| Course | PS526 Advanced Addictions Counseling |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 1 |
| Paper type | Discussion board post |
| Length | About 450 words, 2 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 discussion post |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | MS in Psychology |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PS526 Unit 1
Friday, the Paycheck and the Liquor Aisle: A PS526 Unit 1 Discussion Board Post on the Cognitive Behavioral Model of Addiction
PS526 · Unit 1 Discussion Board Post
Posted by [Student Name]
The writer, the treatment center, the client and the classmates are composite; the sources cited are real.
Initial Post
Curtis is 38 and fixes bikes at a shop outside Sturgis. He came to our 32-bed residential center in the northern Black Hills after his second DUI. In our second session he said, "I don't decide to drink. Friday comes, and then it's Sunday and I don't remember Saturday." The cognitive behavioral model says that is not quite true: there is a chain, and every link can be seen once someone looks.
McHugh et al. (2010) describe CBT for substance use as aimed at the strong reinforcing effects of drugs and alcohol. Use is learned. Cues that have been paired with drinking, such as a place, a time or a feeling, come to trigger craving and automatic thoughts, and the relief or pleasure that follows strengthens the link. Treatment works by mapping those links in a functional analysis and building skills to interrupt them.
For Curtis, the chain starts at 4:30 on Friday when the shop owner hands out checks. The thought is, "I earned it." He cashes the check at a gas station that sells liquor, buys a pint "for the ride home" and is drunk by eight. Each step feels like part of the day rather than a choice.
Curtis does decide to drink on Fridays; he just makes the decision in five small pieces, starting with where he cashes his check.
Magill and Ray (2009) pooled 53 controlled trials of CBT for adults with alcohol or drug use disorders and found a small but significant effect overall, with larger effects for cannabis users, when CBT was compared with no treatment and in briefer formats. That is not a dramatic result, but it is consistent, and the skills last after treatment ends.
Our first target for Curtis is the gas station. If he cashes the check at his bank across town instead, the pint is no longer on the way home.
What chain have you seen in a client or in yourself that felt like a single event?
Reply to Denise
Denise, your client's "just one at the wedding" fits McHugh et al. (2010). The wedding is the cue, and the thought "I deserve to celebrate" is the link to target.
Reply to Jamal
Jamal, I agree the effect sizes are modest. Magill and Ray (2009) still found CBT effective across many trials, which matters when choosing a treatment for a program.
References
Magill, M., & Ray, L. A. (2009). Cognitive-behavioral treatment with adult alcohol and illicit drug users: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 70(4), 516-527. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2009.70.516
McHugh, R. K., Hearon, B. A., & Otto, M. W. (2010). Cognitive behavioral therapy for substance use disorders. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 33(3), 511-525. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2010.04.012
The Purdue Global PS526 Unit 1 instructions
The opening PS526 board asks you to explain the cognitive behavioral model of addiction through one example. Choose a composite client whose use seems automatic or unplanned. Explain the model's account of how use is learned and maintained, citing a review, and identify the cues, thoughts, feelings and consequences in your example. Lay out the chain so plainly that every link is visible. Summarize what research shows about CBT's effectiveness, with the size of the effect stated honestly. Name the first link you would target and why it comes first. Invite peers to describe a chain from their own work that felt like a single event, then reply to two of them with a link their chain was missing.
How this PS526 Unit 1 example is built
The post opens with Curtis's claim that drinking just happens on Fridays and the second DUI that brought him to residential care. A paragraph uses McHugh and colleagues to explain the learned chain and functional analysis. A paragraph traces his Friday from the paycheck at 4:30 through the thought "I earned it" to the pint bought at a gas station and drunk before eight. A highlighted line argues that he decides in five small pieces. A paragraph reports Magill and Ray's effect sizes and where they were larger. A sentence names the gas station as the first target, and a question about hidden chains closes the post before two replies on a wedding cue and modest effect sizes.
Where the points sit in the PS526 Unit 1 rubric
Instructors credit posts that explain the cognitive behavioral model accurately from a scholarly source and then show it working in one specific example, link by link. The strongest posts name a thought, not only a situation, since cognitions are central to the model. Reporting research on CBT's effectiveness with its actual size, rather than calling it proven, shows careful reading. Choosing a first target and explaining why shows the clinical reasoning the course develops. Replies earn points by naming a cue, thought or consequence the classmate missed. Composite clients, a respectful tone and APA citations of both sources are expected, along with posting on schedule at the required length.
Common PS526 Unit 1 mistakes, and how to avoid them
A common weak post lists CBT techniques, such as cognitive restructuring and coping skills, without ever mapping a client's chain. Another frequent gap is a chain that skips from trigger straight to use, leaving out the thought that links them. Some posts describe CBT's evidence as strong without giving effect sizes, or dismiss it as weak because the effects are small. Others choose a first target with no reason. Before posting, check that your chain has at least four links, that one of them is a thought in the client's own words, that you state what the meta-analysis found and that your first target is something the client can change soon.
Get a PS526 Unit 1 example written to your instructions
Send the Unit 1 prompt and the rubric. A custom post explains the CBT model of addiction through one client. The first is free and comes back in 24-48h. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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PS526 Unit 1 questions, answered
What does CBT say causes addiction to continue?
Learned links between cues, thoughts and use, reinforced by the effects of the substance, plus gaps in coping skills.
How well does CBT work for substance use?
A meta-analysis of 53 trials found a small but significant effect, larger for cannabis and in brief formats.
What should a reply add?
A thought or cue in the classmate's example that the post did not name.
Where can I find a free PS526 Unit 1 sample paper?
A complete PS526 Unit 1 post on the CBT model through a mechanic's Friday chain, with two replies, is above.
What is the first target in the PS526 Unit 1 sample?
Where the client cashes his paycheck, since the gas station on the way home also sells liquor.