Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online and face-to-face). 3 credits.Enrollment is restricted to students in their specialization year or by permission of the instructor. Focuses on models and theories regarding the etiology and prevention of substance use and the level of empirical evidence that exists for each. Extends knowledge of diversity to substance use etiology, assessment and prevention approaches. Examines evidence-based prevention interventions and policies and other environmental change efforts that affect the reduction of substance use. Considers effective strategies for implementing evidence-based approaches in local communities. There will be discussion of synthetic opioids and relevant career opportunities, such as the Certified Substance Abuse Counseling certification.

Source: VCU Bulletin

Semester course; 3 lecture hours. 3 credits. Open to students with junior status in the mental health minor, or by permission of program director or course instructor. This course will provide a foundational understanding of substance use disorder and other co-occurring conditions. The impact of substance use on co-occurring mental health conditions will be explored through the lens of race, gender, sexual orientation, and geographical, biological and recovery-based factors. Students learn how to conceptualize co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders and how their interaction affects screening, assessment, crisis intervention, advocacy, case management and treatment in community mental health. Through an anti-racist lens, this course reviews factors that underpin SUD-related racial disparities in the United States including but not limited to deeply rooted institutional racial biases that structure the experience of all Americans; as well as the effect of racism-related stressors on the biopsychosocial functioning of BIPOC people. Additionally, the course will cover treatment planning, assessment and evidence-based practice in treating SUD and co-occurring disorders in community mental health.

Source: VCU Bulletin

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online and face-to-face). 3 credits. Prerequisites: SLWK 693 and SLWK 694; or SLWK 612; or SLWK 695, each with a minimum grade of C. Enrollment is restricted to students in their specialization year or by permission of the instructor. Focuses on models and theories regarding the etiology and prevention of substance use and the level of empirical evidence that exists for each. Extends knowledge of diversity to substance use etiology, assessment and prevention approaches. Examines evidence-based prevention interventions and policies and other environmental change efforts that affect the reduction of substance use. Considers effective strategies for implementing evidence-based approaches in local communities. There will be discussion of synthetic opioids and relevant career opportunities, such as the Certified Substance Abuse Counseling certification.

Source: VCU Bulletin

Semester course; 3 lecture hours (delivered online or face-to-face). 3 credits. Prerequisites: SLWK 693 and 694, or SLWK 695, or SLWK 612, each with minimum grade of C. Enrollment is restricted to students in their specialization year or by permission of the instructor. Provides students with the physiological, emotional and behavioral manifestations of substance use disorder, DSM-V-based assessment, a range of relevant evidence-based intervention strategies, and the role of social workers in evaluation and intervention. Covers explanatory theory models that guide substance use intervention and presents screening, assessment and interventional techniques. Current research and controversies in the field are also emphasized. There will be discussion of synthetic opioids and relevant career opportunities, such as the Certified Substance Abuse Counseling certification. Advanced clinical elective course.

Source: VCU Bulletin