2023 - 2024 Catalog

Quarters Offered: Fall

Provides an overview of the profession of human services, and an opportunity to explore careers. Helps prepare students to be effective human services professionals by providing: Information that will increase knowledge about human services organizations and programs; skill-building oportunities that improve students' professional helping skills; Examples of professional roles, opportunities, and responsibilities to help students consider their own option for a career in human services. Explores such fields of practice as aging, corrections, alcohol and other drug abuse, child welfare, mental health and developmentally disabled.

Quarters Offered: Fall, Spring

Explains how alcohol and other drugs are processed in the body and the brain. Includes the physiological effects of alcohol and other drugs on the human body, and the possible implications for the treatment and prevention of problems that arise from their use.Prerequisites: Pass WR 095 with a C- or better, or suitable placement score.

Quarters Offered: Fall

Introduces students to drug classification systems and specific drugs within each classification, including physiological and psychological effects, signs and symptoms of use, abuse, dependence, overdose and withdrawal. Examines treatment modalities and the recovery process. Co-requisite: HSER 101.

Quarters Offered: Fall, Winter, Spring

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the purpose, tasks, roles, and responsibilities of Recovery Coaches. A Recovery Coach's goal is to serve as a personal guide and mentor for people seeking recovery from addictions and help to remove obstacles and barriers to recovery. Recovery Coaching is not a clinical service. Rather, it is a new and exciting role in the field of substance use disorders. Students will learn to use their lived experience to support the recovery process of others. Additionally, the course provides instruction in the multiple paths toward recovery including how to navigate systems, events, and exploration of the recovery community.

Quarters Offered: Fall

Explores the role of the counselor in the chemically dependent family, from identification of roles through intervention strategies and treatment modalities. Includes competency-based education techniques, including group activities, presentations, research, readings, role playing, attendance in community meetings, and interviewing professionals in the field of family therapy. Co-requisite: HSER 101.

Quarters Offered: Winter

Introduces a variety of techniques used in group and individual counseling practices, emphasizing those relevant to addictions treatment. Explores cultural diversity, self-awareness in one's personal and professional life, and clients with disabilities. Discusses establishing a helping relationship with the client, professional responsibilities, adapting counseling strategies to individual characteristics of the client, and crisis management skills.Prerequisites: HSER 101 and HSER 102 or 200, with a grade of C- or better.

Quarters Offered: Summer, Fall

Covers the preparation of clinical documentations related to screening and intake processes, assessments, treatment plans, reports, progress notes, discharge summaries, and other client-related data. Applies state ASAM and other professionally relevant standards.Prerequisites: HSER 101, 102, 200, 202, 224, 226 and 228 with a grade of C- or better.

Quarters Offered: Spring

Presents strategies from accepted and culturally appropriate models for group counseling with clients with a variety of disorders including substance abuse. Focuses on the ethical use of groups as an effective therapeutic intervention. Addresses leadership behaviors, group formation and group states.Prerequisites: HSER 202 and HSER 228 with a grade of C- or better,

Quarters Offered: Fall, Winter, Spring

Provides information on personal and professional ethics that apply to addictions counselors. Discusses personal issues and values, client rights, confidentiality, when to report abuse, self-care, sexual dilemmas, cultural diversities and standards, dual relationships and professional code of ethics.

Quarters Offered: Winter

Surveys the process of obtaining and interpreting client information to determine substance abuse and substance dependence issues. Investigates how to utilize collateral information to determine client characteristics and needs, courses of action and available resources with the client's community. Presents the importance of gathering and interpreting information necessary for treatment planning and evaluating the progress of clients.Prerequisites: HSER 101 and 102, or 200 with a grade of C- or better.

Quarters Offered: Summer

Explores the relationship between alcohol and other drug abuse and infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, sexually-transmitted diseases and hepatitis. Provides counseling techniques for assisting clients to identify personal risk and practice harm reduction. Also addresses special issues affecting diverse populations. Examines personal issues/discomforts arising from frankly discussing sexual behaviors of clients. Some sections may have a no-cost text book option.

Quarters Offered: Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring

This course explores various meditation, body awareness, and yoga techniques. Learning takes place through practice and study of how your body handles (and can resolve) stress neurologically. The skills developed in this course can increase the ability to cope with stress, pain, and the challenges of everyday life. Students will learn to deal with disturbing events with grace and composure and to become more aware and fully present and alive in the moment. A growing body of research points to the benefits of mindfulness and meditation for mental and physical health. Although these terms are closely related, they are not identical. Mindfulness practice is one of many approaches to meditation; and mindfulness is applicable not just to meditation techniques but to a wide variety of daily life activities as well. These techniques assist us to combating negativity bias: triggers for the fight or flight stress response. By using meditation, mindfulness, and other techniques, and by learning more about how to manage our stress responses, we increase our well-being and life satisfaction. Some sections may have a low-cost or no-cost text book option.

Quarters Offered: Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring

Designed to give students an opportunity to acquire work experience in their chosen field. An on-site supervisor will supervise and evaluate the work experience student. Instructor approval of work setting and placement is required. For each credit earned, the student will need to document 36 hours at the work site. Some sections may have a no-cost text book option.Prerequisites: HSER 101, HSER 102, HSER 200, or be working in the field now, or have a degree in Social Work and getting additional credentials.