ADCN 606 Pharmacology of Addiction and Recovery

This course focuses on the pharmacological aspects of addiction and recovery and how addiction affects the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects of the person. In addition to the addictive nature and properties of various substances and behaviors, pharmacological treatment approaches to withdrawal, treatment, recovery, and relapse prevention are also reviewed.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

In an effort to develop skilled Christian addiction counselors, through this course, counselors-in-training will gain knowledge in addictions pharmacology. The student will be able to recall an integrated biblical worldview in the field of pharmacology. This is imperative in meeting the core curricular programmatic standards and for licensure and certification.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide an initial thread in response to the provided topic for each discussion. The initial thread must be 300–400 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge applicable to the discussion topic. (For the Discussion: Psychoeducational Presentation on Alcohol, the initial video thread must be 3–5 minutes.)The initial post must include the use of at least two citations (textbook, assigned readings such as journal articles or other sources). The citations need to be peer-reviewed unless noted in the specific discussion. The use of APA intext citations and references are expected.

The student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be 150–200 words. At least 1 citation is required. This could include the course textbook, assigned journal articles, etc. The use of APA intext citations and references are expected. Additionally, discussion posts and replies may require a biblical lens integrated within the student’s initial thread and/or reply to a classmate. When providing a response biblically, it is important to cite specific Scripture or textbooks (such as systematic theology or Christian counseling) to support claims. See Discussion rubric in Canvas for further details and guidance.

Practitioner Interview Assignment

The student will contact a practicing addiction counselor, preferably in their area. The student will interview the practitioner for at least 30 minutes (in-person or via the phone but preferably in-person) and write a 2–3-page paper. The interview will cover the practice of pharmacology in addiction counseling. See instructions/rubric in Canvas for further details and guidance.

Pharmacological Analysis Assignment

For the pharmacological analysis, the student will identify an illicit drug from the textbook and, in 4–6 pages, provide the pharmacological properties of the identified illicit drug as well as current treatment strategies. It is a different illicit drug than the case study below.

See assignment instructions/rubric in Canvas for further details and guidance.

Case Study Assignment

The student will identify a character in a movie, TV show or other media where sufficient details are available to attend to each aspect of the rubric. In 4–6 pages, the student will offer a background/assessment of the identified character, a pharmacological case conceptualization of the client’s presenting problem, and develop a pharmacological treatment plan for the identified character.

See assignment instructions/rubric in Canvas for further details and guidance.

Quizzes (8)

Each quiz will cover the Learn material for the assigned module(s). Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 10 multiple-choice and true or false questions, and have a 40-minute time limit. The student will have 3 attempts to get the highest grade. The quiz uses a test bank and each attempt may have different quiz items. The quizzes are cumulative; e.g., quiz 2 may have test questions from quiz 1.