Argosy University, Chicago
COURSE SYLLABUS
PP 8650
Assessment and Treatment of Substance Abuse
Fall 2010
Faculty information
Faculty Name: Kaveh Zamanian, Ph.D.
Campus: Chicago
Contact Information:
Office phone number: (312) 777-7683
E-mail:
Office Hours: Mondays 4-7p
Short Faculty Bio: Dr. Zamanian is Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology. He has maintained an independent practice for over fifteen years and has extensive clinical experience with children, adolescents and adults. His area of emphasis is psychoanalytic theory and practice, developmental psychology and addictions and compulsive disorders. Clinically he works from a developmental, psychodynamic and systemic perspective using individual and family interventions.
Course Description:
The first part of this course will introduce students to the various classes of substances and examine the range of psychological and physiological attributes of each class in addition to the unique attributes of a given of substance within each group. Students will also become familiar with the behavioral and emotional signs and symptoms of substance use and begin to establish a clinical framework for distinguishing between substance use, abuse and dependence. In the second part of this course they will review the basic theoretical models and principles of assessment, diagnosis and treatment of substance abuse disorders. As such they will become familiar with the relevant literature and research and develop a basic working knowledge of how to assess, diagnose and treat individuals and families who struggle with substance abuse and addictive disorders.
Course Pre-requisites: None
Required Textbook:
Frances, R.J., Miller, S.I., Mack, A.H. (2005). Clinical textbook of addictive disorders
(3rd edition). New York: The Guildford Press. (ISBN: 1-59385-174-X).
Course length: 15 Weeks
Contact Hours: 45 Hours
Credit Value: 3.0
Course Objectives:
Course Objective / Program Goal / Method of AssessmentTo develop a basic understanding of various class of substances and to have an understanding of psychological and physiological attributes of various drugs. / Goal 4- Scientific Foundation
Goal 5- Scholarship / Weekly reading assignments, Participation in Class, Class Presentation, Quizzes and Final exam
To review basic principles and theories underlying assessment, diagnosis and treatment of substance abuse and addiction. / Goal 1- Assessment
Goal 2: Intervention
Goal 4- Scientific Foundation / Weekly reading assignments, Participation in Class, Class Presentation, Quizzes and Final exam
To be able to assess and formulate working clinical hypotheses about an individual or family’s level of problem with substance abuse and/or addiction / Goal 1- Assessment
Goal 2: Intervention
Goal 3- Diversity / Weekly reading assignments, Participation in Class, Class Presentation, Quizzes and Final exam
To gain an understanding of poly-substance use, co-morbid disorders, as well as substance abuse in children and adolescents, women, minority populations, and workplace. / Goal 1- Assessment
Goal 2: Intervention
Goal 3- Diversity
Goal- Scientific Foundation / Weekly reading assignments, Participation in Class, Class Presentation, Quizzes and Final exam
To gain a working understanding of the options and alternatives available for the treatment of substance abuse that includes inpatient and outpatient settings and more specifically individual (e.g. psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, family based approaches), family (e.g. intervention), group (e.g. self-help, process, didactic), or psycho-pharmacologically based strategies. / Goal 1- Assessment
Goal 2: Intervention
Goal 3- Diversity
Goal- Scientific Foundation / Weekly reading assignments, Participation in Class, Class Presentation, Quizzes and Final exam
Assignments:
By the end of the course, students will mastered the course objectives and are able to have a working knowledge of how to apply these concepts to clinical cases and material. All assignments will emphasize conceptual skills, critical thinking and writing skills.
1) Students are expected to read the assigned material prior to class and be ready to contribute comments and questions to the discussion.
2) Students are expected to present on a topic in the area of substance abuse.
3) Students are expected to attend a 12-step self-help meeting i.e. Alcoholic’s Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Rational Recovery, etc. and write a two-page reaction/experiential paper.
4) Several pop quizzes (multiple choice) will be given during the term of the course various topics related to the reading and discussion material
5) A take-home final examination will be distributed that will assess the students understanding and command of the material on both theoretical and practical levels.
Class Participation
1. Attendance is mandatory. Please inform the instructor in advance if you must miss a class under special circumstances. Students who miss two classes will lose one letter grade. Students who miss more than two classes will not receive credit for the course. In order to be respectful of all class participants please arrive for class on time.
2. Adequate preparation for class discussion is a must. All assignments should be read critically and thoughtfully. Arrive for each class prepared to discuss the required material.
Evidence Based Practices
This course addresses evidence based practice issues among course readings, discussion and assignments. For example, all readings addressing clinical process are grounded in empirical data such as quantitative data, qualitative data, idiographic data, etc.
