ADCT Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes November 24, 2008 3:00 – 4:30, CR’s Eureka Downtown Site Members in Attendance Rhonda Lewis Fortuna Community Services/HART Kimberly Songer Fortuna Community Services/HART Neil Tarpey Self/former ADCT Associate Faculty Doug Walker United Indian Health Services Kenneth Powell ADCS Doug Rose‐Noble Humboldt County Mental Health Mike Goldsby CR ADCT Associate Faculty (non‐voting) Marcy Foster EOPS Counselor/ADCT Program Coordinator (non‐voting) Handouts ADCT Advisory Committee Meeting Agenda Guidelines for Addiction Studies Advisory Committee 2008‐2009 ADCT Class Offerings Fall 2008 ADCT Class Offerings Spring 2009 ADCT Curriculum Proposal Agenda topics and Discussion  Asweworkonre‐writingourADCTcurriculumandlookatrevisingthecourseofferings,
weneedtoknowwhatthecommunityneedsfromtheADCTprogram:a)Whatskills,
emphases,andabilitiesshouldourprogramstress?b)Whatarewecurrentlyofferingthat
isworkingwell?C)Whatdoweneedtochange,remove,oradd?
 TherewasaquestionofhowmanystudentscompletetheADCTprogrameachyear.Marcy
Fosterreportedonthis.Followingisthedataforthedistrict:duringthe2004‐05academic
year10graduates;2005‐06academicyear8graduates;2006‐07therewere8graduates;and
2007‐08therewere4graduates.Therewasadiscussionaboutpossiblereasonsthenumbers
havedropped.
 MarcysaidonepossibilityisthatCRisnolongerofferingtheADCTprogramatthe
MendocinoorKlamath‐Trinitybranches.TheprogramisstillofferedattheDelNorteand
EurekaCampus.
 Rhonda&Kimberlysharedthatonereasonforthiscouldbethatpeoplearediscovering
thattheywillnotbeemployableupongraduationfromtheprogram.Asof2005,state
regulationsrequire2,080hoursofsupervisedworkpriortobeingeligibletositforthe
certificationprocess.Thisequatesto1yearoffulltimesupervisedemploymenttomeet
the2,080hourrequirement.CR’s2fieldexperiencecoursesaccountsforabout200hours
ofthisrequirement.Studentshave5yearsafterregistering,toearntheir2,080hours.
 NeilTarpeysuggestedthatapersoncouldfulfillthose2,080hourovera3yearperiod
ratherthanallin1year.HesaidthatCRoffers200hoursduringthetrainingphase.Then
students’coulddo11hoursaweekfor3yearsandhavetheirhourscompleted.Thismay
bemoredesirableforpeopleastheycanhavetheirjob,theirfamily,andvolunteerfor11

hoursaweekfor3yearsratherthanworkingfulltimeforfreeforayear.Thiswouldalso
allowfortheformerstudenttomatureintheirliveswhilecompletingtherequiredhours.
 Thereisanotherfactorthatwillsoonaffectthenumberofpossiblefieldplacements
availableinthefield.Beginningin2010,employerswillbeallowedtohavenomorethan
20%oftheirworkforcenon‐certified.Inotherwords,only20%ofanorganizationsstaff
canbeinterns.Rhondastatedthatthisequatestoonly1non‐certifiedemployforher
organization.DougRose‐Noblestatesthatallcountyemployeesnowhavetobecertified.
ThereisacategorycalledAODCounselorTraineewhichisthecounties20%non‐certified
employees.
 Thereusedtobeanumberofparticipants,workinginthefieldwhileattendingclassesin
theevenings.Thishasprobablydiminishedduetothenewrequirements.
 Neilpointedoutthatmostlicensesrequiresomesortofinternshiphoursafterthe
completionofthetrainingphase.Everyoneagreedthatthisrequiredinternshipisgoodfor
thefield.
 Anotherfactorinthereductioncouldbethatsomestudentsbegintheprogramand
discoverthereisnotalotofmoneyinthefield.Theymaydecidethatiftheyaregoingtogo
tocollegetheymightaswellstudysomethingmorelucrative.Currently,therateofpayis
$15–$17andFortunaCommunityServices.Therateisoftenloweratthenon‐profits.All
agreedthatraisingthelevelofprofessionalismisimportant,buttherateofpayisnot
raisingwiththecertificationrequirements.
