Substance Use Counselor
Alpharus Health•Cochran, GA
•$19 - $25•Onsite
About The Position
Alpharus Health is a national nonprofit behavioral health provider offering substance use and mental health treatment. The Substance Use Counselor works at Bleckley PSATC, a correctional facility in Cochran, Georgia, providing counseling and treatment support to clients with substance use disorders. The position is on-call, with day-shift availability Monday through Thursday. Counselors carry a caseload of up to 25 clients and help develop individualized treatment plans, provide counseling and education, coordinate crisis and continuing-care services, and maintain compliant treatment records. The role also includes office administrative duties.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in a helping profession from an accredited college or university.
- Obtain a certification identified by the state within 24 months of the first date counseling services are provided. Acceptable certifications include GACA Certified Addiction Counselor, NAADAC Certified Addiction Counselor, ICRC Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor, or Certified Clinical Supervisor (CCS). Acceptable licenses include LPC, LAPC, LCSW, LMFT, or CPCS.
- Be able to obtain Georgia Department of Corrections clearance to work in a correctional institution.
- Ability to walk and move about the facility for up to two hours at a time to monitor and interact with clients.
- Ability to exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects.
- Ability to use a keyboard and video display terminal to receive, retrieve, and/or audit information and data.
- Ability to record, proofread, and check documents and files for accuracy.
- Ability to respond to telephones and hear and detect alarms and unusual noises.
Nice To Haves
- Previous counseling experience is preferred.
- Experience in substance use disorder or mental health treatment is preferred.
Responsibilities
- Conduct client interviews and assessments to review substance use disorder and treatment history.
- Evaluate client responses to treatment and recommend treatment-plan modifications; assist with caseloads and develop individualized treatment plans, goals, interventions, and support.
- Assist with and provide didactic group counseling, including psychoeducation, drug education, and family education, to support peer support.
- Provide individual counseling, educational programs, and lectures on topics including relapse prevention, problem solving, behavior modification, and anger management; support recovery, adjustment to pro-social life, and cognitive and behavioral changes.
- Carry a caseload of up to 25 clients in accordance with state and contract requirements.
- Collaborate with clients on discharge summaries, continuing-care plans, and relapse-prevention plans for supervisor approval, integrating aftercare with referral resources.
- Coordinate required services to resolve emergency problems in crisis situations and support continued recovery.
- Collect and maintain treatment records and reports to meet organizational, regulatory, accreditation, and contractual requirements.
- Perform office administrative duties, including answering telephones, relaying messages, responding to questions about program services and policies, filing, photocopying, faxing, planning special events, and assembling intake packets.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents.
- Employee wellness program promoting health and fitness and offering cash-saving premiums.
- Employee assistance programs focused on mental health.
- 403(b) retirement plan with 3% employer match.
- Short-term and long-term disability insurance and life and AD&D insurance paid for by Alpharus.
- Flexible Spending Accounts for medical and dependent care.
- Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).
- 18 paid time-off days per year, with accrual rates increasing with years of service.
- 9 paid company holidays.
- Training and development programs.
- Tuition reimbursement up to $5,250 per calendar year.
- eLearning access to online courses offering CEUs and job-related training.
- Formal and informal clinical supervision.
- Annual performance reviews, with merit-increase eligibility determined by employee performance and organizational financial performance.
