ADC512: Family Counseling and Addiction

Course Description

This course considers the dynamics of marriage and family relationships from a systems perspective. The emphasis is on understanding family and other systems theories, the structure and function of marriage, various aspects of the marital relationship and family systems, and models of family and systemic interventions. This course covers the integration of addiction counseling, family therapy, and the Christian worldviews of each element. The course will outline the treatment of substance use disorders in the context of various approaches to family counseling. These approaches are based on the major schools of thought in family therapy. The conclusion of the course directs the student to compare and contrast these approaches to family counseling while creating their own approach to family therapy.

Course Outcomes

After completing this course you should be able to:

1. Identify the historical development of marriage and family counseling in an addiction counseling setting. 
2. Explain and demonstrate appropriate ethical consideration related to addiction counseling from a marriage and family theory perspective. 
3. Differentiate and apply a variety of marriage and family therapy theories and models. 
4. Discuss and integrate knowledge of family life cycles/stages across the lifespan, various family systems perspectives, contemporary families, family health and wellness, cultural variances in families, and family phenomenology in addiction counseling. 
5. Apply biblical principles and secular theories in a responsible, ethical manner in addiction counseling. 
6. Apply techniques from various counseling orientations and theoretical models to case studies and family situations in addiction counseling. 
7. Generate a family genogram tracing multigenerational patterns of behavior, attitudes, and/or pathology and interpret it through an addiction counseling lens.
8. Analyze and hypothesize various family dynamics that have shaped the family system over the lifespan that are utilized in an addiction counseling setting. 
9. Evaluate the pros and cons of different approaches to family counseling while creating a personal working theory of family counseling.

Syllabus

Course Materials & Tuition