This guide is for CEFS 691 Week 3 Experiential Paper 1: AA, start to submission. A 6 to 7-page paper summarizing and integrating your experience of two Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
CEFS 691 is Substance Abuse: Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention, 3 credit hours, in Liberty University's MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Canvas and the course guide file print the code as CEFS691; it is the same course.
| Course | CEFS 691 Substance Abuse: Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 3 |
| Points | 100 points |
| Length | 6 to 7 pages |
| Sources | 3 to 4 references in addition to the course textbooks and the Bible |
| Faith integration | The Bible is a required source |
| Format | Current APA |
What CEFS 691 Week 3 Experiential Paper 1: AA asks for
You visit two AA meetings and write a summary of the experience that describes and integrates specific experiential observations. The paper is 6 to 7 pages in current APA with 3 to 4 references besides the textbooks and the Bible. It is due in Module/Week 3 with Capuzzi and Stauffer chapters 7 and 8 and Miller and Rollnick chapters 3 to 5. Worth 100 points.
Where it fits in CEFS 691
In the published schedule, Experiential Paper 1: AA is one of 8 graded written assignments in CEFS 691. It follows Week 2 Discussion Board Forum 1 and comes before Week 4 Discussion Board Forum 2 (AA).
How CEFS 691 Week 3 Experiential Paper 1: AA is graded
Liberty grades Experiential Paper 1: AA with the rubric attached to the assignment in Canvas, worth 100 points in the published guide. That is about 10% of the course's 1,010 points. The rubric rows are the real instructions. Draft against them, and you will rarely be surprised by the grade.
Course grades in CEFS 691 use Liberty's point scale: an A is 940 to 1010 points of the course total. Missing the length or source minimum usually costs points on several rows at once, which is why the checklist below starts with them.
Timing in the published guide: Each course module/week begins on Monday morning at 12:00 a.m. (ET) and ends on Sunday night at 11:59 p.m. (ET). The final module/week ends at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday. Check the due dates in your Canvas section, which govern.
The CEFS 691 Week 3 method, step by step
Pick one event and stay with it
Reflection writing works when it is specific. Pick one situation, one decision point, and stay with it for the whole paper.
Describe it briefly and accurately
Set the scene in a short paragraph: what happened, who was involved (without identifying details), and what your role was. Keep description to a fraction of the length.
Analyze it with course concepts
Explain the event through the course material. A reflection that never names a concept from the reading is a diary entry, not an assignment.
Bring in the evidence the guide asks for
Support the analysis with 3 to 4 references in addition to the course textbooks and the Bible. Use the sources to show that what you saw is a known pattern and what the literature says about preventing or handling it.
Say what you would do differently
Close the loop: what you learned, what you would change, and how it will shape your practice. Be concrete; a plan beats a promise.
Write in first person, formatted in APA
Reflection papers allow first person, but they still follow current APA format for the title page, citations and references. Stay within 6 to 7 pages.
Describe each meeting, then integrate: how does what you observed match research on twelve-step participation, and what does it mean for a counselor referring clients? Never use names or details that could identify a member.
A structure for CEFS 691 Week 3 Experiential Paper 1: AA
Word targets are planning numbers for about 1,400 words of body text, set by the length in the guide; the rubric decides where to spend more.
| Section | What it must do | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting description | Format, setting and practices. | ~340 words |
| Observations | Specific experiences, without identifying anyone. | ~420 words |
| Integration | Connection to course concepts. | ~420 words |
| Sources | References, textbooks and the Bible. | ~220 words |
A topic angle that works
Attend open meetings, which welcome visitors, and observe the structure (readings, the Twelve Steps, sharing, sponsorship) and how members support recovery. Connect what you saw to the readings on mutual-help groups and recovery.
Model paragraph with notes
An original paragraph written by our desk to show the register that earns full rubric credit. It is study material: learn the moves, then write your own.
Members repeatedly described their home group and sponsor as the core of staying sober, which matches research finding that active involvement, not just attendance, predicts better outcomes in twelve-step programs. As a future counselor, I will encourage clients to try several meetings and ask about sponsorship, rather than simply handing them a meeting list.
- An observation.
- Research.
- A counseling implication.
Mistakes that cost points on CEFS 691 Week 3
- Identifying members.
- Description without integration.
- Outside 6 to 7 pages.
Checklist before you submit
- Length: 6 to 7 pages
- Sources: 3 to 4 references in addition to the course textbooks and the Bible
- Faith integration: The Bible is a required source
- No names or identifying details of patients, clients or coworkers
- At least one course concept named and applied
- Each rubric row read against the section that answers it
Questions students ask
How many AA meetings does CEFS 691 require?
Two, written up in Experiential Paper 1.
How many points is CEFS 691 Week 3 Experiential Paper 1: AA worth?
100 points in Liberty's published course guide for CEFS 691, out of a course total of 1,010 points (about 10% of the grade). The rubric attached to the assignment in Canvas shows how those points are divided.
Is CEFS 691 Week 3 the same in every section of CEFS 691?
This guide follows Liberty's published course guide for CEFS 691. Liberty notes that course content can change from term to term, so if your Canvas section shows different instructions, a different week or different points, follow Canvas and your instructor.
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