Addictions Counseling

Catalog description

This course provides an in-depth introduction to addictions counseling. Students will explore the history, philosophy, and development of the addictions field, including the evolution of treatment models, professional roles, and various practice settings. The course examines credentialing, licensure, and accreditation specific to addictions professionals, as well as ethical and legal considerations relevant to substance use and co-occurring disorders. Emphasis will be placed on applying professional codes of ethics to real-world counseling scenarios within diverse service delivery modalities. The course also emphasizes culturally sustaining and responsive approaches to addictions counseling. Students will critically examine how systemic power, privilege, and oppression influence substance use, treatment access, and recovery outcomes for individuals, families, and communities. Attention will be given to the intersections of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and trauma, as well as the role of religion and spirituality in psychological functioning and recovery. Students will develop advocacy strategies that address barriers to care and promote equitable and inclusive addiction treatment practices. This is a hybrid course with: four (3 hour) required synchronous course meetings throughout the semester, occurring in weeks 1, 3, 5, and 7. The synchronous meetings will allow time for experiential learning, intrapersonal and interpersonal processing, and discussion.