Accelerate Faculty

Meet a critical need

Meet the high demand of human services with the specialized knowledge and skills to address the needs of individuals, families, groups and the broader community facing the challenges of substance abuse.

As an Alverno social work major, you can choose to specialize in substance abuse counseling. Through courses focused on rehabilitation, psychopharmacology and mental health and substance abuse, as well as field education, you will learn how to support individuals, families, groups and the broader society.

With a substance abuse counselor minor, you will:

• Apply your knowledge and skills of an effective, ethical and culturally competent social work practice that emphasizes the strengths of people, families and groups to define, process, solve and prevent social problems related to substance abuse at the individual, family and group levels.
• Apply your gained knowledge, skills and strengths of the professional field of substance abuse, which emphasize applied research and scholarship to positively impact clients and professional practice.
• Apply your comprehension of person-centered, theory-driven, evidence- based and culturally enriched knowledge that engages, assesses, intervenes and evaluates for substance abuse with individuals, and how it pertains to families and groups, in a respectful manner, while fostering human diversity and social justice perspectives.

Required courses in this minor include:

• SW-200 Social Work Programs & Services
• SW-250 Human Behavior in Social Environment
• SW-300 Social Work Practice Methods: Individual
• SW-400 Social Work Practice Methods: Groups & Family
• SAC-420 Substance Abuse Rehabilitation
• SAC-440 Psychopharmacology
• SAC-460 Mental Health & Substance Abuse: in Individual, Groups & Families

To learn more about the academic requirements of this specialization, please click here.