Master Syllabus
Texas A&M University - Central Texas
MHCK 594 xlist/CPSK 594 – Substance Abuse
INSTRUCTOR AND CONTACT INFORMATION
Instructor: Jeremy Berry, Ph.D, LPC-S, NCC
Phone:806-281-8400
Email:jeremy.berry@tamuct.edu
Office Hours: Wednesday: 10-1230pm and 4-6pm
COURSE INFORMATION
Course Overview and description: This course will focus on the theory and practice of
addiction treatment. The course content requires a basic knowledge of substance abuse
etiology and an understanding of counseling theories. The course will be taught face to face
and is to be experientially based.
CACREP Standards
CACREP standards are imbedded within the course and can be viewed at
http://www.cacrep.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/2009-Standards.pdf. Specific standards
taught in this course are listed as follows:
II.G.1.g. Professional credentialing, including certification, licensure, and accreditation practices
and standards, and the effects of public policy on these issues.
II.G.3.g. Theories and etiology of addictions and addictive behaviors, including strategies for
prevention, intervention, and treatment; and
AC.A.1. Understands the history, philosophy, and trends in addiction counseling.
AC.A.2. Understands ethical and legal considerations specifically related to the practice of
addiction counseling.
AC.A.4. Know the professional organizations, competencies, preparation standard, and state
credentials relevant to the practice of addiction counseling.
AC.A.5.Understands a variety of models and theories of addiction related to substance use and
other addictions.
AC.A.6. Knows the behavioral, psychological, physical health, and social effects of psychoactive
substances and addictive disorders on the user and significant others.
AC.A.7. Recognize the potential for addictive disorders to mimic a variety of medical and
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psychological disorders and the potential for medical and psychological disorders to coexist with
addiction and substance abuse.
AC.A.9. Understands the impact of crises, disasters, and other trauma-causing events on persons
with addictions.
AC.A.10. Understands the operation of an emergency management system within addiction
agencies and in the community
AC.B.1. Demonstrates the ability to apply and adhere to ethical and legal standards in addiction
counseling.
AC.C.1. Knows the principles of addiction education, prevention, intervention, and consultation.
AC.C.2. Know the models of treatment, prevention, recovery, relapse prevention, and continuing
care for addictive disorders and related problems.
AC.C.3. Recognizes the importance of family, social networks, and community systems in the
treatment and recovery process.
AC.C.4. Understands the role of spirituality in the addiction recovery process.
AC.C.5. Knows a variety of helping strategies for reducing the negative effects of substance use,
abuse, dependence, and addictive disorders.
AC.C.6. Understands the principles and philosophies of addiction-related self-help programs.
AC.C.7. Understands professional issues relevant to the practice of addiction counseling,
including recognition, reimbursement, and right to practice.
AC.C.8. Understands the principles of intervention for persons with addictions during times of
crises, disasters, and other trauma-causing events.
AC.D.1. Uses principles and practices of diagnosis, treatment, and referral of addiction and other
mental and emotional disorders to initiate, maintain, and terminate counseling.
AC.D.2. Individualizes helping strategies and treatment modalities to each client’s stage of
dependence, change, or recovery.
AC.D.3. Provides appropriate counseling strategies when working with clients with addiction
and co-occurring disorders.
AC.D.4. Demonstrates the ability to use procedures for assessing and managing suicide risk.
AC.D.5. Demonstrates the ability to provide counseling and education about addictive disorders
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to families and others who are affected by clients with addictions.
AC.D.6. Demonstrates the ability to provide referral to self-help and other support groups when
appropriate.
AC.D.7. Demonstrates the ability to provide culturally relevant education programs that raise
awareness and support addiction and substance abuse prevention and the recovery process.
AC.D.8. Applies current record-keeping standards related to addiction counseling.
AC.D.9. Demonstrates the ability to recognize his or her own limitations as an addiction
counselor and to seek supervision or refer clients when appropriate.
AC.E.1. Understands how living in a multicultural society affects clients with addictions.
AC.E.2. Understand current literature that outlines theories, approaches, strategies, and
techniques shown to be effective when working with specific populations of clients with
addictions.
AC.E.3. Knows public policies on local, state, and national levels that affect the quality and
accessibility of addiction services.
AC.E.4. Understands effective strategies that support client advocacy and influence public policy
and government relations on local, state, and national levels to enhance equity, increase funding,
and promote programs that affect the practice of addiction counseling.
AC.F.1. Maintains information regarding community resources to make appropriate referrals for
clients with addictions.
AC.F.2. Advocates for policies, programs, and/or services that are equitable and responsive to
the unique needs of clients with addictions.
AC.F.3. Demonstrates the ability to modify counseling systems, theories, techniques, and
interventions to make them culturally appropriate for diverse populations of addiction clients.
AC.H.1. Selects appropriate comprehensive assessment interventions to assist in diagnosis and
treatment planning, with an awareness of cultural bias in the implementation and interpretation o
assessment protocols.
AC.H.2. Demonstrates skill in conducting an intake interview, a mental status evaluation, a
biopsychosocial history, a mental health history, and a psychological assessment for treatment
planning and case management.
AC.H.3. Screens for psychoactive substance toxicity, intoxication, and withdrawal symptoms;
aggression or danger to others; potential for self-inflicted harm or suicide; and co-occurring
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mental and/or addictive disorders.
AC.H.4. Helps clients identify the effects of addiction on life problems and the effects of
continued harmful use or abuse.
AC.H.5. Applies assessment of clients’ addictive disorders to the stages of dependence, change,
ore recovery to determine the appropriate treatment modality and placement criteria in the
continuum of care.