 SomestudentsbegintheADCTprogrambecausetheyhavehadaddictionsissuesandfeel
thatissomethingtheyunderstandandaccomplish.Oncetheydiscovertheycansucceedin
college,manystudentschooseadifferentmajor.Theysay,“I’vedoneaddictionslong
enough”.
 Anotherfactorcouldhavesomethingtodowiththesomestudentsseemtostartthe
programasapartoftheirtherapeuticprocess.Theymaydropoutwhentheyfindthatitis
notfillingthatpurpose(therewillbemorediscussionofthisissuebelow).
CourseOfferingsRecommendations
 Allattendeesagreedthatreadingandwritingskillsarecriticaltothesuccessinthe
programandintheworkingfield.Allagreedthatthisisanareawheremanyofour
students,andevenourgraduates,areweak.NeilsuggestedwemakeEngl350a
requirementtoevenbegintakingtheADCTclasses.Allagreedthereneedstobe
PrerequisitesorattheleastRecommendedPreparationaddedtoallADCTcourses.
 Marcysharedthatsomepeoplefeelthattheprogramhastobeofferedinawaythat
studentscancompleteitin3to4semesters.AddingtheprerequisiteofEnglish
competencecouldslowthatprocessdown.KimberlySongersaidshecompletedthe
programin3semestersandisnotsurethatwasenoughtime.Thisisespeciallytrueifthey
comeatadeficit.Thegroupfeltthatpushingthemthroughisnotinthebestinterestofthe
students.
 KenPowellsaid,andeveryoneelseagreed,thatitisaproblemfortheagenciestoget
studentsforfieldplacementsbeforetheyhavedonetheirothercoursework.Thefield
placementsneedtobetheverylastcourses.

 DougWalkerandBeverlySongersaidthatoneoftheclassestheytookwhileinthe
program,includedfieldtripstodifferentagenciestoseethekindofserviceswereprovided
ateach.Theyfounditespeciallyvaluabletohearhowtheclientsinthedifferent
organizationsfeltabouttheservicestheywerereceiving.
 Takingthewholeclasstovisittheagenciescanbedifficultfortheorganizationsaswellas
fortheinstructor(s).Acareerfairoraneventonceayear,oronceasemester,wherethe
differentagenciescouldcomeandpresentwhatastudentmightgainfromworkingintheir
agencycouldservethesamepurpose.AtHSU,SherrieJohnsoncoordinatesthefield
experienceplacements.Sheschedulesthedifferentagenciestocomeandgivea10‐15
minutepresentationabouttheagencyandwhatastudentmightlearnthere.DougWalker
saidhearingfromtheclientswasmorehelpfultohimthantoheartheagencydirectortalk.
 Itisimportanttofindwaystoinformstudents,earlyon,whatthefullpictureisofthefield.
Thiscouldbeintheformofafair,abrochure,handouts,etc.
Lookingatthedocument(seeAttachment“A”below)reflectingcurrentandproposedADCT
curriculum,thefollowingthemessurfaced.
 Everyonethoughtacourseinprofessionalwritingwouldbeveryhelpful.Everyoneagreed
thatprofessionalwritingwouldbeadifferentfocusthantheEnglishcurriculum.
Professionalwritingwouldincludetopicssuchascaseplans,casenotes,and
documentation.Theyfeltthatassessment&assessmenttools,treatmentplanning,
diagnosticskills,includingtheDSMIV(asitrelatestoaddictions)wouldfitverywellinthis
course.Thisisalottoputin1coursebutcouldbedoneifitislimitedtohowtheserelate
toaddictions.
 ItwassuggestedthatweconsideraddingEnglish150or1Atothecurriculum.Ifthisisnot
possible,theyrecommendweaddprerequisitesand/orrecommendedpreparationtoall
courses.
