice models relevant to assessment,
intervention and outcome measurement relative to the substance chosen.
b) Students will prepare a paper exhibiting thorough knowledge of diagnosis and
assessment of individuals afflicted with chemical dependency disorders. This will include DSM-IV
diagnostic criteria as well as the SASSI, ASI, ASAM PPC-2-R and other multidimensional
assessment schema. The paper will present a bio-psycho-social perspective and address
strengths assessments as well as pathology. Students are encouraged to research and report
on ethnic and culturally sensitive assessment schema. Do the dominant models work for Native
Americans, African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans and/or immigrants?
Again, the link to SAMHSA's TIPs is offered as a starting point for your research.
http://tie.samhsa.gov/Externals/tips.html And the link to the library for on-line literature research:
http://www.lib.umt.edu/research
c) Students may conduct a 50 minute intake and 50 minute follow up session with a mock
client, digital-record these and write a critical process record of the encounters. The write up will
include a citation supported introduction on the particular counseling model and method used,
written transcription and critical comments on specific segments of the interviews/sessions and a
summary of how the experience advanced the students personal learning goals. Discuss this
one with me before proceeding.
Required Text:
Doweiko, H.E. (2005) Concepts of Chemical Dependency. Brooks/Cole 6th
Edition. This is available from several sources on-line and costs less than $80.00, though used
ones may run much less than this.
Teaching Process and Schedule:
Below is a listing of all related teaching/learning sessions in order. Each session consists
of required and (sometimes) suggested readings. All should be either in the text or located in the
course documents section of the course BlackBoard web-site. There are also additional
documents in this section of the BlackBoard. The syllabus itself provides links to some web-sites.
Most sessions include reference to a separate NIAAA training module and these are located in
the course materials section of the course BlackBoard web-site; they consist of a power-point
presentation and notes. Moreover, all of these modules, including instructor notes, may be
accessed directly online at NIAAA: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/Social/ContentsList.html
I am augmenting this course materials section of the BlackBoard this semester to include
selected most recent presentations from the National Institute on Drug Abuse Blending
Conference I attended in Cincinnati last spring. Hot stuff: check them out!
I will occasionally mail general comments, observations and instructions to all students.
You may contact me by e-mail at any time. Any e-mails to me not specifically marked
'confidential' may be shared with all participants for learning purposes.
Week One (January 28): Course overview; History of social work in the addictions.
Through class discussion we will review course assignments and evaluative criteria. We
also will participate in a discussion concerning participants interests and personal/professional
motivation for participating in this course. For this week all participants will prepare a one to two
paragraph dialog introducing themselves and sharing their interest in taking this course.
All participants will subscribe (free) to the following list-servers:
Subscribe to JTO direct weekly newsletter at: www.jointogether.org; Hot news releases
from JTO are often the topic of discussion on class.
Subscribe to NIDA Notes as well at:
http://www.drugabuse.gov/NIDA_Notes/NNIndex.html
Required Readings:
Freeman, (2001) Substance Abuse Intervention, prevention, rehabilitation, and systems
change strategies. Columbia university press. Chapter 3: The substance policy and funding
subsystem: Sociopolitical and power issues. (This file is a little corrupt, but readable).
Sun, A.P., (2001). Systemic barriers to the employment of social workers in alcohol and
other drug treatment agencies: A statewide survey. Journal of Social Work
Practice in the
Addictions, 1 (1). 11-24.
Rhodes, R., Johnson. A.D. (1996). Social work and substance –abuse treatment: A
challenge for the profession. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Human Services,
77 (3), 182-185.
Suggested Readings:
Magura, S. (1994). Social workers should be more involved in substance abuse treatment.
National Association of Social Workers, 19 (1), 3-5.
Week Two (February 4): The social context of addiction practice
Required Readings:
Burke, A.C., & Clapp, J.D. (1997) Ideology and social work practice in substance abuse
settings. Social Work, 42 (6), 552-562.
