The dialectical relationship between AIDS and other communicable diseases and substance abuse is explored in detail with emphasis on implications for counseling. This course covers evaluation of clients' psychosocial, vocational, educational, and health history and potential, as well as their substance abuse status, treatment planning, clinical recordkeeping, discharge planning, and appropriate referral when indicated. Robert Lichtman Permission required. The course approaches these issues from the standpoints of professionally mandated standards of counselor behavior and societal values, and does not shrink from confronting the dilemmas of practice. An introduction to basic counseling techniques with emphasis on establishing rapport and building the therapeutic alliance.
Students learn how to apply counseling principles to treatment of alcoholics and substance abusers.
Elements of the client-centered, psychodynamic, gestalt, cognitive, and behavioral traditions are taught, and their application to addiction treatment made explicit. Topics include confronting addiction, referral to self-help groups, transference and countertransference, and working through. Role-playing vivifies the lectures and readings. Julia Barnes, Alice Petropolous Permission required. We study theories of group and family dynamics and apply them to treatment of alcoholics and other substance abusers in didactic, inpatient, early sobriety, and stably-sober interactive groups.