About this course

Learning Objectives

• Differentiate between standard cultural drinking habits, "gray area" high-functioning drinking patterns, and a clinical diagnosis of Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) using DSM-5 parameters.
• Identify at least five physiological and cognitive health risks associated with chronic daily alcohol consumption, including target organ systems and sleep architecture disruptions.
• Apply evidence-based harm reduction models and cognitive behavioral adjustments to help clients structure functional moderation or tapering plans.

Course Instructor(s)

• 

  Kelley Kitley, LCSW

  Owner, Serendipitous Psychotherapy

  Kelley Kitley is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 20 years of experience in the field. She is a sought after national mental health media expert and author who has appeared in hundreds of publications, podcasts, live news, and radio. She is known in the media as America’s Social Worker.

  Kelley has an eclectic array of experience using a holistic approach. Her areas of expertise include anxiety and depression, PTSD, obsessive-compulsive disorder, enhancing relationships with couples, using a short term model called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT.) Kelley also works with patients in longer term treatment to work through trauma,(including rape and sexual abuse) eating disorders, substance abuse, loss and phase of life issues.

References

• Canver, B. R., Newman, R. K., & Gomez, A. E. (2026). Alcohol withdrawal syndrome. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441882/
• Bahji, A., Crockford, D., & El-Guebaly, N. (2022). Neurobiology and symptomatology of post-acute alcohol withdrawal: A mixed-studies systematic review. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 83(4), 461–469. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2022.83.461
• Elvig, S. K., McGinn, M. A., Smith, C., Arends, M. A., Koob, G. F., & Vendruscolo, L. F. (2021). Tolerance to alcohol: A critical yet understudied factor in alcohol addiction. Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior, 204, 173155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2021.173155
• Celik, M., Gold, M. S., & Fuehrlein, B. (2024). A narrative review of current and emerging trends in the treatment of alcohol use disorder. Brain Sciences, 14(3), 294. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14030294
• Zhao, J., Stockwell, T., Naimi, T., Churchill, S., Clay, J., & Sherk, A. (2023). Association between daily alcohol intake and risk of all-cause mortality: A systematic review and meta-analyses. JAMA Network Open, 6(3), e236185. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.6185