 Thegrouplikedtheideaof2counselingskillsclassesandrecommendedthefirstonebe
requiredpriortobeginningthefieldplacements.NeilTarpeysaidthathewould
recommendkeepingFamilySystemsasaseparateclass.Hesaidthatwhenhetaught
FamilySystems,therewerepeoplewhohadnointentionofcompletingthecertificate,took
thefamilysystemsclassinanefforttounderstandtheseconcepts.Othersinthegroupsaid
thatmadealotofsensetothem.
 CaseManagementisaveryimportantskillthatneedstobeincludedinthecurriculum.All
agreedthatthisneedstobeaclass.
 WithintheCounselingSkillscurriculumthereneedstobetraininginclient
centered/strengthbasedmodelssuchasMotivationalEnhancement,HarmReduction,and
EvidenceBasedtraining.Theseskillsputthelocusofcontrolbackintheclient’shands.
 Thetopicofconfidentialityandmandatedreportingneedstobeaddressedthroughoutthe
curriculum.Transferenceandcounter‐transferenceneedstobediscussedonaregular
basisineverycourseaswell.Thisneedstoincludeethics,professionalism,self‐disclosure,
andboundaries.Anotherimportanttopicisthedifferencebetweenconfidentialityand
anonymity.
 MarcyFostersaidthatshehasheardsomepeoplesaythatweneedtoincludetrainingon
co‐occurringdisordersandothershavesaidthatthisdoesnotneedtobeapartofthe
ADCTprogram.Shehasalsoheardthatco‐occurringdisordersisnotincludedintheTAP
21.Everyoneinattendancesaidthatdefinitelyneedstobeincludedevenifitisnotapart
ofTAP21ornot.Thiscouldalsoincludeinformationonbrainfunctions.Ourproposed
curriculumbelowcombinesco‐occurringdisorderswithspecialpopulations.Thegroup
feltstronglythatthespecialpopulations’curriculumneedstoincludeissuesrelatedto
women,children,adolescents,seniors,differentcultures,domesticviolence,etc.Itneedsto
beallinclusiveandmaynotbepossibletoincludetheco‐occurringdisorderspiece.Itwas
theconsensusofthegroupthatweneeded2standalonecourseshere.Onefocusedon
specialpopulationsandanotheronco‐occurringdisorders.
 NeilTarpeysuggestedwelookatthepossibilityofofferingsomeofthesetopicsas1or2
unitcoursesratherthanthetraditional3unitcourse.Hesuggestedthat2or3ofthese
shortercoursescouldbeofferedonthesamenight,sametimeslot,withonebeginning
whentheweekaftertheotheroneendsthroughoutthesemester.Topicscouldinclude
womenandaddictions,adolescentsandaddictions,seniors,co‐occurringdisorders,etc.
Wecouldalsoofferthemon1or2Saturdays.Thesecoursescouldbedesirablefor
communitymemberstoearntheirCEUcredits.
 ItwassuggestedthatweoffercoursesattheEurekaDowntown(EDT)site.Marcysaidthat
thereisanADCT10coursebeingofferedatEDTthisspringsemester.
 WearecurrentlyaccreditedwiththeCAADE.Isthereanotheraccreditationorganization
wemaywanttoconsider?Ifso,whatwouldmakethatabetteroption?

Therearearound10differentcertifyingbodiesinCalifornia.Thereisalotoffighting
throughoutthestateamongtheseorganizations.RhondasaidthatitlooksliketheStateison
thevergeofbecomingtheonlycertifyingbody.Inordertoapplyforcertification,astudent
doesnotneedanaddictionstudiescertificate.However,allofthecertifyingorganizations
requireaminimumnumberofaddictionstudycoursesfromanaccreditedtrainingfacility
suchasCR.ThecourserequirementsareoutlinedintheTAP21whichistheguidethatallof
thetestsarewrittento.TheTAP21competenciesarewhatCR’sADCTprogramisusingas
ourguideforre‐writingthecurriculum.Inordertofacilitatethisprocess,Marcyhascreated
anExcelspreadsheetwiththe123Competenciesdowntheleftsideandthetitleofthe
coursesacrossthetop.Theinstructorsaredefiningwhichcompetenciesareaddressedin
eachofthecoursestheyareplanningtore‐write.
 Somepeoplesaythatthecoursesattimesareusedastherapyfornewlyrecoveringaddicts.
