Substance Use Disorder Counseling - Associate Degree
The Substance Use Disorders Counseling Associate Degree is designed for individuals interested in working with addiction issues. The SUDC profession is held to high ethical standards to inspire respect, trust and confidence. To succeed, skills and character must include: emotional stability, maturity, self-awareness, self-discipline, and personal responsibility; a minimum of one year free of substance use-related problems; an interest in working with people and appreciation of cultural diversity; strong reading, writing, critical thinking and decision-making skills. Potential employment includes: substance abuse counseling, correctional facilities, employee and student assistance programs, and various community and social service agencies. Program graduates are eligible for licensure in Wisconsin as Substance Abuse Counselors-In Training, qualifying for entry-level employment.
Delivery
Explore Locations
Program Costs & Financial Aid
Tuition: $11,200, Books: $1,275, Supplies: $0
This program is fully eligible for financial aid.
Estimates based on in-state residency. Please visit the following URL to learn more about tuition and fees for this program. https://www.nwtc.edu/admissions-and-aid/paying-for-college/tuition-and-fees?ProgramCode=105501
Requirements for Program Entry
- Completed application.
- To be admitted to this program, learners must achieve a prior cumulative high school or college grade point average of 2.6 or higher OR a satisfactory academic skills assessment score. College grade point average must be based on 15 credits or more. To learn more about starting this program, please contact an admissions advisor at (920) 498-5444 or (888) 385-6982.
Program Outcomes
- Clinically evaluate for substance use disorders and treatment needs
- Develop treatment plans
- Facilitate referral to meet needs
- Demonstrate case management skills
- Demonstrate counseling skills with individuals, groups and families
- Provide culturally relevant education related to substance abuse
- Document and maintain clinical records according to agency, federal and state guidelines
- Adhere to accepted ethical and behavior conduct
Curriculum
Students following the study plan below will complete the Substance Use & Disorder Counseling Associate program in the number of semesters shown.
First Semester
8 Week 1
8 Week 2
Second Semester
8 Week 1
8 Week 2
Summer Before Third Semester
Third Semester
8 Week 1
8 Week 2
Full Semester
Fourth Semester
8 Week 1
8 Week 2
Full Semester
- Curriculum Note: Students must earn a "C" or higher in all 10-520-XXX and 10-550-XXX courses. A student who withdraws or receives a grade lower than a "C" may retake the course.
- Students must earn a "C" or higher in 10-801-136; English Composition 1, 10-809-198; Intro to Psychology, 10-809-188; Developmental Psychology, 10-801-196; Oral/Interpersonal Comm, 10-809-172; Intro to Diversity Studies, 10-806-112; Principles of Sustainability, 10-804-134; Mathematical Reasoning.
- It is recommended to complete English Composition 1 (10-801-136) during the summer before the first semester.
- The credit for 10-890-101, College 101 is an Institutional Requirement for graduation. Consequently, it is not part of the program requirements, but must be passed with a C.
- Admitted students may be invited to attend the Substance Use Disorder Counseling program orientation; attendance is strongly recommended.
- As a part of this program, students will have internship experience. Please see a program faculty for more information.
- For more information, please call 920-498-5444 or 1-800-422-NWTC.
- Health care facilities participating in internships require an official criminal background check in compliance with Wisconsin Statutes 1998 Caregiver Law.
Course Descriptions
Explore characteristics that are incorporated into substance use counseling and practice. Determine personal values, beliefs, strengths and weaknesses. Analyze the eight practice dimensions used to effectively treat substance use disorders: Clinical Evaluation; Treatment Planning; Referral; Service Coordination; Counseling; Patient, Family and Community Education; Documentation; and Professional and Ethical Responsibilities. Evaluate legal and ethical issues surrounding substance use counseling. Evaluate Information about Wisconsin licensing for substance use counseling.
Course Typically Offered: Fall SpringAnalyze foundational skills in the counseling relationship. Analyze the stages of the helping processes and the roles professionals play in the processes. Analyze the importance of establishing therapeutic relationships. Apply basic counseling techniques. Apply interviewing and counseling skills through mock counseling sessions and personal experience reflections. Examine issues of boundaries and ethics. (Prerequisite: High school GPA greater/equal to 2.6; OR ACT Reading score greater/equal to 16 AND English greater/equal to 18; OR Next Gen Reading score greater/equal to 250 AND Writing score greater/equal to 260; OR "preparatory course(s)"; OR successful completion of English Comp 1 with a C or better. Contact academic advisor at 920-498-5444).
