Course Syllabus

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ADC505: Counseling Skills and Techniques

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

In this course, you will learn specific non-verbal and verbal clinical counseling skills and techniques particularly. The course compares and contrasts the effectiveness of a range of evidence-based counseling techniques, while also assessing them from a Christian worldview. Students will develop proficiency in therapeutic rapport-building, assessment, treatment planning, and interventions specific to addiction counseling. Emphasis is placed on cultural competence, ethical considerations, and the integration of current research findings into clinical practice. The course builds skills through: textbook readings, videos, case studies, quizzes, reflection/application journals, video recording specific skills (using Skillsetter), role-playing exercises in live videos sessions and completing skills observation forms.

IMPORTANT: Required Meeting Times

This course requires a 1 hour Zoom meeting from 8:00-9:00 pm Eastern time every Thursday each week of the course. The focus of this course is to actually practice counseling skills in these live sessions, so if you cannot attend this time, you should not take this course. There will be no make-up sessions, so students missing a live meeting will receive a zero for that session’s grade.

Course Outcomes

After completing this course, you will be able to:

  1. Identify key principles of counseling skills and techniques to improve your overall effectiveness as a counselor. 
  2. Discuss the various applicability of these counseling skills and how they relate to the field of counseling.
  3. Reflect on how these counseling skills apply and can be used in your current and future contexts.
  4. Practice and record various evidence-based counseling skills used in counseling to receive feedback.
  5. Demonstrate evidence-based counseling skills through role-playing exercises through live video sessions in triads.
  6. Use a skills observation form to evaluate the verbal and nonverbal counseling skills of someone else in a live video session.

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 educate 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.
  14. Culminating Experience. Demonstrate mastery either of the practice of addiction counseling through a practicum or comprehensive knowledge through preparation for an addiction counseling certification exam.

Required Texts

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

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: March 21, 2025

Course Summary:

Date Details Due