Substance Use Specialist

Center for Alternative • New York, NY

12d • $63,654 • Hybrid

About The Position

CASES is seeking an experienced Substance Use Specialist to join our Pretrial Services team within the Supervised Release Program. In this role, the Substance Use Specialist will be a key partner in delivering direct services to participants with substance use disorders and involvement in the criminal legal system. The Substance Use Specialist will provide psychoeducation and support for clients’ substance use treatment needs, including coordinating detox or rehab referrals, assessing clients’ current substance use and stages of change, and advocating with service providers to ensure clients receive appropriate treatment supports.

CASES’ Supervised Release Program (SRP) annually diverts 7,500 people otherwise facing pretrial detention at Rikers Island to community-based supervision and support services. Program participants include youth and young adults, people with substance use disorders and mental illnesses, and individuals who are homeless.  SRP participants have not been found guilty of a crime and are not mandated to engage in treatment or other services. This requires staff to tactfully deliver approaches to help participants tap into their intrinsic motivation to leverage their strengths and skills for meaningful life improvements while fulfilling all court requirements.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Human Services, Psychology, or relevant field
• Active CASAC
• At least 2 years of experience providing substance use services to individuals, families, or groups managing challenges in Behavioral Health and the Criminal Legal System
• Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence
• Ability to work effectively within a diverse team environment
• Individuals with lived experience are encouraged to apply
• Co-create curriculum and facilitate groups as needed

Nice To Haves

• Fluency in Spanish

Responsibilities

• Provide direct services to a limited, specialized caseload of pretrial participants managing challenges in Substance Use and Behavioral Health
• Participate in regularly occurring team meetings and case conferences to ensure seamless coordination among staff, wide dissemination of participant information and rapid responses to urgent substance use
• Support and encourage efforts to incorporate a Harm Reduction framework to interactions with participants that avoids stigmatization, shaming and negative perceptions related to substance use
• Serve as the point person for Narcan kit distribution and Substance Use resources and referrals
• On an ongoing basis, conduct service need assessments with participants to examine psychosocial needs and problems, including the severity of mental and substance use disorders, problems affecting participation, engagement, and continuity in supervision and treatment and individual motivation for treatment
• Conduct review of legal and court screening documentation to facilitate admission and ongoing needs assessment of criminal history, psychosocial, developmental, and behavioral health needs, supervision risks to identify engagement approach, focus for behavioral change, and needed supports to reduce re-arrest, and promote success in the community following program completion
• Primarily link participants to critical resources that support their recovery and mitigate the potentially harmful impacts of the ongoing use of substances
• Utilize problem solving and motivational interviewing to help motivate and engage participants in the change process, ensuring the supervision and case management approach is culturally competent, gender-responsive, trauma-informed, and adheres to evidence-based risk-need-responsivity principles
• Provide culturally competent and anti-racist services 1) in accordance with CASES’ policies and the delivery of quality services to address the needs of youth and young adults, adults, and individuals with behavioral health needs and 2) that are responsive to the race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and criminal legal history of program participants
• Ensure timely, complete, and accurate documentation in the case record database including assessments, supervision schedules and progress notes in accordance with confidentiality regulations
• Participate in clinical supervision, case review, staff meetings, and in-service training to develop clinical, motivational interviewing, trauma-informed, supervision, case management, and self-care competency
• Strive to meet monthly supervision, case coordination, and outcomes goals

Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Vacation and Paid Time Off – starting at 25 days
• 12 Paid Holidays per year
• Retirement 403(b) Competitive matching up to 6%
• Employee Referral Program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level