Substance Abuse Counselor

Job Summary: Assesses client needs; provides substance abuse education; individual, group and family substance abuse counseling; referring clients to community resources; and case management.

Essential Functions: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Completes assessments of consumer’s substance abuse history and current status as part of comprehensive assessment and on an ongoing basis
• Assists in coordinating individual treatment planning including aftercare and recovery support services for each consumer actively involved in alcohol and drug treatment
• Participates in engaging and motivating consumers to achieve treatment goals especially and specifically those related to substance abuse issues
• Assists each consumer receiving drug and alcohol treatment in becoming involved with self-help support groups
• Assists each consumer receiving drug and alcohol treatment in developing and maintaining social support networks
• Assesses consumer’s need for inpatient substance abuse treatment and, when appropriate, coordinates access to these services
• Collaborates closely with any inpatient substance abuse treatment providers
• Ensures that each consumer referred for alcohol and other drug treatment is referred to an individual or program licensed or certified to provide alcohol and other drug treatment
• Provide training to other program members on the signs, symptoms and early identification of alcohol and other drug use and abuse, and the disease of alcoholism and drug dependency
• Provides on-call crisis interventions.

• Maintains client confidentiality and adherence to HIPAA requirements at all times
• Completes all required documentation in a timely manner consistent with agency guidelines
• Maintains agency required productivity standards

Required Knowledge & Skills:

• Working knowledge of the nature of serious mental illness; behavior modification techniques and related treatment modalities, interventions and techniques; of different types of assessments and their uses in treatment planning.

• Knowledge of consumers’ rights; agency and federal policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Knowledge of local community resources and service delivery systems such as housing, social, welfare, educational, etc.
• Knowledge of client record documentation requirements; and of client services plan development and implementation.

• Knowledge of crisis intervention techniques,
• Knowledge of individual and group therapy techniques; family dynamic and family support groups

• Ability to observe, record and report on an individual’s functioning;
• Ability to read and understand assessments, evaluations, observation, and use in developing treatment plan.
• Ability to identify community resources and services for clients and coordinate provision of services; to establish effective working relationships with internal agency staff as well as with relevant community organizations;

• Ability to effectively interact and communicate with consumers and their families in diverse populations.
• Ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, to maintain confidentiality, and to work independently under general supervision.
• Ability to demonstrate strong interpersonal and “Listening” skills.
• Ability to establish and prioritize goals and objectives of assigned program.
• Ability to facilitate relationships between Gateway, consumer families/legal guardians and various social service community resources, such as housing assistance, healthcare, job training and placement and substance abuse support groups.

Competencies:

Communication

Accountability/Responsibility

Cooperation/Teamwork

Creative Thinking

Customer Service

Dependability

Flexibility

Initiative

Analytical Thinking

Job Knowledge

Judgement

Professionalism

Quality/Quantity of Work

Leadership/Supervision

Required Education & Experience: Addiction Certification and two years of experience include crisis management, intensive case management.

Supervisory Responsibilities: None

Work Environment: This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines. Some minor travel between Gateway sites is required.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

Employee is frequently required to walk, sit, stand or kneel and occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop. Employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Must have the ability to sit for long periods of time at a computer. Employee frequently uses fine hand/eye coordination, hearing and visual acuity. Lighting and temperature are adequate, and there are not hazardous or unpleasant condition caused by noise, dust, etc. Employee must be able to travel between Gateway sites. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Gateway CSB promotes a drug/alcohol free work environment through the use of mandatory pre-employment drug testing.