ABORIGINAL ADDICTIONS SERVICES CERTIFICATE (AASC)

The Aboriginal Addictions Services Certificate offers enhanced opportunities for graduates of the Nechi Institute Advanced Counsellor Training Series. The program, accredited by Alberta Advanced Education, provides opportunities to learn and practice the skills necessary to address current issues in the field of addictions counselling.

The program is equivalent to two college semesters. Students will receive advanced standing from Keyano College for completion of the Nechi Institute’s CAT and ACT Series, equivalent to the first semester of the program.

The second semester will consist of five Keyano College-Nechi Institute courses offered over a six (6) month period. The classroom/lecture component for each of these courses will be offered for six (6) days per month. Students will be required to successfully complete home and classroom assignments as well as examinations to demonstrate subject competency.

• Nechi Institute’s ACT Certificate awarded since 1987.
• Admission of mature students, 21 years of age or older, with less than a High School Diploma will be considered based upon grades achieved in a reading and writing skills pre-admission test. Alternatively, applicants must possess an Alberta High School Diploma or equivalent with a mark of 50% in English 30 or 60% in English 33.

Successful completion of the ACT Certificate and the five Keyano College courses with a Grade Point Average (GPA) of five (5) is necessary to graduate from this Certificate program.

Complete and submit the admission form to Keyano College with Nechi Certificates and official High School transcript.

AAS 101 Communications and Report Writing
AAS 102 - Facilitation and Community Development
AAS 103 - Family Counselling
AAS 104 - Pharmacology of Drugs
AAS 105 - Group Counselling

PROGRAM FEES
Tuition $1,653.00
Non-Instructional Fee $250.00
Residence Fee $1000.00 (optional)
Textbook/Manual $185.00
Registration Fee $10.00

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AAS 101: Communications & Report Writing
Hours: 45 hours Credits: 3 credits
Course Prerequisite: ACT Certificate

Course Description:
This course will concentrate on written and oral reports relevant to the work of addictions counselors. The practical principles of grammar and punctuation will be emphasized in the writing of letters, memorandums, semi-formal and formal proposals, program reports, case documentation, monthly and year end reports as well as case files. Students will acquire effective presentation skills as well as the ability to participate in meetings and discussions. This course will be a prerequisite for all other Keyano AAS courses.

Course Objectives:
When students complete this course, they will be able to:

1. Put their thoughts and ideas into written form.
2. Write in a clear, concise way.
3. Edit for correctness in content, grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
4. Write for the reader and with a purpose.
5. Organize information efficiently and effectively.
6. Take notes accurately and concisely.
7. Recognize the difference between facts and opinions.
8. Use the best format to present different kinds of information.
9. Recognize the power of words in tone and action directed writing.
10. Use various writing styles to get results.
11. Write for the reader, using a demonstrated “you” attitude.
12. Make a verbal presentation based on their written ideas.
13. Understand the principles of plain language.
14. Evaluate their own and others’ writing for clarity, conciseness, correctness, and completeness.

AAS 102: Facilitation & Community
Development
Hours: 45 hours Credits: 3 credits
Course Prerequisite: AAS 101: Communications & Report Writing

Course Description:
This course will provide the participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to plan, facilitate and evaluate prevention initiatives at the community level. Principles and techniques of community facilitation and presentation skills will be introduced as a tool for bringing about social change and the prevention of substance abuse. Various risk factors as well as different strategies for developing and facilitating prevention activities, the outcomes of successful community-based prevention programs, and the impact of different social and environmental factors of prevention will also be discussed.

Course Objectives:
When students complete this course, they will be able to:

1. Increase skills in developing and fostering learning groups.
2. Relate culture to community prevention activities.
3. Describe the role of community facilitator.
4. Examine individual, community and organizational change models.
5. Develop approaches for dealing with difficult behaviour in groups.
6. Develop skills in resolving conflicts within groups.
7. Describe the value in creativity in the design of community prevention activities.
8. Describe group development process from an Aboriginal perspective.
9. Develop skills in building community prevention teams.
10. Develop skills in facilitating group decision-making process.
11. Develop skills necessary for conducting effective community meetings.
12. Develop skills needed to do community needs assessments.
13. Create strategies for establishing and facilitating community prevention programs.
14. Develop community prevention strategies for specific groups in Aboriginal communities.
15. Develop skills necessary for making public presentations.

AAS 103: Family Counselling
Hours: 45 hours Credits: 3 credits
Course Prerequisite: AAS 101: Communications & Report Writing

Course Description:
Family counselling techniques of balancing needs, facilitating family interactions and decision-making procedures are discussed. Effective models for working with substance abuse in the family and structural family therapy approaches will be studied. Skills in understanding the interrelationship between family systems, dependency and drug usage will be developed by the student.

Course Objectives:
When students complete this course, they will be able to:

1. Describe family recovery as a process.
2. Identify the four stages of family recovery.
3. Describe the family map, individual points of view, and living skills characteristic of each stage.
4. Describe several tasks of each stage in family recovery.
5. Describe the recovery process in their family of origin or their family of procreation.
6. Discuss the issue of money in family recovery.
7. Discuss the issue of sexuality in family recovery.
8. Identify how knowledge of family recovery can be applied to their work situation.

AAS 104: Pharmacology of Drugs
Hours: 45 hours Credits: 3 credits
Course Prerequisite: AAS 101: Communications & Report Writing

Course Description:
This course will provide an understanding of how various substances interact with and affect the human body. An overview of human physiology will lead to a study of how various drugs are metabolized, the effects of drugs on the body and behaviour, properties of the major drug groups, the medical and behavioural consequences of drug and alcohol abuse.

Course Objectives:
When students complete this course, they will be able to:

1. Identify the history of psychoactive drug use.
2. Identify and explain how the body functions on a cellular and intra-cellular level.
3. Identify and explain the nervous system and the endocrine system and their relationship to drug use and abuse.
4. Identify and describe how drugs enter the body.
5. Identify and describe how drugs are distributed through the body.
6. Identify and describe how drugs are metabolized in the body and excreted from the body.
7. Explain the dynamics of drug action including tolerance, cross-tolerance, dependence, withdrawal, antagonism, synergism, target effect, and side effects.
8. Identify and describe the major drug classifications and the physiological and psychological effects of these drug classes on the body.
9. To describe the effects of different classes of drugs on the unborn child.

AAS 105: Group Counselling
Hours: 45 hours Credits: 3 credits
Course Prerequisite: AAS 101: Communications & Report Writing

Course Description:
This course will assist students in developing the necessary skills for facilitating group counseling activities. The student will learn about group counselling models, the concepts of group process, the role of the group leader, conflict resolution as well as the ability to balance individual and group needs. Student activities will focus on enhancing the skills necessary for getting group feedback, identifying patterns of behaviour and leadership styles. The student will discuss and develop strategies for recognizing the impact of the feelings of the group on the group counselor.

Course Objectives:
When students complete this course, they will be able to:

1. Recognize and demonstrate ten group counsellor leadership skills.
2. Name the components of the Intervention Wheel.
a. Identify their own intervention strategies.
b. Explore alternate intervention strategies.
3. Discuss the Developmental Model of Recovery.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the information contained in the topic areas relevant to group counselling for the stabilization stage of recovery.
5. Demonstrate an ability to present recovery information in a facilitative manner to clients in group counselling for the stabilization phase of recovery.