Argosy University

COURSE SYLLABUS

PP8650

Assessment and Treatment of Substance Abuse

Spring 2011


Faculty Information

Faculty Name: Torrey Wilson, Ph.D.

Campus: Chicago

Contact Information:

Office Phone Number: 312-777-7616

Office: Room 1371

Office Hours: Meetings by appointment.

Course Catalogue Description

This course focuses on the examination of substance abuse and dependence disorders along with the relevant research, theory, assessment, and treatment approaches. Major classes of abused drugs will be discussed along with multicultural, traditional, as well as nonpsychologically based approaches to prevention and treatment.

Course Pre-requisites: None.

Required Texts

Frances, R.J., Miller, S.I., Mack, A.H. (2005). Clinical textbook of addictive disorders (3rd Ed.).

New York: The Guildford Press. (ISBN: 1-59385-174-X).

Technology: Pentium III CPU/ Windows 98; 128MB RAM printer; Microsoft Office: Acrobat (full version); Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 (PC), 5.0 (MAC), or Netscape Navigator 4.08; Norton Antivirus.

Course length: 15 weeks

Credit Hours: 45

Credit Value: 3

Course Objectives

Course Objective / Program Goal / Method of Assessment
To develop a basic understanding of various class of substances and to have an understanding of psychological and physiological attributes of various drugs. / Goal 4- Scientific Foundation
Goal 5- Scholarship / Weekly reading assignments, Participation in Class, Class Presentation, Quizzes and Final exam
To review basic principles and theories underlying assessment, diagnosis and treatment of substance abuse and addiction. / Goal 1- Assessment
Goal 2: Intervention
Goal 4- Scientific Foundation / Weekly reading assignments, Participation in Class, Class Presentation, Quizzes and Final exam
To be able to assess and formulate working clinical hypotheses about an individual or family’s level of problem with substance abuse and/or addiction / Goal 1- Assessment
Goal 2: Intervention
Goal 3- Diversity / Weekly reading assignments, Participation in Class, Class Presentation, Quizzes and Final exam
To gain an understanding of poly-substance use, co-morbid disorders, as well as substance abuse in children and adolescents, women, minority populations, and workplace. / Goal 1- Assessment
Goal 2: Intervention
Goal 3- Diversity
Goal- Scientific Foundation / Weekly reading assignments, Participation in Class, Class Presentation, Quizzes and Final exam
To gain a working understanding of the options and alternatives available for the treatment of substance abuse that includes inpatient and outpatient settings and more specifically individual (e.g. psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, family based approaches), family (e.g. intervention), group (e.g. self-help, process, didactic), or psycho-pharmacologically based strategies. / Goal 1- Assessment
Goal 2: Intervention
Goal 3- Diversity
Goal- Scientific Foundation / Weekly reading assignments, Participation in Class, Class Presentation, Quizzes and Final exam

Purpose:

The first part of this course will introduce students to the various classes of substances and examine the range of psychological and physiological attributes of each class in addition to the unique attributes of a given of substance within each group. They will also become familiar with the behavioral and emotional signs and symptoms of substance use and begin to establish a clinical framework for distinguishing between substance use, abuse and dependence. In the second part of this course they will review the basic theoretical models and principles of assessment, diagnosis and treatment of substance abuse disorders. As such they will become familiar with the relevant literature and research and develop a basic working knowledge of how to assess, diagnose and treat individuals and families who struggle with substance abuse and addictive disorders.

Class Assignments:

By the end of the course, students will mastered the course objectives and are able to have a working knowledge of how to apply these concepts to clinical cases and material. All assignments will emphasize conceptual skills, critical thinking and writing skills.

Course assignments:

1)  Students are expected to read the assigned material prior to class and be ready to contribute comments and questions to the discussion.

2)  Students are expected to present on a topic in the area of substance abuse and evidence-based treatments. SAMSHA website. http://nrepp.samhsa.gov/

3)  Students are expected to attend a 12-step self-help meeting i.e. Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Rational Recovery, etc. and write a two-page reaction/experiential paper.

4)  Several quizzes will be given during the term of the course various topics related to the reading and discussion material

5)  An in class final examination will assess the students understanding and command of the material on both theoretical and practical levels.

6)  Class Participation (10%): Class participation will be evaluated in the following ways: Meaningful dialogue with professor and peers related to the given topic of the week; on-time arrival to class and on-time return to class during breaks; and, cell phones and pagers are to be turned off or to vibrate so as to minimize distractions to colleagues. Laptops and notebooks may be used to take notes in class, but not to surf the internet, check emails or otherwise distract the student from the classroom discussion. Missing one class will result in a decrease of 1 letter grade from the grade that would have otherwise been awarded in this category. Missing two classes will result in a decrease of 2 letter grades from the grade that would have otherwise been awarded in this category. Missing three classes will result in a decrease of 3 letter grades from the grade that would have otherwise been awarded in this category.

7)  Student Presentation (30%): Please be advised that you will be asked to schedule a date and topic for your presentation. This is an individual presentation and you will be expected to be prepared for it on the date you selected. It is important that the presentation be completed on the date scheduled. Therefore, a late presentation will result in a decrease of one letter grade per week delayed from the grade that it would have been otherwise given upon its own merit. No presentations will be accepted outside of the classroom time. Be sure to save and print your PowerPoint notes and papers as to avoid computer failures and loss of an entire presentation. Be advised that computer and other technical problems will not be considered as a legitimate excuse for missing the deadline. All presentations are to be appropriately cited and referenced in APA format. Full discussion of details will be discussed.