NIAAA Module 2: Etiology and natural history of alcoholism (BlackBoard course materials)
Discrimination against Addicts:
http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/communitystories/2002/discrimination-againstpeople.html
Reefer Madness: the original
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6696582420128930236
Familiarize yourself with the websites for the following governmental organizations:
NIDA: http://www.drugabuse.gov/NIDAHome.html
NIAAA: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov
SAMHSA: http://www.samhsa.gov/index.aspx
Suggested Readings:
Drug abuse screening and welfare recipients
http://www.aclu.org/drugpolicy/testing/10757res20030415.html
(this would make a good paper topic for an assignment)
Hall, M., Amodeo, M., Shaffer, H.J., & Vander Bilt, J. (2000). Social workers employed in
substance abuse treatment agencies: a training needs assessment. Social Work, 45, (2) p. 141 155; (Course documents)
Week Three (February 11): The organizational context of addiction practice
Assignment Due: Outline of first paper
Required Readings:
Walker, S. (2001) Sense and nonsense about crime and drugs: A policy guide. Chapter
13, Pages 251 to 291: (course documents)
NIAAA Module 7: Coordinated care systems (course materials)
Suggested Readings:
Enos, G. (2004). The future of addiction services: it's in the science. Addiction
professional 2 (6) 17-21.
Week Four (February 18): Models of screening, assessment and diagnosis - part one
Required Readings:
NIAAA Module 4: Screening for Alcohol Problems in Social Work Settings
Doweiko, H.E. (2005) Concepts of Chemical Dependency. Brooks/Cole. Chapter 26: The
Evaluation of Substance Abuse Problems; Appendix 1 & 2: Sample Assessments
Mee Lee, D. American Society of Addiction Medicine Patient Placement Criteria -Two
(ASAM PPC II-R), (Course documents).
Cherpital: Screening (course documents)
Briefly review these web-sites:
http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/Practitioner/PocketGuide/pocket_guide.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=hstat5.section.48618
Suggested Readings:
Mattaini, M. and Kirk, S.A. (1991). Assessing assessment in social work. Social work, 36,
260 - 266.
Mattaini, M. and Kirk, S.A. (1993). Points and viewpoints: Mis-diagnosing assessment.
Stockwell, T., Murphy, D., Hodgson, R., (1983). The severity of alcohol dependence
questionnaire: Its use reliability and validity. British Journal of Addiction. 78: 145-155. London.
Week Five (February 25): Models of screening, assessment and diagnosis - part two
Required Readings:
NIAAA Module five: Diagnosis and Assessment of Alcohol Use Disorders (course
materials)
Doweiko, H.E. (2005) Concepts of Chemical Dependency. Brooks/Cole. Chapter 26: The
Evaluation of Substance Abuse Problems; Ch. 4: Are people pre-destined to become addicted to
chemicals? & chapter 5: Addiction as a disease of the human spirit.
American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders 4th Edition, Text Revised. (DSM-IV-TR). Washington: APA Press. 191-212.
Suggested Readings:
American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders 4th Edition, Text Revised. (DSM-IV-TR). Washington: APA Press. 213-295
Cooper, M. & Lebo, R.A. (2001). Assessment and treatment of sexual compulsivity: A
multi-modal perspective. Journal of social work practice in the addictions (1) 2: 61-74.
Week Six (March 4): Assessment, evaluation and treatment planning in practice
Simulated practice lab on assessment and evaluation
Required Readings:
Multiple Authors, (2004). Alcohol and Suicidal Behavior. Alcoholism: Clinical and
Experimental Research, 28 (5) May 2004 Supplement.
Choose one article regarding alcohol and suicide for discussion.
Week Seven (March 11): Individual work with the addicted
Assignment Due: First paper due; outline of second paper also due
Motivational interviewing techniques and practice
Required Readings:
NIAAA Module 6: Motivation and Treatment Interventions (course materials) Additional
readings in motivational interviewing as assigned
Week Eight (March 18): Group work with addicted
Required readings:
Doweiko, H.E. (2005) Concepts of Chemical Dependency. Brooks/Cole. Chapter 28: The
treatment of chemical dependency; Chapter 29: Treatment formats for chemical dependency
rehabilitation; Chapter 34: Self-help groups.
http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/
Rapin, L & Keel, L. (1998). Association for specialists in Groupwork best practice
guidelines. Journal For Specialists In Groupwork, 23 (3), 237-244.
