ADC305: Sexual Issues in Addiction

Instructor & Contact Information

The People tab in Canvas provides information on the course instructor and you can  send a message to your instructor following these instructions. Faculty are expected to: 1) grade and return assignments, with feedback, within 7 days from the date of submission; 2) reply to your Canvas messages within 72 hours; 3) reply several times each week in total in the discussion forums (not to each individual student); and 4) demonstrate the core values of City Vision University.

Course Description

This course is designed as a holistic, Christ-centered introduction to a basic recognition, understanding, and responsibility with clients who experience sexual addiction and its related issues of sexual abuse and sexual offending. 

Please keep in mind that many counseling courses such as this one cover very deep issues, which can trigger trauma for some students. Students are encouraged to be aware of this for this course and have strong supports in place.

Course Outcomes

After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Articulate historic and holistic Christian viewpoints of sexual addiction.
2. Define Sexual Addiction including the Cycle of Sexual Addiction, related statistics, false beliefs and progression.
3. Identify the building block behaviors and types of sexual addiction.
4. List the characteristics, roles, and rules of a dysfunctional family system.
5. Explain how to detect, describe, implement care, and/or refer to treatment and recovery support options for the individual with a sexual addiction and their families when appropriate.
6. Select, implement and summarize findings from the sexual addiction screening and assessment instruments into a narrative format.
7. Demonstrate how to incorporate results of sexual addiction screenings and findings into a proper course of treatment / recovery support for individual clients.
8. Explain how to detect, describe, implement care, and/or refer to treatment and recovery support options for individuals with sexual addictions who are also victims of child maltreatment: sexual, emotional, physical and neglect when appropriate.
9. Explain how to detect, describe, implement care and refer to treatment and recovery support options for individuals with sexual addictions who are also sexual offenders when appropriate.
10. Discover therapeutic, legal, and supportive resources in their community to help clients achieve and maintain recovery.
11. Identify one’s strengths and weaknesses in this special area of service.

Degree Program Outcomes

Program outcomes are the overall skills and knowledge we expect you will have after successfully completing a certificate or degree program at City Vision University. This course supports the following program outcomes, marked with an asterisk (*). After completing the program, City Vision’s graduates will be able to do the following:

1. Christian Integration. Integrate Christian principles and counseling theories in an ethical manner in both Christian and secular counseling environments.*
2. Certification Exam Prep. Identify the key concepts needed to take a licensure exam either to apply to be a peer support specialist or certified addiction counselor.
3. Case Management. Develop case management plans to help clients identify areas where they need help and connecting them with personal and community resources that will help them.
4. Chemical Dependency. Describe foundational concepts of chemical dependency including a range of psychoactive drugs and how they work.
5. Psychology. Describe the foundational concepts of psychology and apply that in both Christian and secular counseling environments.
6. Clinical Counseling Skills. Utilize foundational skills for clinical addiction counseling.
7. Multicultural Counseling. Utilize effective methods to counsel diverse clients in both Christian and secular counseling environments.
8. Specialized Skills. Apply knowledge and skills in specialized domains related to Addiction Counseling.*

Required Texts

Students are required to purchase these texts before the first day of classes. 

• Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction, Laaser; Mark (1996; 2004), Grand Rapids, Michigan, Zondervan.
• In the Shadows of the Net, Patrick Carnes, David L. Delmonico, Elizabeth Griffin, Hazelden; Center City, Minnesota.

Guidelines for Written Work

All written work must follow our Writing Format and Forum Requirements. You must read these to understand how to cite sources appropriately.

Critical Policies to Read for This Course

Note: These policies are critical for all students to read. In case of change, we have linked to the versions on our website to make sure you have the latest version.

• Grading Scale 

• Deadlines to Drop Courses

• Attendance, Late Policy and Extensions

• Technology Requirements for Courses

• Standards of Academic Integrity & Plagiarism Policy

• What plagiarism is and how to avoid it 

• Credit Hour Policy, Grading Policy and Other Academic Policies

• ADA Policy, Learning Accommodations & Disabilities Services
• Student Code of Conduct 

• Library Services

Additional Policies:

• Privacy Policy

• Consumer Disclosures
• Additional policies are listed in our catalog

This syllabus is subject to change without notice up until the first day of the semester. Last updated: January 19, 2022