Residential Substance Abuse Counselor

Position Purpose:

Under general supervision, the Residential Substance Abuse Counselor provides education and counseling on chemical dependency, co-occurring disorders and relapse prevention to patients and their families. Responsible for matching individuals with clinically indicated treatment deemed appropriate at the time of the initial assessment and ongoing assessments thereafter. Collaborates regarding treatment with community psychiatrist, therapist or official health care providers to provide a holistic treatment approach.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Customer relations: actively provide high quality services of which meet the needs of the clients, families, referral sources, and third-party payers.
2. Case management, triage, and referral: actively participate in intake assessments, intervention services, and post-discharge follow-up on clients seeking treatment at Haven House. Ensure that all client information is thoroughly obtained, assessments are completed to standards, and referral needs are met prior to the termination of client contact. Establish and maintain regular contact with referring groups, individuals, and agencies both internal and external to Haven House. Conduct clinical referrals and provide triage to appropriate program resources.
3. Provision of Clinical Care: participate in treatment planning with other members of the treatment team, serve as group leader/co-leader for education and therapy groups, and serve as primary counselor to clients--providing case management services from the time of admission through program completion, transfer, or discharge.
4. Documentation/Reporting: complete written and electronic documentation of initial client assessments, ongoing treatment plans, and progress notes, detailing the client’s overall progress in the program from time of admission to time of discharge. Maintain full compliance with the program standards at all times. Report pertinent observations regarding client’s and client care to the Clinical Director/treatment team.
5. Participation in Improving Program Effectiveness and Efficiency: participate in the evaluation of program effectiveness and efficiency, and actively work to ensure continuous improvements in the quality of service.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Maintain full working knowledge of chemical dependency, psychiatric diagnoses and treatment, crisis intervention methods and counseling techniques--typically acquired through a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Counseling, Social Work, or other related areas.
• Maintain full working knowledge of community resources, orientation to chemically dependent/dual diagnosis clients, planning and organization skills sufficient to resolve placement and liaison concerns--normally acquired through six months of work-related experience.
• Must possess interpersonal skills sufficient to communicate effectively when providing therapy and instruction, and serve as a liaison role for clients, families, staff, and a wide variety of professionals of whom perform case management and triage functions.
• Must possess analytical skills sufficient to concentrate and pay close attention to detail when conducting assessments and therapy sessions.
• Must be prepared to perform case management and triage tasks, as well as, make recommendations to clients and provide crisis intervention services when needed.
• The work required incorporates standing and walking between group rooms and various office locations, for approximately 10% of work time.
• Must withhold the ability to apply techniques for effective public presentations and community education.
• Must withhold the ability to establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with clients and their families.
• Must withhold the ability to exercise good judgment during client interactions, and analyze situations and problems as they arise ethically and professionally.

License/Certification:

• CSC-AD, ADT or CAC-AD certification in the State of Maryland (Required)