Course Syllabus

Jump to Today

ADC501: Fundamentals of Addiction Counseling

Undergraduate Syllabus

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 to introduce the student to current theories and causes of addictions and addictive behaviors, including strategies for prevention, intervention, and treatment. Students will learn about the different types of addiction, including substance use disorders, gambling addiction, and behavioral addictions, as well as the psychological, biological, social, and environmental factors that contribute to the development of addictive behaviors. The course will cover various approaches to addiction counseling, ethical and legal issues, and the role of the addiction counselor in facilitating individual and group therapy sessions. The course also describes appropriate counseling strategies when working with clients with addiction and co-occurring disorders in a multicultural society. Students will be trained in Christian counseling approaches to addiction in appropriate contexts.

Course Outcomes

After completing this course, you will be able to:

  1. Identify concepts from SAMHSA's Transdisciplinary Foundations for Addiction Professionals including understanding addiction and its causes, treatment knowledge and application to practices.
  2. Integrate the theory and practice of addiction counseling into a Christian worldview to effectively serve and apply professional ethics in secular counseling and Christian counseling environments.
  3. Develop a career plan and licensure plan as appropriate based on your personal needs.
  4. Practice motivational interviewing skills to help those recovering from addiction move toward change.
  5. Utilize groups in addiction treatment plans including the use of 12-step groups.
  6. Develop a comprehensive addiction treatment plan based on a case study.
  7. Create a training manual for best practices of case management, referral and documentation.
  8. Create a training plan and relapse prevention plan for clients as a part of their treatment plan.
  9. Develop a comprehensive addition treatment best-practices training manual for an organization including how the organization's unique values inform its approach to addiction treatment. 

Required Texts

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

Outline & Course Alignment with CACREP Standards and SAMHSA TAP21 Competencies

  • Week 1. History and Causes of Addiction
    • CACREP Standards
      • 2.F.1. Professional Counseling Orientation & Ethical Practice: a, b
      • 5.A.1. Addiction Counseling: Foundations: a
      • 5.A.2. Addiction Counseling Contextual Dimensions: a, b, c, d, e, f, k
    • SAMHSA TAP21 Competencies
      • A.I. Transdisciplinary: Understanding Addiction
      • A.II. Transdisciplinary: Treatment Knowledge
  • Week 2. Professional Ethics & Licensure, Assessment, and Diagnosis of Addictions
    • CACREP Standards
      • 2.F.1.Professional Counseling Orientation & Ethical Practice: f, g, i, l
      • 2.F.7. Assessment and Testing
      • 5.A.1. Addiction Counseling Foundations: f
      • 5.A.3. Addiction Counseling Practice. a, b, c
    • SAMHSA TAP21 Competencies
      • B.I.a. Screening 
      • B.I.b. Assessment 
      • B.VII. Professional and Ethical Responsibilities
  • Week 3. Counseling, Motivational Interviewing and Psychotherapeutic Approaches
    • CACREP Standards
      • 2.F.5. Counseling and Helping Relationships
      • 5.A.2. Addiction Counseling Contextual Dimensions: b, i, l
    • SAMHSA TAP21 Competencies
      • B.V.a. Individual Counseling
  • Week 4: Co-occurring Disorders, Group Therapy and Addiction Pharmacotherapy
    • CACREP Standards
      • 2.F.5. Counseling and Helping Relationships
      • 2.F.6. Group Counseling
      • 2.F.7. Assessment and Testing
      • 5.A.1. Contextual Dimensions: h
    • SAMHSA TAP21 Competencies
      • A.I. Transdisciplinary Foundations Understanding Addiction: 4
      • B.V.a. Individual Counseling 
      • B.V.b. Group Counseling 
  • Week 5. Addiction in Families and Treatment Plans
    • CACREP Standards
      • 2.F.5. Counseling and Helping Relationships
      • 5.A.1. Addiction Counseling Foundations: d
      • 5.A.3. Addiction Counseling Practice. d, e, f, g, h
    • SAMHSA TAP21 Competencies
      • B.II. Treatment Planning 
      • B.Vc. Counseling for Families
  • Week 6. Case Management and Client Education
    • CACREP Standards
      • 2.F.5. Counseling and Helping Relationships
      • 5.A.1. Addiction Counseling Foundations: d
      • 5.A.3. Addiction Counseling Practice. d, e, f, g, h
    • SAMHSA TAP21 Competencies
      • B.III. Referral
      • B.IV. Service Coordination/Case Management
      • B.VI. Client, Family, and Community Education
      • B.VII. Documentation
  • Week 7: Relapse Prevention and Aftercare
    • CACREP Standards
      • 5.A.1. Addiction Counseling Foundations: d
      • 5.A.3. Addiction Counseling Practice. d, e, f, g, h
    • SAMHSA TAP21 Competencies
      • B.III. Referral
      • B.IV. Service Coordination/Case Management
      • B.VI. Client, Family, and Community Education
  • Week 8. Integrating Addiction Counseling into a Christian Worldview
    • CACREP Standards
      • 5.A.1. Addiction Counseling Foundations: d
    • SAMHSA TAP21 Competencies
      • Organizational values synthesis of all competencies.

Degree Program Outcomes

Degree outcomes are the overall skills and knowledge we expect you will have after successfully completing a degree program at City Vision University. After completing the degree, you will be able to do the following in each of the listed domains. Outcomes satisfied by this course are identified by asterisks.

  1. Addiction Counseling. * Develop plans and function in the eight practice domains of addiction counseling including: 1) Clinical Evaluation, 2) Treatment Planning, 3) Referral, 4) Case Management, 5) Counseling, 6) Client Education, 7) Documentation and 8) Ethics including transdisciplinary foundations.
  2. Christian Counseling. * Integrate the theory and practice of addiction counseling into a Christian worldview to effectively serve and apply professional ethics in secular counseling and Christian counseling environments. 
  3. Co-occurring Disorders. Provide counseling, treatment plans and referrals to those with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders.
  4. Addiction Psychopharmacology. Develop effective addiction treatment based on knowledge of a range of psychoactive drugs and be able to education clients and provide referrals needed to provide comprehensive treatment.
  5. Family Counseling. Provide counseling to families affected by addiction and assist them in moving toward healthy family dynamics.
  6. Trauma & Crisis Counseling. Provide effective counseling to those experiencing crisis or having a history of trauma.
  7. Multicultural Counseling. Utilize effective methods to counsel diverse clients in both Christian and secular counseling environments. 

    Concentration Outcomes 
  8. Group Counseling. Facilitate group counseling sessions based on an understanding of group dynamics in addiction treatment. 
  9. Counseling Theory. Synthesize counseling theories to develop treatment plans for those with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders.
  10. Counseling Skills & Techniques. Apply counseling theories and techniques in addiction counseling including motivational interviewing, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and 12-step group facilitation.
  11. Clinical Evaluation. Conduct thorough assessments and diagnoses of substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
  12. Professional Ethics. Apply the ethical and professional principles, standards, and expectations that are integral to a professional counselor's role and identity.
  13. Behavioral Addiction. Provide counseling to those dealing with behavioral addictions as well as conducting self-assessment to maintain balance avoiding and personally avoiding behavioral addictions. 

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.

Additional Policies:

This syllabus is subject to change without notice up until the first day of the semester. Last updated: November 3, 2023

Course Summary:

Date Details Due