Faculty Contact Information:
Michelle Mentzer, Ed.D
Quadrelle di Mugnano, AV
Italy
Phone: Provided on request
Email: michelle.mentzer@ed.umuc.edu
Alternate email: drmentzer@mac.com | |
Consultation:
Please feel free to contact me by email at any time during this course if it is a confidential matter. If you have a question regarding the class or class materials, please bring it up in the CyberCafe online so that others can benefit from the discussion.
As a rule, I respond to emails within 24 hours max; however, if for some reason I don't respond to your email, feel free to call me at one of the number listed above.
If you have any special needs that will affect your ability to do your best during this class, please notify me no later than the first week of class. | |
Required Texts and Readings:
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Inaba, D. S. & Cohen, W. E. (2004). Uppers, Downers, All Arounders (5th Ed.). Ashland, OR: CNS Publications. | |
Supplementary Readings:
All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library at http://www.umuc.edu/library/. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students’ research and writing skills.
Students will be using the UMUC online library databases on a weekly basis. It is assumed the first day of class that the students are familiar with and able to use the online library easily and well. If you have not taken the library class online, please do do prior to the course start date then practice using those skills. | |
Recommended Journals:
A variety of full-text, online, free-of-charge and pay-per-view academic journals are listed on the Counseling Webboard at http://www.ed.umuc.edu/graduate/webboards/
Be sure to be familar with SAGE database - it is very helpful. | |
Course Description:
| Prerequisite: PSYC 502. Students will develop skills in the application of counseling techniques that are used with individuals who abuse drugs and alcohol. The importance of philosophical assumptions about "drug abusers" will be examined; students will examine their own philosophies of counseling individuals who abuse drugs. Basic counseling techniques will be demonstrated, and students will participate in exercises and case consultations to develop their own skills. As this course replaces GUCO 565, students may receive credit for only one of the following courses: GUCO 762, GUCO 562 or EDCP 625. | |
Course Goals:
| This course is designed to enable students to become familiar with the theoretical and treatment approaches to drug and alcohol counseling as they apply to people from different social, cultural and economic backgrounds. It will assist students in preparing for the comprehensive exam and will prepare them for professional practice. | |
Course Objectives:
|
At the conclusion of this course, the student will have:
1. an understanding of the dynamics and etiology of problems involving abuse of alcohol and other drugs.
2. knowledge of research and research resources in the field of substance abuse.
3. knowledge of practical techniques being used in the counseling of substance abusers.
4. an overview of current trends and/or epidemiolgy, and their prognosis in the chemical dependency field.
5. knowledge of commonly used individual and group tests used to assess substance abusers.
6. critical evaluation skills of various approaches used to counsel substance abusers.
7. an appreciation of the historical context in which substance abuse occurs.
8. essential ethical and legal knowledge involved in efforts to provide services to substance abusers.
9. analytical reasoning skills via class presentations of various research articles.
10. diagnostic and treatment planning assessment skills of clients' drug and alcohol problems.
11. knowledge of the major treatment approaches used in agencies providing rehabilitative services to persons with addictive disease.
12. an enhanced self-awareness of personal strengths, interests, and abilities. | |
Grading Information:
Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:
A 90 - 100%
B 80 – 89%
C 70 – 79%
F 69% and Below
Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade "F" is used to designate academic failure. "FN" is used to designate failure for non-completion. Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC-Europe policies. For further details, please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog, available in your local Education Center or online at http://www.ed.umuc.edu/general_info/publications/catalogs. | |
Course Requirements:
Graduate school at the masters level focuses on helping students obtain the education needed for success as professionals in their chosen fields. Thus, UMUC-Europe Graduate Programs and Bowie State University share the common goals of promoting excellence in academic scholarship through thoughtful inquiry and the skillful application of knowledge and theory for the betterment of society. In order to maximize your graduate educational experience in general and this course in particular, you are required to:
Participate in classroom discussions..............20%
Write graduate level papers or case studies.......30%
Project...........................................20%
Complete one or more written examination(s).......30% | |
Description of Course Requirements:
|
Successful graduate students in American universities dedicate approximately three hours of preparation/study time for every hour spent in the onsite classroom. Thus, the following course requirements were developed on the assumption that students would be prepared to spend approximately 150 hours of their own time working on them. In an eight-week term, that is the equivalent of a half-time job. Most fourteen-week graduate distance education courses require at least ten hours per week of dedicated time, plus time spent in the virtual classroom.
