Master of Arts in Psychology and Addiction Studies
Strengthen your addiction knowledge base on your budget.
The Master of Arts in Psychology and Addiction Studies is a degree designed to prepare you to advance in the field of addiction studies. This program is structured around courses that address the primary theories of addiction as well as addiction-specific topics related to the treatment and prevention of substance abuse.
Students who graduate from Aspen University’s Master of Arts in Psychology and Addiction Studies degree will increase their understanding of addiction including its psychological and neurological aspects and appropriate treatments as well as theories of substance abuse prevention and approaches to helping individuals and families.
This program alone does not prepare students to become a licensed counselor nor does it fulfill state licensure requirements.
Enjoy Flexibility – 16 courses with start dates every 2 weeks
Affordable Monthly Payments – Opt to pay $325 per month at 0% interest
Focus on your Passion – Choose your Capstone
What is the Capstone Project?
This degree program requires the successful completion of a capstone project. It provides you the opportunity to demonstrate your competency.
Be proud of your Capstone and show off your knowledge!
Alumni Spotlight
Nestor M. Made an oath to help those in need.
Admission Requirements
- Application – A completed application.
- Bachelor’s Degree Transcripts – Official transcript demonstrating a conferred bachelor’s degree from an institution that is accredited by a CHEA recognized accrediting body or an international equivalent with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 or greater.
- Military Documentation (Optional) – A copy of the most recent orders; or a copy of DD214 (This can be requested from the National Archives.)
Courses:
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RSH505 - Research in Practice
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ADC510 - Addiction Theories and Practice
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ADC515 - Psychology of Addiction
- Psychology of Addictive Behaviour - 978-0230272224
- Last Effective Date 3/1/22 Introduction to Addictive Behaviors (4th Edition) - 978-1462510689
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th Edition) - 9781433832154
- Effective 3/15/22 Introduction to Addictive Behaviors (5th Edition) - 9781462539222
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ADC605 - Substance Abuse Prevention
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ADC655 - Neurobiology of Addiction
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ADC665 - Advanced Addiction Theories
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PSY530 - Advanced Helping Skills
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PSY650 - Ethics
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ADC630 - Diagnosis and Treatment of Substance Abuse Disorders
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ADC660 - Addiction and Families
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CJ545 - Drug Enforcement
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PAC610 - Psychopharmacology
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PSY540 - Clinical Supervision
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PSY620 - Psychological Interactions
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PAC799A - Addiction Studies Capstone
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PAC799B - Addiction Studies Capstone
In this course, students are given the opportunity to learn research design, methodology, and analysis through a specified framework. By using specific examples, students are more able to apply their learning to other aspects of their training and have a more straightforward means of making research understandable and relevant. The course also focuses on producing valid research and how to competently read, analyze, and utilize others' research. In addition to the requisite research materials, the course includes modules on ethics in research and multicultural issues in research.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course takes a comprehensive look at chemical dependency, covering the most recent issues in the areas of epidemiology, etiology, substance abuse policy, and treatment. The course looks at substance abuse from a systems perspective, making it particularly appropriate for social work students who are accustomed to a “person-in-environment” approach. The course presents all major theories of addiction, as well as the major physiological and psychological results of substance abuse, including fetal alcohol syndrome. Coverage of the latest developments in treatment and research incorporates the most recent findings on genetic causes of alcoholism. This course includes an up-to-date discussion of the most recent trends in designer drugs to help explain the considerable frequency of changes in which drug use patterns occur.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This graduate level course will offer students a foundational study of psychological factors associated with addiction. This course covers important material for learners to understand one facet of the roots and behaviors associated with addiction in order to better grasp the problem. This course will focus on implicit cognition, or feelings, thoughts or actions beyond the realm of conscious explicit cognition. This course integrates cutting-edge research from formerly independent disciplines that help provide a better understanding of the etiology, prevention, and treatment of addictive behaviors.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course is designed for students with an interest in improving their prevention programs. This course explores the history of drug abuse with a special emphasis on scientifically defensible substance abuse prevention research and practices. The problem of substance abuse has impacted most societies from early world history to the current age. Preventing substance abuse also has a long and rich history. It is important for people who work in the helping profession to understand that preventing substance abuse is both possible and probable when based on science-based best practices. As the field of substance abuse prevention advances, skills and understanding are a growing requirement for prevention specialists. This course explores the complex web between substance abuse and other social problems and presents science-based prevention findings that aid prevention professionals with tools to prevent drug use before it starts. Textbooks will be available within the classroom.