Course 416 - Mental Illness and Addiction

Course 416 - Mental Illness and Addiction (3 credits )

An overview on Counseling the Mentally Ill Substance Abuser: clients who have both chemical dependency and mental health issues. Students will learn the most significant predictors of treatment success, how to provide an empathic and continuous treatment relationship, how to distinguish between the criteria of substance abuse vs. substance dependency and more. Students will also learn how to recognize the diagnostic features of the more common mental health disorders such as affective and anxiety disorders, but will also study psychotic, cognitive disorders, and many others. Finally, students will understand how to implement general treatment strategies and tactics when working with the dually diagnosed client as well as with families.

Professor: Lynda M. Mitton

Week One

Learning Objectives for this Session:
• To introduce the student to the content and purpose of this course.
• To give the student an opportunity to become acquainted with the instructor and other students who are involved in this course.

Week Two

Learning Objectives for this Session:
• Learn about some commonly used treatment approaches for substance dependence and mental health disorders
• Understand issues that have an impact on decisions about dual diagnosis treatment
• Examine interventions for clients with dual diagnosis
• Look at available outcome data regarding those interventions

Week Three

Learning Objectives for this Session:
• Look at the integrated model for working with dual diagnosis clients as developed by Evans and Sullivan
• Discuss solutions to problems associated with treating dual diagnosis clients
• Become aware of the 12-step recovery model
• Discuss organizational issues that arise in implanting dual diagnosis programs

Week Four

Learning Objectives for this Session:
• Elaborate on principles and techniques for assessing chemical dependency.
• Learn to identify symptoms of chemical dependency
• Examine the application of these principles and techniques to dually diagnosed clients.

Week Five

Learning Objectives for this Session:
• Understand some of the issues, principles, and procedures pertinent to establishing the psychiatric symptoms and problems with dually diagnosed clients
• Learn about the special issues that arise in achieving differential diagnoses for dually diagnosed clients
• Gain knowledge for determining the appropriate level of care for a client who is dually diagnosed

Week Six

Learning Objectives for this Session:
• Learn about treating psychotic disorders or cognitive disorder with coexisting chemical dependency
• Be introduced to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision
• Explore issues related to early stages of recovery
• Learn about treating affective disorders or anxiety disorder with coexisting chemical dependency.
• Learn about treating attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and bi-polar disorder with coexisting chemical dependency.
• Continue learning about the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision
• Explore issues related to step work for each set of diagnoses

Week Seven

Learning Objectives for this Session:
• Learn about treating antisocial or borderline personality disorders with coexisting chemical dependency

Week Eight

Learning Objectives for this Session:
• Understand the necessity of giving attention to the families of dually diagnosed clients
• Learn how the family can assist the treatment professional in counseling the client
• Gain perspective of the distress and difficulty the family faces with a dually diagnosed client
• Look at the issues that the treatment professional may face when working with the family

Week Nine

Learning Objectives for this Session:
• Understand the necessity of motivating clients to change
• Learn to be mindful of the potential for counselor burnout.

Estimated Course Materials & Tuition:

Tuition $600.00

Required Textbook: Evans, E.K. & Sullian, J.M. (2001). Dual Diagnosis: Dual Diagnosis: Counseling the Mentally Ill Substance Abuser, (2nd ed.). New York: The Guilford Press. Estimated Book Cost: $28.00

Suggested Textbooks: American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Washington, DC: Author

Perkinson, R. R. & Jongsma, A.E. (1998). The chemical dependence treatment planner. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

• Contact us for more information.

Before paying for the course using the "Add to Cart" process you must be an enrolled student with City Vision College and have read the "Cancellations and Settlements" form.  For Admission and Enrollment procedures please visit our "Enroll Now" page.