Participate in classroom discussions:You are expected to come to class prepared to engage in all discussions in a professional and informed manner.
Write graduate level papers or case studies:You are required to conduct professional-level research, including appropriately citing works of others and avoiding plagiarism. Resubmission of coursework from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC, UMUC-Europe or BSU), partially or in its entirety, is not acceptable in this course and will result in an automatic failure on the assignment. APA style is mandatory for all graduate counseling course work. Plan on committing approximately 150 hours over the duration of this course to producing professional level work.
Orally/visually present prepared material:You are required to present your research in a professional manner. In an onsite course, this typically means an oral presentation accompanied by appropriate visual material. In an online class, this means creating a visual/textual presentation for your instructor and classmates.
Complete one or more written examination(s):The examination process in this class will assist you in developing the writing and critical thinking skills necessary for successfully passing the comprehensive exam required of all graduate students. The questions used in this course will either be taken directly from past comprehensive exams or written as though to be included on a comprehensive exam.
Website Evaluation:
A 2-page evaluation of an alcohol or other drug-related website. Describe the website activity and evaluate its currency, authority, accuracy, and credibility. Optional ideas for websites will be given online.
Behavior change project:
Select an activity that you find very difficult to control or that you would like to change. You must agree to stop or start this activity for at least one month, but preferably two months. Some examples might be excessive use of sugar, exercising on a routine basis, drinking alcohol, smoking or use of any tobacco, watching television, drinking coke, coffee, or other caffeinated beverages, or and other behavior you know is harmful to your health. Some examples of activities that you might want to start are exercising, eating only healthy food in very moderate portions, drinking only drinks that are good for you, increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables considerably, while decreasing the amount of meat, fats, and sugars, etc. Keep a log of your behavior and write a four-page paper about your success and failure to change your own behavior. More details on the paper format in the classroom
You will make and include a chart that delineates/marks your daily progression/regression as you work toward your goals. You may scan this or use Microsoft Word and attach the document.
Alcoholism Model Paper: A two-page summary that defends/denies alcoholism as a disease model. This should use a peer-reviewed journal article. The format should be APA, and the actual article should be attached to the paper or sent to me by email. You don’t have to agree with the side you choose to work with, but you do have to understand it!
AA/NA Assignment
Attend an AA/NA meeting any time between now and the time the paper is due, January 15, 2007. There will be more information given in class, but a written summary of between 4 and 5 pages will be due covering | |
Course Schedule:
|
Week One: Chapter 1
Week Two: Chapter 2
Week Three: Chapter 3a
Week Four: Chapter 3b
Week Five: Chapter 4
Week Six: Chapter 5
Week Seven: Chapter 6
Week Eight: Chapter 7
Week Nine: BREAK
Week Ten: Chapter 8
Week Eleven: Chapter 9a
Week Eleven: Chapter 9b
Week Twelve: Chapter 10
Week Thirteen: Chapter 10
| |
Academic Policies:
Note: Any written assignment in this course may be submitted to TurnItIn.Com. This statement constitutes prior notice.
The official university policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty can be found at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml. Section I.C. states: "Faculty may determine if the resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC), partially or in its entirety, is acceptable when assigning a grade on that piece of course work. Faculty must provide this information in their written syllabi. If the resubmission of course work is deemed to be unacceptable, a charge may not be brought under this Policy and will be handled as indicated in the written syllabi."
Please refer to Description of Course Requirements for specific information on how resubmissions will be treated in this course and to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Students with Disabilities
Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center. | |
Faculty Bio:
|
Dr. Mentzer is a family counselor and professional trainer for both military and civilian sectors. She is currently working in Napoli and teaching in the UMUC-Bowie Graduate Counseling program in Europe. Dr. Mentzer's undergraduate work was taken at the University of Kansas, in Education. Her M.A. in Counseling and Human Resources was completed at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va. Dr. Mentzer completed a Doctorate of Education in Counseling Psychology at Argosy University. Her primary focus was on family communications and attachment theory. After her residency at the Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, she worked as the Group Manager at the Marine Corps Camp Pendleton Mental Health Clinic in Southern California and continued all her other interests that she had collected through the years. She currently resides in Italy with her husband and daughter (17) and her cats. Her hobbies include reading, used bookstore hunting, Macintosh computers, traveling across Europe in her VW Westy, and "being" in coffee shops around the world. | |