PHARM 7518EX - Treatment of Addiction: Psychosocial Interventions

External - Trimester 3 - 2018

This course/module is designed to explore the scientific basis and treatment of substance misuse from a psychological perspective germane to the management of drug, alcohol and nicotine dependence. Students will have the opportunity to evaluate the principles of different theoretical approaches underlying psychological assessment and evidence-based practice. During this course/module students will develop a critical awareness of the current literature related to psychological theories of addiction. Students will examine the use and comparative efficacy of different psychological therapies in clinical practice including brief interventions, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Motivational Interviewing /MET. Other interventions (case management, group work, self help, integrated treatment for co-occurring disorders etc) will also be examined along side the evidence base for Relapse Prevention, Contingency Management and Therapeutic Communities. Students will also have the opportunity to explore psychological approaches used with specialist populations such as young people and adolescents.

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Course Details

Course Code	PHARM 7518EX
Course	Treatment of Addiction: Psychosocial Interventions
Coordinating Unit	Medical Sciences
Term	Trimester 3
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	External
Units	4
Contact	Online
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	N
Restrictions	Available for non-Award study after consultation with Program Director (students need to enrol at VCU and meet GradCert in International Addiction Studies entry criteria).
Assessment	Assignment, discussion board participation and exam

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Femke Buisman-Pijlman

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Schedule
Week 1	Topic 1
Week 2	Topic 2
Week 3	Topic 3
Week 4	Topic 4
Week 5	Topic 5
Week 6	Topic 6 / Essay
Week 7	Topic 7
Week 8	Topic 8
Week 9	Topic 9 / Essay
Week 10	Conclusion and Revision Week
Week 11	Exam Week

This schedule is indicative of the timetable only.

Course Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1 To explore the scientific basis for the assessment and treatment of substance misuse and dependence from a psychological perspective.
2 To examine the use and comparative efficacy of different psychological therapies in clinical practice, including different behavioural therapies.
3 To examine the philosophy of Therapeutic Communities.
4 To consider the evidence base for Relapse Prevention and Contingency Management.
5 Work in an interdisciplinary international group in an online environment
6 Write an essay using discipline specific jargon and style
7 Manage the allocated time effectively in performing tasks
8 Display awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues and their importance in the exercise of your professional and student responsibilities

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1-4
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	3,4,6
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	5,6
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	5-7
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	5,8
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	8

Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
STUDY MATERIAL

Each week new material is released that you will work through. Your first focus should be on the Topic outline as this describes what you need to master on a certain topic and what information is available to you. Each study topic is comprised of the following components:
- learning objectives
- revision questions
- concept lecture
- readings
- quiz to test your understanding (not graded)
- discussion forum
Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The expected work load for the course is 20 hours a week. This will be spent on reviewing the video and reading material, doing the revision quizzes, engaging in discussion and preparing for the assessments.

Learning Activities Summary

The following topics may be taught:

Topic 1: Introduction to Psychosocial Interventions - Dr Anna Williams; The Stages of Change - Dr Kim Wolff
Topic 2: Relapse Prevention - Dr Shamil Wanigaratne
Topic 3: Motivational Interviewing - Mr Clive Tobutt
Topic 4: Contingency Management - Prof Maxine Stitzer
Topic 5: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy - Dr Tim Meynen
Topic 6: Mindfulness - Dr Robert Hill
Topic 7: Family and Social Interventions - Prof Alex Coppelo
Topic 8: Therapeutic Communities Group - Dr Charalampos Poulopoulos
Topic 9: Self-help Groups - Mr Barney Straus

Conclusion and Revision Week - Dr Anna Williams
Exam Week - Dr Anna Williams

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Task Type	Due	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Online Tests	Formative	Weeks 1-9
Discussion Board participation	Summative	Weeks 1-4 & 6,7,9	20%
Written Essay Assignment 1	Summative	Week 6	25%
Written Essay Assignment 2	Summative	Week 9	25%
Short Answer Exam	Summative	Week 11	30%

Assessment Detail

FORMATIVE

Formative assessment in this module includes short tasks that are designed to help you increase your level of understanding of the module material. Please note that formative assessments are only meant to improve your learning and they do not contribute to your final grade in anyway.

SUMMATIVE

Discussion Board
In this module, as in most others within the IPAS Programme, there will be seven required discussion forums during the class. Although students will be responsible for reading and responding to discussion topics each week, the level of participation expected will vary for each student by week.

Essay Assignments
The two essay assignments combined are worth 50% of your overall grade for this module (each essay being equally worth 25%). Each essay should be 1,500 words in length; longer or shorter essays (+/- 10% than the word limit) will be marked down by 10%. They should demonstrate scholarly knowledge of the literature, but also personal and creative engagement with the ideas raised. The essay titles and instructions are available on VCU Blackboard for you to access from Week 1 for the first essay and from Week 6 for the second essay.

Short Answer Examination
This exam is designed to test your broad understanding of the topics covered in the module and is worth 30% of your overall grade for this module. You should prepare yourself by taking the time to listen to each topic presentation and by reading around the material. The exam will be available for you to access on Blackboard for a period of 24 hours to allow students based in different time zones to complete the exam on the day. It is essential that you check your local time zone to ensure you have given yourself sufficient time to complete the exam. Submissions will not be possible after the deadline and late submissions by other means will be treated as a fail.

Submission

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

You will receive and submit your written assignments electronically via the Assignment section in Blackboard or via email if you are instructed to do so. In each course where written assignments are required, you will receive specific instructions as to the manner in which you will be expected to make assignment submissions.

EXAMINATION

Several courses use exams that can be either supervised written exams or computer-based open book exam. These exams will have a specific time at which they need to be completed. The duration and mode of the examination may vary by course/module at the discretion of the course/module director.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
As this course is part of a joint degree, the IPAS program handbook holds the most important information. Normal University regulations may not apply as another university will be your host university.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator