Treatments for Addictions Course

CTA-600 Comprehensive Treatments for Addictions I & II

Course in a Nutshell:

Discussion topics: This 2-part, advanced course covers the range of addictions from alcohol, drug abuse, and nicotine to various process addictions, including sex, food, internet, gaming, social media, and gambling. Also included are major theories and models; information related to neuroscience; and DSM-V classifications for addiction.

Addictions Trainting

Skills: You’ll learn advanced techniques specific to treating the full range substance and behavior addictions: assessment, goal setting, treatment planning, relapse prevention; stages of change; cultural diversity; ethical, legal and professional considerations; how to construct and facilitate a psycho-education workshop.

COURSE OBJECTIVE

This online course focuses on evidence-based theories, DSM-V classifications, neuroscience, assessment, and treatment strategies applied to diverse populations struggling with addictions from alcohol, drug abuse, and nicotine to various process addictions, including sex, internet, gaming, social media, and gambling.

The textbook Addictions Counselling Today- Substances and Addictive Behaviors by Kevin Alderson, PhD. (2020) was awarded the 2020 Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA) Counselling Book of the Year Award.

COURSE CONTENT

The upper-level textbook provides a research-based overview of addiction counselling to include theory, skills and resources; serves as a valuable reference for clinicians.

This comprehensive course incorporates elements and skills specific to the practice of addictions counselling such as:
– Ethical, legal and professional issues.
– Theories of addiction.
– Neuroscience of addiction.
– DSM-V polyaddictions and co-morbidity
– Individual counselling and relapse prevention strategies.
– Couples, family and group counselling.
– Prevention, evaluation, and assessment.
– Primary prevention psycho-education workshop.
– Each type of addiction listed below is addressed in a separate chapter in the text.

Substance Abuse Addictions:
– Alcohol.
– Cannabis.
– Opioids and prescription drugs.
– Nicotine.

Other drugs:
– Cocaine. Crack, Crystal Meth, MDMA, GHB, LSD, Peyote. Ketamine, PCP.

Recognized Behavioral Addictions:
– Gambling.
– Internet-related addictions, gaming, social media.

Controversial Behavioral Addictions:
– Sex addiction.
– Romantic relationship addiction.
– Food addiction.
– Exercise addiction.
– Shopping addiction.
– Work addiction.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES/APPLIED SKILL DEVELOPMENT

The text captures the perspectives of both the counselor and the addict. Hearing the thoughts of an active user has a significant impact on the student’s understanding of this area of specialized practice.

Assignments for the course focus on the following learning outcomes:

  • Self-awareness exercises challenge personal and clinical assumptions about addictions.
  • Understanding of ethical, legal and professional issues related to addictions counselling.
  • Ability to conduct clinical interviews utilizing generic terms and street ‘lingo’
  • Assess for diagnostic considerations including: comorbidity and co-addictions; culture; physical, emotional, cognitive, spiritual impacts of long-term use; psychosocial impacts on relationships, career, legal status, and financial situation.
  • Ability to assess risk level for crisis related to suicide, homicide, violence, abuse, self-harm, psychotic symptoms.
  • Ability to determine and make appropriate referrals based on scop-of-practice and needs assessment.
  • Knowledge and clinical application of research-based studies in neuroscience.
  • Recognize special characteristics of diverse populations such as: gender differences; spectrum of developmental stages; youth and adolescents; race and ethnicity; nonpsychiatric disabilities; LGBT; war veterans.
  • Knowledge of maintenance, relapse prevention, and evaluation of efficacy.
  • Ability to develop a psycho-education workshop related to primary prevention.
  • Ability to formulate counselling considerations based on the life perspective of individuals struggling with various addictions.
  • Critique efficacy of counselling process from the perspective of client and counsellor.
  • Ability to develop treatment plans to include goal setting and strategies specific to stages of change such as: motivational interviewing, insight-oriented interventions, spiritual intervention, cognitive-behavioral therapy.
  • Access to resources for clients such as: mutual support groups, websites, videos, and phone apps: generic and specialized.
  • Professional development opportunities: journals and conferences.

PORTFOLIO OF JOB SKILLS

What you will learn:

Your level of proficiency with the skills introduced in this advanced course add to the scope of competencies required to practice as an addiction counsellor.

Applied skills learned in this course include:

  • advanced techniques specific to treating the full range substance and behavior addictions.
  • assessment, goal setting, treatment planning.
  • relapse prevention;
  • stages of change;
  • cultural diversity;
  • ethical, legal and professional considerations;
  • neurobiology related to addiction
  • primary prevention- workshop development.