Argosy University
COURSE SYLLABUS
PC 6900
Substance Abuse
Spring I - 2011
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Instructor: Loay Sandouka, PsyD
E-Mail: loay.sandouka@gmail.com
Phone: 773-491-3832
Office Hours: By Appointment only
Biographical Sketch: Dr. Sandouka received his Psy.D. from the Chicago School of Professional
Psychology in 2008. His area of specialization is in Health Psychology. He has 7 years of clinical
experience in working with children and adolescents in multiple settings.
Dates: Friday, January 14, 2011 6 pm to 9 pm
Saturday, January 15, 2011, 9am to 5 pm
Sunday, January 16, 2011, 9 am to 5 pm
Friday, February 11, 2011, 6 pm to 9 pm
Saturday, February 12, 2011, 9 am to 5 pm
Sunday, February 13, 2011, 9 am to 5 pm.
Course description: This course reviews key concepts to substance abuse counseling, including
theoretical models for understanding and treating chemically dependent clients. Various
screening and assessment tools, drug history, and interviewing skills are reviewed to help
students assess the severity of addiction and develop an initial treatment plan. Treatment settings
and interventions commonly used with chemically dependent clients are also reviewed.
Course Pre-requisites: None
Required Textbook: Stevens, P., & Smith, R. L. (2009). Substance Abuse Counseling: Theory
and Practice (4th ED). Merrill: Upper Saddle River, NJ. ISBN-13: 978-0-13-240903-2.
Technology: Students will need access to a computer capable of Microsoft Word with Internet
access.
Course length: 7.5 weeks
Contact Hours: 40 Hours
Credit Value: 3.0
Program Mission Statement:
The M.A. in Community Counseling Program is committed to educating and training students to
enter a professional career as master’s-level counseling practitioners who can function ethically
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and effectively as skilled professionals with demonstrated knowledge of social and cultural
diversity. This goal is achieved through a curriculum designed to integrate basic counseling
skills, theoretical foundations of professional counseling, and practicum field experience into
appropriate client interaction and intervention skills for utilization in a wide variety of settings
with diverse client populations. Students are prepared for licensure as Professional Counselors
in the State of Illinois, however, alumni serve clients throughout North America.
Program Outcomes:
1. Professional Identity – Value all aspects of professional functioning including history, roles,
organization structures, ethics, legalities, standards, and credentialing.
2. Social and Cultural Diversity – Apply core theory and research of the cultural context of
relationships, issues and trends in a multicultural and diverse society to the counseling
profession.
3. Human Growth and Development – Interpret and apply core theory and research of the
nature and needs of individuals at all developmental levels.
4. Career Development – Apply core theory and research of career development and related
life factors.
5. Helping Relationships – Ethically and effectively deliver a range of counseling and
consultation services.
6. Group Work – Ethically and effectively deliver a range of group counseling methods and
skills, and other group approaches.
7. Assessment – Explain a range of individual and group approaches to assessment and
evaluation.
8. Research and Program Evaluation – Explain research methods, statistical analysis, needs
assessment, and program evaluation to the counseling profession.
Course Objectives:
1. Students will be able to identify appropriate substance abuse assessment instruments and
apply current DSM IV-TR diagnostics criteria appropriately (Assessed by exam). (7g)
(SCCP C-5)
2. Students will be able to identify the effects and the short and long term use of alcohol,
street and prescription drug use (Assessed by exam). (3c)
3. Students will be able to apply the American Society of Addiction Medicine criteria in
determining the appropriate level of care (Assessed by exam).
4. Students will be able to describe the therapeutic and supportive recovery interventions
with attention to diverse populations (Assessed by Project).
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5. Students will identify and describe Prochaska and DiClemente’s Six Stages of Change
(Assessed by exam and Project).
6. Students will describe and apply interventions to move clients into higher levels of
change (Assessed by Role Plays).
7. Students will be able to apply appropriate ethical legal issues to substance abuse
counseling settings. (Course Discussions) (5g)
8. Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the role of support groups in the
treatment of substance abuse. (Assessed by Project One) (6e)
Assignments:
1. Class participation and attendance (20 points): Attendance is critical to your ability to
learn the material and participate in class discussion and activities. It is expected that
students will attend all classes and complete all on-line discussions/assignments. Students
are expected to check e-college and provide responses to other students’ postings.
Students are expected to participate in all classroom and on-line discussions. Posts will
be due every Monday by 9 PM and Professor will post on Tuesday by 9 PM. Failure to
attend a weekend class or complete assignments may result in failure of the class.
2. Project (30 points): Students are to select one substance (legal/illegal) and include DSM-
IV-TR diagnoses, assessments, intake, clinical summary and treatment plan for that
individual. A list of substances will be available at the beginning of the course to avoid
similar presentations. Each presentation must be accompanied with a 10 pg paper (APA
format). The presentation must be 20 minutes long and students must be able to answer
most questions regarding their topic.
3. Final Exam (50 points): The final exam will cover Steven and Smith’s Chapters 1-13.
Grading:
A 100-93%
A- 92-90%
B+ 89-88%
B 87-83%
B- 82-80%
C 70-79%
F 69% and below
Method of Instruction: Lecture, Homework Assignments, Class and Online Participation,
DVD’s, Exam
Library
All resources in Argosy University’s online collection are available through the Internet. The
campus librarian will provide students with links, user IDs, and passwords.
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Library Resources: Argosy University’s core online collection features nearly 21,000 full-text
journals and 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. Many titles are directly accessible through the Online Public Access Catalog at
http://library.argosy.edu. Detailed descriptions of online resources are located at
http://library.argosy.edu/misc/onlinedblist.html.
In addition to online resources, Argosy University’s onsite collections contain a wealth of
subject-specific research materials searchable in the Online Public Access 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
students fundamental and transferable research skills. The tutorial consists of five modules where
students learn to select sources appropriate for academic-level research, search periodical
indexes and search engines, and evaluate and cite 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.
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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.
Schedule for Spring 2011
1. 1/14/11: Steven and Smith Chapters 1-2
2. 1/15/11: Steven and Smith Chapters 3-6
3. 1/16/11: Steven and Smith Chapters 7-8 and class activities
4. 1/18/11: Online
5. 1/25/11: Online
6. 2/1/11: Online
7. 2/8/11: Online
8. 2/11/11: Steven and Smith Chapter 9
9. 2/12/11: Steven and Smith Chapter 10-13
10. 2/13/11: Project and Exam
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Acknowledgement of Syllabus Content
I have read and understand the course
syllabus for Substance Abuse at Argosy University Schaumburg Campus, which is
being taught by Dr. Sandouka I hereby agree to the terms stated in this syllabus.
Signature: Name: Date:
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