Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

AD 156 CRN 31898 

About the Course

The course covers ethical and legal issues relevant to the alcohol and drug counselor. Students will increase knowledge of ethical codes, definitions of terms, ethical concepts and issues through knowledge-based objective and/or essay quizzes and examinations. Students will demonstrate their understanding by articulating one area of ethics in a presentation of an ethical issue to peers in the classroom setting using didactic and experiential methods. Students will explore ethical reasoning through the utilization of an ethical decision-making model, ethical codes, federal and state laws, and textbook material. Prerequisite: AD 101. Prerequisite/concurrent: WR 122.  Audit available. See the following link to the course content and outcome guide:  Course Content and Outcome Guide

 

Required Materials

Text:  Ethics for Addiction Professionals, Jennifer D. Berton, 2014.

National Association of Addictions Professionals (NAADAC) Code of Ethics: NAADAC Code of Ethics

Mental Health & Addiction Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO) Code of Conduct: MHACBO

42CFR Part 2 Federal Confidentiality Law: 42CFR

This course spans 11 weeks and will be conducted remotely on Thursdays, 6:00 pm to 8:50 pm, June 26th through August 4th, 2025. Assignments are due at the beginning of each class on the date indicated.

While optional, it is crucial to offer some individual live Zoom sessions to get to know each other better.  Scheduling these sessions can be challenging due to various scheduling needs.  If you’re interested in scheduling a Zoom meeting, please reach out to me via text at 360.334.2626.  Please include your First name followed by “AD 156” in the message. We will do our best to respond within 24 – 48 hours Monday through Friday.

Prerequisite for this course: AD 101. Prerequisite/concurrent: WR 122. Audit is available.

By the end of this course, students will be able to demonstrate the following in preparation for working with future clients:

1. Describe and apply ethical principles specific to professions in addiction counseling and behavioral health care.
2. Interpret and integrate core ethical components—including justice, autonomy, non-maleficence, and beneficence—into decision-making within addiction treatment settings.
3. Utilize ethical decision-making models to navigate dilemmas using universal values and guiding principles.
4. Reflect on and communicate a personal value system, with attention to how these values may influence counseling relationships and ethical practice.
5. Identify key professional organizations relevant to addiction counseling and recognize the resources they offer for ethical and professional development.
6. Adhere to federal and state laws, as well as agency policies, related to substance use treatment—including the ability to research and apply regulations such as 42 CFR, Part II.
7. Locate, interpret, and apply ethical codes from professional organizations including the American Counseling Association (ACA), MHACBO, and NAADAC.
8. Evaluate clinical practices through the lens of ethics, while integrating principles of evidence-based care to support professional integrity and client well-being.

For more information, please go to the Course Content and Outcome Guide for this course.

Required Materials:

• Text: Ethics for Addiction Professionals, Jennifer D. Berton, 2014.
• National Association of Addictions Professionals (NAADAC) Code of Ethics: NAADAC Code of Ethics
• Mental Health & Addiction Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO) Code of Conduct: MHACBO
• 42CFR Part 2 Federal Confidentiality Law: 42CFR

Recommended:

Additional resources for each topic and class will be available on D2L Brightspace each week.  These may include videos, articles, websites for infographics.

Technology

For this course, we will be using Open Educational Resources, and all required materials will be available electronically and posted on D2L Brightspace.

We will be using Google Docs, Google Sheets, PDFs, Power Points, and some Word Docs. 

Additionally, we will be streaming videos to provide you with the most-up-to-date information.

 

Digital Navigators

Digital Navigators are trusted guides who address the whole digital inclusion process — home connectivity, affordable devices, and digital skills training — with students and community members.