Course Typically Offered: Fall SpringStudents gain skills that lead to success in college and employment. This course encourages students to develop a growth mindset and make wise choices. Students should take this course in their first semester. (Pre-requisite: None.)
Course Typically Offered: Summer Fall SpringThis course will introduce the student to the importance of emotional intelligence in the human services field. Emotional intelligence works to increase the student’s emotional self-awareness, self-regulation, core values internal motivation, increasing empathy, and building skills for interpersonal effectiveness needed to be an effective human service worker. Students will utilize these basic skills in the human service field to adapt and manage their responses to various situations. Apply reflective practitioner techniques.
Course Typically Offered: Fall SpringExplore the bio-psych social dynamics of substance use. Examine treatment approaches, models, and screening criteria. Examine substances of abuse, history of SUDs, and their impact on the individual and society.
Course Typically Offered: Fall SpringLearners develop knowledge/skills in planning, organizing, writing, editing. Students will also analyze audience/purpose, use elements of research, format documents using standard guidelines, and develop critical reading skills. (Prerequisite: High school GPA greater/equal to 2.6; OR ACT Reading score greater/equal to 16 AND English greater/equal to 18; OR Next Gen Reading score greater/equal to 250 AND Writing score greater/equal to 260; OR "preparatory course(s)", contact academic advisor at 920-498-5444)
Course Typically Offered: Summer Fall SpringAn introduction to theory and practice of group dynamics and processes. Includes ethical considerations, effective group leadership, and stages of group development. Also includes demonstration of group facilitation skills, clinical documentation, co-facilitation strategies, reflective practitioner techniques, and group formation. (Prerequisite: 10-550-206, Intro to Interview. & Counsel.)
Course Typically Offered: Fall SpringEvaluate the ethical codes of the helping professions. Examine professional boundaries related to the helping professions. Incorporate ethical standards into decision making processes. Examine ethical considerations related to professional standards for the helping professions. Examine ethical considerations related to state and federal regulations for the helping professions. Examine the ethical considerations related to professional self-care. (Prerequisite: 10-550-206, Intro to Interview & Counsel.)
Course Typically Offered: SpringThis science of psychology course is a survey of multiple aspects of behavior and mental processes. It provides an overview of topics such as research methods, theoretical perspectives, learning, cognition, memory, motivation, emotions, personality, abnormal psychology, physiological factors, social influences, and development.. (Prerequisite: Cumulative GPA of 2.6 or greater OR satisfactory reading and writing assessment scores OR 10-831-107, College Reading and Writing 1 with "B" or better OR Corequisite: 10-831-102, English Comp Prep)
Course Typically Offered: Summer Fall SpringIntroduction to case management techniques and processes. Incorporates intake assessment techniques, service planning techniques, referral processes, coordination of care, and discharge processes determined by a multidisciplinary team approach. Includes client self-determination and autonomy. Incorporates clinical documentation requirements and processes. (Prerequisite: 10-550-206, Intro to Interview & Counsel.)
Course Typically Offered: Fall SpringProvides an overview to the history, diagnosis, treatment strategies, legal and ethical considerations, and documentation of mental health conditions. Focus is on understanding the mental health conditions that co-occur with substance use disorders.
Course Typically Offered: FallPrepares the student to develop sustainable literacy, analyze the interconnections among the physical and biological sciences and environmental systems, summarize the effects of sustainability on health and well-being, analyze connections among social, economic, and environmental systems, employ energy conservation strategies to reduce the use of fossil fuels, investigate alternative energy options, evaluate options to current waste disposal and recycling in the U.S., and analyze approaches used by your community to promote and implement sustainability. (Prerequisite: Next Gen Reading score greater/equal to 250; OR ACT Reading score greater/equal to 15; OR preparatory courses-contact an academic advisor at 920-498-5444)
Course Typically Offered: Summer Fall SpringAll college students, regardless of their college major, need to be able to make reasonable decisions about fiscal, environmental, and health issues that require quantitative reasoning skills. An activity based approach is used to explore numerical relationships, graphs, proportional relationships, algebraic reasoning, and problem solving using linear, exponential and other mathematical models. Students will develop conceptual and procedural tools that support the use of key mathematical concepts in a variety of contexts. This course may be used as the first of a two part sequence that ends with Quantitative Reasoning as the capstone general education math requirement. (Prerequisite: Next Gen Arith score greater/equal to 250 AND Rdg score greater/equal to 250; OR ACT Math score greater/equal to 15 AND ACT Reading score greater/equal to 16; OR prep courses-contact an academic advisor 920-498-5444).