8)  Quizzes (30%): Two in-class quizzes will be given throughout the term and will assess the student’s ability to meaningfully apply the materials learned to date. Quizzes will include recognition of substance abuse phenomenology, ability to accurately assess and diagnose, plan for treatment and intervene accordingly. No in class quizzes will be allowed to be re-taken if missed.

9)  Final Exam (30%): This in-class final examination will only be done in class. In the event of a verifiable and documented medical emergency, death in the family, natural catastrophe, or plausible disaster, the student may be allowed to make arrangements to make up for the missed final exam. No other exceptions will be allowed.

10) The Argosy University Statement Regarding Diversity

11) Argosy University prepares students to serve populations with diverse social, ethnic, economic, and educational experiences. Both the academic and training curricula are designed to provide an environment in which students can develop the skills and attitudes essential to working with people from a wide range of backgrounds.

Course Schedule

Week / Topic / Reading / Assignments
1 / Chapters 1& 2: Introduction
2 / No Class
3 / Alcohol & Tobacco / Chapters 5 & 6:Alcohol & Tobacco
4 / Opioids, Marijuana, Hallucinogens & Club Drugs / Chapters 7 & 8: Opioids, Marijuana, Hallucsinogens, & Club Drugs
5 / Cocaine & Stimulants / Chapter 9: Cocaine & Stimulants
6 / Sedatives, Hypnotics & Benzodiazepines / Chapter 10: Sedatives, Hypnotics & Benzodiazpines
7 / Polysubstance Use, Abuse, & Dependence
Dual Diagnosis / Chapters 11& 12: Ploysubstance Use, Abuse & Dependence
Dual Diganosis
8 / Polysubstance Use, Abuse, & Dependence
Dual Diagnosis
9 / Special Populations / Chapters 14, 19, & 20: special Populations
10 / Treatment Approaches / Chapters 22 & 28: Teatment Approaches
11 / Student Presentations
Individual Psychodynamic Psychotherapy / Chapter 21: Individual Plsychodynamic Psychotherapy
12 / Student Presentations
Dialectical Behavior Therapy, BPD & SUD / Chapter 27: Dialectical Behavior Therapy, BPD & SUD
13 / Student Presentations
Special Populations, Pain & Addiction, Treating Adolescents / Chapters 17 & 25 Special Populations, Pain & Addiction, Treating Adolescents
14 / Student Presentations / Final Review
15 / Final Exam


Grading Criteria:

Grading requirements: Grading Scale

A / 100 – 93
A- / 92 – 90
B+ / 89 – 88
B / 87 – 83
B- / 82 – 80
C+ / 79 – 78
C / 77 - 73
C- / 72 – 70
F / 69 and below
Quizzes / 30%
Final Exam / 30%
Student Presentation / 30%
Participation / 10%
Total / 100%

Library Resources

Argosy University’s core online collection features nearly 21,000 full-text journals and 23,000 electronic books and other content covering all academic subject areas including Business & Economics, Career & General Education, Computers, Engineering & Applied Science, Humanities, Science, Medicine & Allied Health, and Social & Behavior Sciences. Many titles are directly accessible through the Online Public Access Catalog at http://library.argosy.edu. Detailed descriptions of online resources are located at http://library.argosy.edu/misc/onlinedblist.html.

In addition to online resources, Argosy University’s onsite collections contain a wealth of subject-specific research materials searchable in the Online Public Access Catalog. Catalog searching is easily limited to individual campus collections. Alternatively, students can search combined collections of all Argosy University Libraries. Students are encouraged to seek research and reference assistance from campus librarians.

Information Literacy: Argosy University’s Information Literacy Tutorial was developed to teach students fundamental and transferable research skills. The tutorial consists of five modules where students learn to select sources appropriate for academic-level research, search periodical indexes and search engines, and evaluate and cite information. In the tutorial, students study concepts and practice them through interactions. At the conclusion of each module, they can test their comprehension and receive immediate feedback. Each module takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Please view the tutorial at http://library.argosy.edu/infolit/

Academic Policies

Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism: In an effort to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity during the learning process, Argosy University requires that the submission of all course assignments represent the original work produced by that student. All sources must be documented through normal scholarly references/citations and all work must be submitted using the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition (2001). Washington DC: American Psychological Association (APA) format. Please refer to Appendix A in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition for thesis and paper format. Students are encouraged to purchase this manual (required in some courses) and become familiar with its content as well as consult the Argosy University catalog for further information regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism.

Scholarly writing: The faculty at Argosy University is dedicated to providing a learning environment that supports scholarly and ethical writing, free from academic dishonesty and plagiarism. This includes the proper and appropriate referencing of all sources. You may be asked to submit your course assignments through “Turnitin,” (www.turnitin.com), an online resource established to help educators develop writing/research skills and detect potential cases of academic dishonesty. Turnitin compares submitted papers to billions of pages of content and provides a comparison report to your instructor. This comparison detects papers that share common information and duplicative language.

Americans with Disabilities Act Policy

It is the policy of Argosy University to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If a student with disabilities needs accommodations, the student must notify the Director of Student Services. Procedures for documenting student disability and the development of reasonable accommodations will be provided to the student upon request.

Students will be notified by the Director of Student Services when each request for accommodation is approved or denied in writing via a designated form. To receive accommodation in class, it is the student’s responsibility to present the form (at his or her discretion) to the instructor. In an effort to protect student privacy, the Department of Student Services will not discuss the accommodation needs of any student with instructors. Faculty may not make accommodations for individuals who have not been approved in this manner.

The Argosy University Statement Regarding Diversity

Argosy University prepares students to serve populations with diverse social, ethnic, economic, and educational experiences. Both the academic and training curricula are designed to provide an environment in which students can develop the skills and attitudes essential to working with people from a wide range of backgrounds.