AC.K.1. Know the principles of the diagnostic process, including differential diagnosis, and the
use of current diagnostic tools, such as the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
AC.K.2. Knows the impact of co-occurring addictive disorders on medical and psychological
disorders.
AC.K.3. Understands the established diagnostic and clinical criteria for addictive disorders and
describes treatment modalities and placement criteria within the continuum of care.
AC.K.4. Understands the relevance and potential cultural biases of commonly used diagnostic
tools as related to clients with addictive disorders in multicultural populations.
AC.L.1. Demonstrates appropriate use of diagnostic tools, including the current edition of the
DSM, to describe the symptoms and clinical presentation of clients with addictive disorders and
mental and emotional impairments.
AC.L.2. Is able to conceptualize an accurate multi-axial diagnosis of disorders presented by
clients and communicate the differential diagnosis with collaborating professionals.
Course Objective:
Student Learning Outcomes
Understand the addiction process,
Understand the effect of substance on the individual,
Understand the basic approaches to addiction treatment,
Be familiar with current issues in addiction treatment,
Understand the relationship between therapy and support groups,
Be familiar with professional literature in the addiction field,
Understand how 12 step programs can supplement or interfere with therapy.
Required Reading - Textbooks:
FOUNDATIONS OF ADDICTIONS COUNSELING by Capuzzi, David (A pearson text)
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Academic honesty statement:
Texas A&M University - Central Texas expects all students to maintain high standards of
honor in personal and scholarly conduct. Any deviation from this expectation may result in
a minimum of a failing grade for the assignment and potentially a failing grade for the
course. All academic dishonesty concerns will be reported to the university's Office of
Student Conduct. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an
examination or other academic work, plagiarism and improper citation of sources, using
another student's work, collusion, and the abuse of resource materials. When in doubt on
collaboration, citation, or any issue, please contact me before taking a course of action.
More information can be found at
http://www.tamuct.edu/departments/studentconduct/academicinteg
Absence / Late work policy (with any exceptions):
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Online Discussions (100 Points Total)
Students will complete online discussions each week. Students are expected to check the online
class at least three to four times each week and complete weekly assignments. This averages out
to be about 8-10 hrs per week of online activities, navigating and conducting research over the
web. All initial posts have to be submitted by noon each Friday and responses to other students
be submitted by noon each Sunday.
Video Review
Watch a video that is directly related to material presented in class (ie. Traffic, 28 Days,
When a Man Loves a Woman, Clean and Sober, Basketball Diaries, Playing God, Girl
Interrupted, Philadelphia, etc.). Thereafter, write a two- to three-page paper reflecting on
the content of the video and what you learned from this movie as it relates to the impact
of substance abuse on:
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Emotional growth
Couple and Family Interaction
Job Performance
Social Relationships
Finances
Spirituality
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Master Syllabus
Abstinence Experience
Think about an activity that you enjoy or engage in frequently and commit to discontinuing this activity for the entire semester. Write
a two-page paper reflecting your experience and what you learned from this exercise. This assignment is worth 50pts. While I am
certain you could simply write a paper and not give anything up, I'd remind you of the importance of learning this experience if you
have any desire to work with addicts in the future.
Self-Reflection Paper
Students will write a self-reflection paper. The length of the paper may range from 3-5
pages. These papers should focus on your position on the issue and you can support
your position with citation sources. Topics for self-reflection:
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Bill of rights of children and teens
Portraits of healthy family dynamics
Building blocks to a balanced life
Strategies for healthy coping
Empowering versus enabling
Power Point or Prezi Presentation
Select a topic of interest from the list below. Put together a power point or Prezi
presentation that will help educate a community group or non-profit organization or high
school students on the selected topic. Ensure that there are at least 15 slides in the
power point. Remember to give credit to sources used.
(Note: You are not required to present the ppt to any group unless you want to do so)
Topic List: (addictions include: substance, foods, sex, shopping, etc)
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Building blocks to healthy addictions recovery
Raising socially responsible teens
Empowering versus enabling
ABCs to effectively handle self-regulation of emotions
Relapse prevention strategies
Effective ways to handle pressure to substance use during adolescent years
Self-care in recovery
Family and recovery
Healthy spiritual practices in recovery
Creating a healthy substance-free workplace
Grading Criteria Rubric and Conversion
Weekly online discussion board assignments
Abstinence experience
Video review
Community Education Power Point
Self-Reflection Paper
Total
100 pts
100 pts
100 pts
100 pts
100pts
500 pts
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Master Syllabus
A = 315-350 = 90-100 pts
B = 280-314 = 80-89 pts
C = 245-279 = 70-79 pts
D = 244 and below
Posting of Grades:
Grade
A
B
C
D
F
University Definition
Excellent
Good
Fair
Passing
Failing
Percentage
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
59 or below
COURSE OUTLINE AND CALENDAR
Complete Course Calendar
Week
Topics
Assignments Due
Ch 1 & 2
2 Jun 1-7
3 Jun 8-14
Ch 3 & 4
4 Jun 15-21
Ch 5 & 6
5 Jun 22-28
Ch. 7 & 8
6 Jun 29-Jul 5
Complete Abstinence Assignment
Video Review Assignment
Ch 9 & 10
7 Jul 6-12
Complete Video Review Assignment
Community Education Power
Point
Ch 11 & 12 & 13
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8 Jul 13-19
Complete Community Education Power Point
Self-Reflection Paper
Ch. 14 & 15
9 Jul 20-26
Ch 16
Abstinence Assignment
(DUE JULY 20th)
Ch 17
10 Jul 27-Aug 2
Complete self-reflection paper
Ch. 18 & 19
11 Aug 3
Ch. 20
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