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course provides students with an overview of the available and emerging approaches used to investigate the biologic mechanisms of drug addiction, including animal models of addiction, which mimic the state of humans entering treatment, the biological processes that happen in the brain during the course of addiction, and the theoretical background and results of neuroimaging studies as it relates to the neurobiology of addiction. This course also delineates the promising research discoveries being made in relapse prevention and describes modern genetic approaches to manipulating the chemicals in the brain that influence addictive behavior.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course addresses knowledge, skills, and attitudes in addiction studies. Evidence-based findings, cutting-edge treatment techniques, and a focus on critical thinking show future counselors how to respond to clients' needs rather than impose ""cookie-cutter"" routines. An experiential learning approach is encouraged with structured activities and exercises, and its devotion to significant coverage of ethics, treatment planning and case management.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course takes an experiential approach to understanding and applying helping skills. Students are introduced to various and complex theories with evaluative and reflective assignments in order to synthesize the information presented. In addition, students will have access to videos of clinicians demonstrating these theories in action as an accompaniment to the text.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course provides exceptional coverage of the philosophical foundations of ethics. After a thorough discussion of ethical principles and standards, students will practice conscientious examination of ethical issues as they manifest themselves in the real world. In addition, students will be introduced to a compendium of ethical codes ideal for study.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course provides students diversity of treatment options by exploring developments in treatment and studying treatment outcomes. Two texts are referenced. The first provides a view of the solution-focused model of treatment. This compact model demonstrates how to synthesize their own methodology for understanding substance abuse. The second text ensures a broader perspective on contemporary treatment models. The goal is to expose graduate learners to the greatest number of possibilities in the treatment environment.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course provides students an opportunity to study and analyze the importance of the familial context of addiction. The course presents the Integrated Family Addictions Model, which consists of six progressive treatment tiers which organize the relevant family treatment theories into a graduated and coherent sequence, beginning with the briefest and least costly forms of therapy. Whereas many family treatment theories are an imperfect fit in cases of addiction, this course provides students with the opportunity to study a concise model for counseling addicts and their families that is based on years of clinical experience.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course explores classical drug enforcement methods and the methods criminals use to avoid detection. This information is important for both law enforcement and counselors who deal with substance abusers. Students study how to conduct investigations in hotels/motels, airports, storage units, trains, commercial busses, parcels, and rental vehicles.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course serves as an in-depth guide to pharmacology. The road of pharmacology is paved with extensive and often unrecognized research on the part of thousands of doctors and scientists around the world. Pharmacology is built layer by layer upon previous discoveries and consists of equal parts of hard work, astute observation, sudden insights, and divinely appointed coincidences. Indeed, the road of pharmacology is constantly being built anew with each drug discovery. This course provides insight into the history of pharmacology as well as a detailed study of drug categories, rational for using drugs, understanding drug side effects, and an exploration of clinical applications and current healthcare issues relating to pharmacology.
3 CreditsRequired Books
This course presents the dimensions of supervision in clinical settings for those seeking to understand how practices are managed. Theoretical and empirical information on supervision is provided, including, individual supervision, group supervision, triadic supervision, multi-cultural supervision, ethical and legal issues, and use of technology to assist supervisors.
3 CreditsRequired Books
Within the context of addiction, this course outlines the major theoretical approaches to interactions and offers concrete ideas about the processes as well as techniques and strategies used by others in collaboration and consultation. The course presents the assessment model incorporated into behavioral dialogue, identifying the federal guidelines for assessment and intervention for children and includes material that can be used in any situation. The course includes a strong emphasis on cross-cultural discourse.
3 CreditsRequired Books
The project-based capstone empowers students to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in their courses to the professional field of counseling. In PAC799A, students explore topics related to addiction studies. PAC799B focuses students on the operational concerns of persons providing addiction services. Capstone projects are completely individualized; students are encouraged to select projects that are of particular interest to them and that will result in professional growth in their field.
3 CreditsRequired Books
The project-based capstone empowers students to apply the knowledge and skills acquired in their courses to the professional field of counseling. In PAC799A, students explore topics related to addiction studies. PAC799B focuses students on the operational concerns of persons providing addiction services. Capstone projects are completely individualized; students are encouraged to select projects that are of particular interest to them and that will result in professional growth in their field. This course satisfies the proctored exam requirement for this program.
3 Credits