Drug & Alcohol Counselor- License Preferred

Northern Tier Counseling Inc•Towanda, PA

15h•Onsite

About The Position

This is a professional counseling position that consists of various duties related to counseling individuals with a substance use disorder, documenting services provided, and documenting clients' progress in treatment. Work involves providing individual, group, and family counseling based on the client's needs, and monitoring and managing a caseload. The drug and alcohol counselor also assists in developing treatment plans and recovery plans with the client. The counselor also coordinates services with other entities in the community and monitors treatment progress. Work involves the preparation of treatment plans, monthly reports, reports to probation and parole officers, and referral letters. Supervision is received from a drug and alcohol treatment supervisor or manager through review and guidance on difficult cases, review of client case files before discharge, and through weekly discussions.

Requirements

A Master’s Degree or above from an accredited college with a major in chemical dependency, psychology, social work, counseling, nursing (with a clinical specialty in the human services) or other related field which includes a practicum in a health or human service agency, preferably in a drug and alcohol setting required or;
A Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college with a major in chemical dependency, psychology, social work, counseling, nursing (with a clinical specialty in the human services) or other related field and 1 year of clinical experience (a minimum of 1,820 hours) in a health or human service agency, preferably in a drug and alcohol setting or;
An Associate Degree from an accredited college with a major in chemical dependency, psychology, social work, counseling, nursing (with a clinical specialty in the human services) or other related field and 2 years of clinical experience (a minimum of 3,640 hours) in a health or human service agency, preferably in a drug and alcohol setting.
Knowledge of drug abuse subcultures.
Staff requirements for certification; HIV, STD, ethics, etc.
Knowledge of treatment facilities and human service agencies providing services to drug and alcohol dependent clients.
Knowledge of crisis intervention methods; individuals, family and group counseling techniques; and dependent clients.
Knowledge of the practice and procedures of the criminal justice system in dealing with drug and alcohol related offenders.
Ability to develop a therapeutic relationship with clients to gain cooperation and securing client information, acceptance of treatment plan and participation in counseling sessions.
Ability to read, interpret and explain policies and procedures to volunteers and trainees.
Ability to conduct individual, group and family counseling sessions.
Ability to read and interpret plans, court orders, reports from other treatment facilities, correspondence from clients and other human service agencies.
Ability to write and update treatment plans, discharge summaries, daily logs, monthly reports, form letters and correspondences relating to specific clients.
Ability to orally evaluate or summarize individual cases, present information at court hearings, counsel clients and provide drug and alcohol information to local groups.
Ability to secure appropriate transportation to facilities of site.

Nice To Haves

License Preferred

Responsibilities

Conduct assessments/biopsychosocial evaluations on each potential client to determine if treatment is recommended and if so, utilize the ASAM criteria to determine the appropriate level of care.
Develop individual treatment and recovery plans with each client on caseload.
Counsel, monitor, and manage an assigned caseload of drug and alcohol clients.
Facilitate group counseling sessions for up to 10 clients.
Present a summary of cases at staff meetings to elicit input from other counselors and to update staff on treatment progress.
Plan or conduct family counseling sessions.
Execute interventions, prevention, and referrals appropriate for the client's needs and facilitate referrals to other services such as aftercare, higher level of care, and other outside agency referrals.
Attend weekly staff meetings.
Participates in ongoing in-service training programs.
Stay current on training requirements each year.
Employee will be proficient in their job position within six (6) months. If an employee feels they need more training/education, they are to submit a request through their supervisor, manager, and/or director.
Utilize NTC’s Electronic Health Records (E.H.R.) during tenure of employment. Initial training and ongoing training will be provided to the employee by the respective supervisor or manager.
Additional duties may be added as necessary to meet the needs of the facility.
Other Functions and Duties as assigned.