Drug and Alcohol Abuse Counselor

Location: Mammoth Cave, Kentucky
Employment Type: Part-Time / Contract-Based
Anticipated Schedule: Approximately 24 hours per week, with Tuesday and Thursday as scheduled days off

Position Summary

LADGOV Corporation is seeking a qualified Drug and Alcohol Abuse Counselor to provide substance-use prevention, assessment, counseling, intervention, education, and recovery-support services to students in a residential education and vocational training environment.

The counselor will support students experiencing or at risk of alcohol, tobacco, and other substance-use concerns through structured assessments, individualized interventions, counseling, prevention programming, testing support, case coordination, and appropriate referrals. The position requires close collaboration with health and wellness personnel, mental health professionals, counselors, educators, residential staff, recreation personnel, and other authorized members of the student-support team.

Essential Responsibilities

• Conduct substance-use screenings, assessments, intake reviews, and other evaluations for students and applicants as required.
• Provide individual and group counseling focused on substance misuse, behavioral improvement, recovery support, relapse prevention, and healthy decision-making.
• Develop, implement, monitor, and update individualized intervention, counseling, and behavioral-support plans.
• Introduce students to appropriate recovery resources, self-help programs, and community-based treatment options.
• Monitor student progress and adjust intervention strategies based on documented needs, behavior, and treatment response.
• Coordinate services for students with co-occurring substance-use and mental-health concerns in collaboration with appropriate clinical personnel.
• Work with counselors, healthcare staff, instructors, residential personnel, and other departments to support coordinated student intervention and retention.
• Assist with behavioral agreements, intervention planning, and student-support strategies that reinforce successful participation in education, vocational training, and residential life.
• Provide appropriate referrals for specialized or long-term treatment when student needs exceed available on-site services.
• Conduct or support drug and alcohol testing activities in accordance with established procedures and proper chain-of-custody requirements.
• Maintain testing supplies, equipment, and related documentation in an organized and secure manner.
• Maintain accurate, timely, confidential, and professionally appropriate student counseling and health records.
• Document assessments, counseling encounters, interventions, referrals, follow-up activities, and other required student interactions.
• Prepare required periodic reports and provide timely information to authorized Center leadership.
• Support tobacco-use prevention, substance-free lifestyle initiatives, and broader health and wellness programming.
• Develop and participate in prevention, awareness, and educational activities related to substance misuse and healthy lifestyle choices.
• Collaborate with recreation and other departments to encourage constructive, substance-free activities and positive student engagement.
• Participate in case conferences, staff meetings, required trainings, webinars, and professional-development activities during scheduled service hours.
• Recognize crisis situations and coordinate immediate escalation to medical, mental-health, emergency, or other appropriate resources when necessary.
• Report significant behavioral, safety, or student-welfare concerns through established supervisory and clinical channels.
• Maintain strict confidentiality of student health, counseling, and personally identifiable information.
• Perform all services in accordance with professional ethics, applicable Kentucky requirements, Job Corps policies, and organizational procedures.

Minimum Qualifications

• Must possess an active, unrestricted substance-abuse counseling license or certification that satisfies applicable Kentucky requirements for the services to be performed.
• Must meet all applicable education, training, and professional qualification requirements associated with the required substance-abuse counseling credential.
• Must maintain all required professional licenses, certifications, credentials, accreditations, and insurance throughout the period of performance.
• Demonstrated knowledge of substance-use assessment, prevention, counseling, intervention, recovery support, case management, and referral practices.
• Knowledge of alcohol and drug testing procedures, documentation, and chain-of-custody requirements.
• Ability to conduct individual counseling, group counseling, structured interventions, and educational presentations.
• Ability to work effectively with adolescents and young adults, including individuals experiencing behavioral, social, emotional, educational, or substance-related challenges.
• Ability to recognize co-occurring mental-health and substance-use concerns and coordinate appropriately with other clinical professionals.
• Strong interpersonal, organizational, case-management, communication, and documentation skills.
• Ability to maintain accurate and confidential clinical and administrative records.
• Ability to work independently while functioning effectively as part of a multidisciplinary healthcare and student-support team.
• Ability to comply with privacy, confidentiality, infection-control, safety, and security requirements.
• Ability to successfully complete required criminal background screening and drug testing, when required.

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