Furr, S.R. (2000). Structuring the group experience: A format for designing psychoeducational groups. Journal For Specialists In Groupwork, 25 (1), 29-49.
Suggested Readings:
Staub, M.L. (2004). For Women Only: Making the Case for Gender Specific Treatment.
Addiction Professional: 2 (5) 18-25. AND: Cunningham, W. (2004). The Myths of Manhood:
Addressing Men's Addiction and Recovery Through Relational Therapy. Addiction Professional:
2 (5) 26-31; NIAAA
Week Nine (March 25): Alcoholism (the ol’ granddaddy of addictions)
(Guest speakers: Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, Johhny Walker Red, Jose Cuervo)
Required Readings:
Doweiko, H.E. (2005) Concepts of Chemical Dependency. Brooks/Cole. Chapter 7: An
introduction to alcohol; Chapter 8: chronic alcohol abuse and addiction.
Cloninger, C.R., Sigvardsson, S., Bohman, M., (1996). Type I and Type II Alcoholism: An
update. Alcohol Health & Research World, 20 (1).
NIAAA Module Two (course materials) Etiology and Natural History
Alcohol and Disease Interactions, (2001). Alcohol Research & Health, 25 (4).
NIAAA module 10K Fetal exposure to alcohol (course materials)
Week Ten (April 1): SPRING BREAK
Week Eleven (April 8): Alcoholism and special populations
Required Readings:
NIAAA Module 10B: Working with women (course materials).
Women and Alcohol, an Update, (2002). Alcohol Research & Health, 26 (4). This is a special
issue entirely devoted to alcohol related problems encountered by the female alcohol addict choose your own reading.
Wechsler, H., Lee, J. E., Kuo, M., Lee, H., (2000). College Binge Drinking in the 1990’s: A
continuing problem. Journal of American College Health. 48 (March).
Behavioral Healthcare Tomorrow, (2003). The role of antabuse (disulfiram) in the
treatment of alcohol use problems, Addiction Professional May/June, Supplement.
Week Twelve (April 15): Addictions in corrections
Required Readings:
Doweiko, H.E. (2005) Concepts of Chemical Dependency. Brooks/Cole. Chapter 36:
Crime and drug use (p. 474).
Conley, T. Schantz, D., (2006). “Predicting and Reducing Recidivism: Factors Contributing
to Recidivism in the State of Montana Pre-release Center Population &
the Issue of
Measurement: A report with recommendations for policy change.” On file with Montana
Department of correction and the University of Montana School of Social Work. November 20th,
2006. p. 1-20.
Drug Courts: Efficacy vs. Effectiveness
http://www.jointogether.org/sa/news/features/reader/0,1854,574745,00.html
Drug Courts & Rehab Justice: NY Times article (BlackBoard, course documents)
Week Thirteen (April 22): Opiates and pharmaceuticals
Required Readings:
Doweiko, H.E. (2005) Concepts of Chemical Dependency. Brooks/Cole. Chapter 14:
Opiate abuse and addiction ( p. 162-182); Chapters 17: The unrecognized problem of steroid
abuse and addiction & 18: The over the counter analgesics…… (p. 198-228).
Week Fourteen (April 29): Co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders
Required Readings:
Alcohol and Co-morbid Mental Health Disorders, (2002). Alcohol Research and Health, 2
(26).
Doweiko, H.E. (2005) Concepts of Chemical Dependency. Brooks/Cole.
Chapter 22: The dual-diagnosis client: chemical addiction and mental illness (p. 271-282).
Chapter 6: An Introduction to Pharmacology (p. 55-68); Ch. 32: Pharmacological Intervention
Tactics and Substance Abuse (p. 389-403).
NIAAA Module 10E: co-morbidity and Module 10D Homelessness (course materials)
http://www.jointogether.org/keyissues/medications/continuing-ed/role-of-medication/
Week Fifteen (May 6): Co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders
Required Readings:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, (2001). Mental Health: Culture, Race,
and Ethnicity - A Supplement to Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville,
Maryland: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Office of the
Surgeon General. Chapter 2: Culture Counts: The Influence of Culture and Society on Mental
Health (p. 23-49) (Course documents).