Assignment Table:
Week / Topic / Reading / Assignment1 / Foundations of Addiction / Chapters
1 & 2
2 / Assessment of Addiction / 3 & 4
3 / Substances of Abuse: Alcohol and Tobacco / 5 & 6
4 / Substances of Abuse: Opioids, Marijuana, Hallucinogens, and Club Drugs / 7 & 8
5 / Substances of Abuse: Cocaine, Stimulants, Sedative/Hypnotics, and Benzodiazepines / 9 & 10
6 / Polysubstance use and Co-morbid disorders / 11 & 12
7 / Treatments for Addictions: Psychodynamic and Cognitive Therapy / 21 & 22
8 / Treatments for Addiction: Group and family based treatment approaches / 23 & 24
9 / Treatments for Addictions: Psychopharmacological approaches / 26 / Student Presentations
10 / Treatments for Addictions: Dialectical Behavior Therapy / 27 / Student Presentations
11 / Treatments for Addictions: Adolescent Substance Abuse / 25 / Student Presentations
12 / Treatments for Addiction: Detoxification and Residential Settings / TBA / Student Presentations
13 / Substance Abuse in Minority Populations and Women / 14 & 20 / Student Presentations
14 / Substance Abuse in the workplace and Addiction and the Law / 15 & 16 / Final Distributed
Student Presentations
15 / Pain and Addiction / 17 / Final Due
2pg Reaction Paper Due
Student Presentations
Grading Criteria:
Your performance in this course will be based upon the assignments described above and class participation. Final grades will be determined as follows:
Grading requirements: Grading scale:
Class Participation 10% / 10%Student Presentation / 30%
Quizzes / 30%
Final Exam / 30%
100 %
A / 100 – 93
A - / 92 – 90
B + / 89 – 88
B / 87 – 83
B - / 82 – 80
C + / 79 – 78
C / 77 – 73
C - / 72 – 70
F / 69 and below
Library Resources
Argosy University’s core online collection features more than 21,000 full-text journals, 23,000 electronic books and other content covering all academic subject areas including Business & Economics, Career & General Education, Computers, Engineering & Applied Science, Humanities, Science, Medicine & Allied Health, and Social & Behavior Sciences.All electronic resources can be accessed through the library’s website at www.auchicagolib.org. User IDs and passwords are distributed during orientation, but can also be obtained at the circulation desk, calling 312-777-7653, or by e-mail at .
In addition to online resources, Argosy University’s onsite collections contain a wealth of subject-specific research materials searchable in the Library Online Catalog. Catalog searching is easily limited to individual campus collections.Alternatively, students can search combined collections of all Argosy University Libraries. Students are encouraged to seek research and reference assistance from campus librarians.
Information Literacy: Argosy University’s Information Literacy Tutorial was developed to teach fundamental and transferable research skills, including selecting sources appropriate for academic-level research, searching periodical indexes and search engines, and evaluating and citing information. In the tutorial, students study concepts and practice them through interactions. At the conclusion of each module, they can test their comprehension and receive immediate feedback. Each module takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Please view the tutorial at http://library.argosy.edu/infolit/
Academic Policies
Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism: In an effort to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity during the learning process, Argosy University requires that the submission of all course assignments represent the original work produced by that student. All sources must be documented through normal scholarly references/citations and all work must be submitted using the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition (2001). Washington DC: American Psychological Association (APA) format. Please refer to Appendix A in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition for thesis and paper format. Students are encouraged to purchase this manual (required in some courses) and become familiar with its content as well as consult the Argosy University catalog for further information regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism.
Scholarly writing: The faculty at Argosy University is dedicated to providing a learning environment that supports scholarly and ethical writing, free from academic dishonesty and plagiarism. This includes the proper and appropriate referencing of all sources. You may be asked to submit your course assignments through “Turnitin,” (www.turnitin.com), an online resource established to help educators develop writing/research skills and detect potential cases of academic dishonesty. Turnitin compares submitted papers to billions of pages of content and provides a comparison report to your instructor. This comparison detects papers that share common information and duplicative language.
Americans with Disabilities Act Policy
It is the policy of Argosy University to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If a student with disabilities needs accommodations, the student must notify the Director of Student Services. Procedures for documenting student disability and the development of reasonable accommodations will be provided to the student upon request.
Students will be notified by the Director of Student Services when each request for accommodation is approved or denied in writing via a designated form. To receive accommodation in class, it is the student’s responsibility to present the form (at his or her discretion) to the instructor. In an effort to protect student privacy, the Department of Student Services will not discuss the accommodation needs of any student with instructors. Faculty may not make accommodations for individuals who have not been approved in this manner.
The Argosy University Statement Regarding Diversity
Argosy University prepares students to serve populations with diverse social, ethnic, economic, and educational experiences. Both the academic and training curricula are designed to provide an environment in which students can develop the skills and attitudes essential to working with people from a wide range of backgrounds.
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