INSTRUCTOR: Torrey Wilson, Ph.D.

Assessment and Treatment of Substance Abuse

PP8650 C2 Tuesday 12:30pm-3:15pm

PHONE:

777-7616

EMAIL:


FAX:

ALT PHONE:

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Title / Clinical textbook of addictive disorders (3rd edition).
Author(s) / Frances, R.J., Miller, S.I., Mack, A.H.
Copyright / 2005
Publisher / Guildord Press, New York
ISBN / 1-59385-174-X
Edition / 3rd
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This Course Requires the Purchase of a Course Packet: YES X NO

Argosy University

COURSE SYLLABUS

Assessment and Treatment of Substance Abuse

PP8650 C2 Tuesday 12:30pm-3:15pm

Faculty Information

Faculty Name: Torrey Wilson, Ph.D.

Campus:Chicago

Contact Information:312-777-7616

Office Hours/location:Room 1371 Meetings by appointment

Availability Tue, Wed, Thu

Course description and Objective:

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.

Course Objectives

  1. To develop a basic understanding of class of substance and to have an understanding of psychological and physiological attributes of various drugs.
  2. To review basic principles and theories underlying assessment, diagnosis and treatment of substance abuse and addiction.
  3. 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
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. To be familiar with evidence based treatments and practices of interventions for substance abuse and criteria for SAMHSA/NREPP Model Programs

Course Pre-requisites: None

Required Textbook:

Course Packet and the following books:

Books:

Frances, R.J., Miller, S.I., Mack, A.H. (2005). Clinical textbook of addictive disorders (3rd edition). New York: The Guildford Press. (ISBN: 1-59385-174-X).

Course length: Spring semester

Credit Value: 3.0

Assignment Table:

Please arrive for the first meeting having read chapters 1 & 2 in the required textbook (Frances, Miller, Mack, 2005)

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.

3)Students are expected to attend a 12-step self-help meeting i.e. Alcoholic’s 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.

Final Grades will be weighted in the following manner:

Class Participation20%Research Paper30%

Student Presentation30%Final Exam30%

Class Participation (20%): 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.

Student Presentation (20%): 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.

Research Paper (30%): The details will be provided in class and the paper can cover the same topic as the student presentations listed above.

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.

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.

Grading Criteria

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
D+ / 69 – 68
D / 67 – 63
D- / 62 – 60
F / 59 and below

Grading requirements

Attendance/participation / 10%
Research Paper / 30%
Student Presentation / 30%
Final Exam / 30%
Total: / 100%

Library Resources

Argosy University’s core online collection features more than 21,000 full-text journals, 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.All electronic resources can be accessed through the library’s website at User IDs and passwords are distributed during orientation, but can also be obtained at the circulation desk, calling 312-777-7653, or by e-mail at .

In addition to online resources, Argosy University’s onsite collections contain a wealth of subject-specific research materials searchable in the Library Online 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 fundamental and transferable research skills, including selecting sources appropriate for academic-level research, searching periodical indexes and search engines, and evaluating and citing 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

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,” ( 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.

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