This course provides students with the foundational concepts of group counseling within addiction settings. Topics will include group development, group roles, leadership roles/interventions, group planning/development, multicultural issues, and ethical issues relating to group counseling within addictions settings.

AC 506 is offered during the 2nd session each Fall.

This course fulfills 30 hours of the “counseling” criteria for licensure as an Addictions Counselor in Montana through the Montana Board of Behavioral Health. This course includes skills, traits, techniques, and intervention timing relating to group counseling. Students in this course develop knowledge and skills in group facilitation, development, planning, and interventions.

  1. Describe developmental stages of group development.
  2. Describe effective group leadership skills, interventions, and personal characteristics as they apply to addiction counseling.
  3. Develop a group counseling proposal that includes forming, recruiting, screening, selecting, and counseling members specific to addictions counseling settings.
  4. Develop a written curriculum for an 8-week addictions counseling group that demonstrates skills and interventions appropriate to the developmental stages and setting of the group.

This is an 8-week course that includes 45 hours of instruction delivered online in an asynchronous format through 4 modules. Each module is approximately 2 weeks in duration. This means that you can work at your own pace to meet your learning objectives while adhering to the weekly posted due dates.

This course is taught online. Course participants login and participate at a time of day that is convenient for them. It is recommended that participants login at least 4 to 5 times per week and plan on spending 16 to 18 hours per week (combination online and offline) for 7.5 weeks to successfully complete this 3-credit course.  If you are unfamiliar with this field of study and/or method of delivery, you may require more time.
Restricted to Montana State University students in the Addiction Counseling Certificate  and Health Sciences Programs. 

Corey, Corey, & Corey (2018) Groups: Process and Practice (10th ed.). Brooks/Cole