1) Doyouseethisasanissueoraconcern?2)Howdoyourecommendweaddressthis?
 Mikesaidthattherearenotverymanypeoplewhowalkinthedoorthinkingthatthiswill
substitutefortheirtherapyortheir“program”.However,VocRehabcounselorsoften
encouragepeopletostarttheprogrambeforetheyareready.Thedropoffrateissohighin
thebeginningofthesemesterthathewondersifpeoplesignedupforthewrongreasons.
Maybeforthefinancialaidorthattheyhadunreasonableexpectations.
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Somepeoplesaytheybegintheprogramtounderstandtheirownaddictionissuesorthe
issuesofsomeonetheycareabout.Somejusttake1or2classeswithnointentionof
completingthewholeprogram.Thisisgoodforthestudentandgoodforthe
program/courses.
ThestudentsintheADCTprogramgetstereotypedasthosetroubledpeoplewithallthose
issues.
Therearestudentswhogettheirbachelorsormastersandreturntogettheinformationon
addictions.
Everyoneagreedthatthisdoeshappenattimesforavarietyofreasons.Peoplearenaturally
drawntodowhattheyunderstandortowhattheywanttounderstand.Therefore,people
whohaveexperiencedaddictionissuesarenaturallydrawntotheADCTprogramtobetter
understandthemselvesandhowtohelpothersavoidthedifficultiestheyhadfaced.These
studentsalsoenrollinthisprogrambecauseitisacertificateandcanbecompletedina
shorteramountoftime.Manypeopleseethecertificatesasaneducationthattheycan
complete.Oncetheyaresuccessful,theyoftencontinueontoanassociatedegreeand/orto
transfer.
Whilethestudentsparticipateinclassroomactivities,suchasmoviesandclassdiscussions,
theinformationoftensurfacesstrongemotionsandreactions.NeilTarpeysaidthatwhenhe
wasteachingheincludedastatementinhissyllabustoaddressthis.Healsoprovidedalistof
communityresourcessotheycouldaccessthehelptheymayneed.Heprovidedcopiesofthis
statementfortheparticipants.Marcyaskedhimtosendthistoherelectronicallysothatshe
canforwarditontootherADCTinstructors.
 Thefollowingagendaitemswerenotdiscussedduetothelackoftime.Theywillbeaddedto
theagendaforthenextmeetingwhichwillbescheduledinJanuary.
 Areyouawareofeducationalmaterialsthatcouldbeincorporatedintoourcurriculum
(books,brochures,websites,etc.)?
 Thereisalwaysandneedforfundingtocoverthecostofthingslikeconferences/faculty
development/stipendsforspecialprojects,etc.
 Doesanyonehaveideasofsourcesforthesesortsoffundingopportunities
Attachment“A”
ADCT Curriculum Proposal Per Group Discussion at Sept. 24th ADCT Team Meeting Current Course Requirements ADCT 10 Intro to Addiction Studies 3 ADCT 11 Pharmacology and Physiology of Addictions 3 ADCT 12 Substance Abuse: Law, Prevention & Education 3 ADCT 13 Substance Abuse in Special Populations 3 ADCT 14 Health, Nutrition, & Addiction 3 ADCT 15 Intro to Counseling Skills 3 ADCT 16 Family Systems 3 ADCT 17 Field Experience II 3 Soc 34 Intro to Social Work 3 Soc 38 Field Experience 3 Soc or Psych Elective 3 Total 33 Proposed Course Requirements (per discussion at ADCT team meeting 9/24/08) ADCT 10 Intro to Addiction Studies 3 ADCT 11 Pharmacology and Physiology of Addictions 3 ADCT 12 Ethics, Law, & Prevention 3 ADCT 13 Special Populations & Dual Diagnosis (Psych or Soc?) 3 ADCT 14 Health, Nutrition, & Addiction 3 delete course ADCT 15 Intro to Counseling & Family Systems I 3 ADCT 16 Intro to Counseling & Family Systems II 3 ADCT 17 Field Experience II 3 Soc 34 Intro to Social Work 3 Soc 38 Field Experience 3 ?? Case Management 3 add course ?? Professional Writing/DSM IV 3 add course ?? One More New Course 3 add course Total 36