Course Typically Offered: Summer Fall SpringProvides a broad understanding of family systems theory and practice relevant to the human services field. Focus is on evaluating the communication and interaction patterns and applying interventions and strategies. (Prerequisite: 10-550-206, Intro to Interview & Counsel.)
Course Typically Offered: Fall SpringDevelopmental Psychology is the study of human development throughout the lifespan. This course explores developmental theory and research with an emphasis on the interactive nature of the biological, cognitive, and psychosocial changes that affect the individual from conception to death. Application activities and critical thinking skills will enable students to gain an increased knowledge and understanding of themselves and others. (Prerequisite: Next Gen Rdg score greater/equal to 250 AND Writing score greater/equal to 237; OR ACT Rdg score greater/equal to 16 AND English greater/equal to 15; OR 10-831-107, College Reading and Writing with a B or better)
Course Typically Offered: Summer Fall SpringOverview of psychopharmacology including drug categorization history, drug categorization, and drug classification. Includes analysis of neurophysiology of the brain and endocrine system, effects of substances on the body, analysis of delivery systems, and analysis of medical aspects of SUDs. Also includes etiology of addiction, psychopharmacological aspects of withdrawal management, analysis of medications used to treat SUDs and mental health disorders, and SUD medical impacts on the body.
Course Typically Offered: SpringThis course focuses on developing effective listening techniques and verbal and nonverbal communication skills through oral presentation, group activity, and other projects. The study of self, conflict, and cultural contexts will be explored, as well as their impact on communication. (Prerequisite: Next Gen Rdg score greater/equal to 250 AND Writing score greater/equal to 237; OR ACT Rdg score greater/equal to 16 AND English score greater/equal to 16; OR preparatory course-contact an academic advisor at 920-498-5444)
Course Typically Offered: Summer Fall Springlmmersive experience with an agency including supervised practice in the 12 core functions. Integrates the knowledge, theory, skills, and professional behaviors learned in the two previous semesters of coursework. Emphasis on gaining first-hand knowledge and refine previously acquired skills to gain a greater understanding of self and the helping professions. (Prerequisite: 10-550-201; Understanding Substance Use,10-550-206; Intro to Interview & Counsel, 10-550-204; Group Facilitation, 10-550-203; Overview of Mental Health Dis, 10-550-210; Boundaries Ethics Helping Prof,10-550-202; Foundations of Case Management, 10-520-103; Emotional Intelligence, 10-550-200; Intro to Sub Use Disorders)
Course Typically Offered:Explore the core components of substance use disorder treatment. Apply the core practice dimensions of Substance Use Disorder Counseling. Evaluate process for SUD clients for the purpose of developing treatm'ent plans and documenting the treatment process. (Prerequisite: 10-550-201, Understanding Substance Use.)
Course Typically Offered: Fall SpringThis course introduces the study of diversity from a local to a global perspective using a holistic, interdisciplinary approach that encourages exploration and prepares students to work in a diverse environment. The course introduces basic diversity concepts, examines the impact of bias and power differentials among groups, explores the use of culturally responsive communication strategies, and compares forces that shape diversity in an international context. (Prerequisite: Next Gen Rdg score greater/equal to 250 AND Writing score greater/equal to 237; OR ACT Rdg score greater/equal to 16 AND English greater/equal to 15; OR 10-831-107, College Reading and Writing with a B or better.)
Course Typically Offered: Summer Fall SpringAscertain fundamental building block skills in Motivational Interviewing. Apply the Spirit and basic Motivational Interviewing interventions in therapeutic sessions. Evaluate performance through real play counseling sessions and personal experience reflections. Recognize ambivalence and motivation to change. Determine differences between sustain and change talk. Apply collaborative goal setting. Determine client direction using focus techniques. Apply reflective practitioner techniques. (Prerequisite: 10-550-206 Intro to Interview & Counsel.)
Course Typically Offered: Fall SpringSummarize the history of, and explore the primary concepts within, the major approaches to counseling. Explore the empirical foundations of each theory. Examine application of theories to counseling. Review specific techniques of each theoretical approach. Examine the role of the counselor within each theoretical approach. Explore the role of the counselor, the scope of practice, and the ethical implications in counseling. (Prerequisite: 10-550-206, Intro to Interview & Counsel.)
Course Typically Offered: SpringImmersion experience with an agency including supervised practice in the 12 core functions. Integrates the knowledge, theory, skills, and professional behaviors learned in previous courses and refined in Clinical I immersion experience. Emphasis on applying previously acquired knowledge and skills and gaining a greater understanding of self and the helping professions through first-hand experience. (Prerequisite: 10-550-211, Clinical Experience I)
Course Typically Offered: