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Summary/Objective
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Under the general direction of the Director of Behavioral Health, the Substance Use Disorder / Addiction Therapist is responsible for providing, coordinating, and managing evidence-based addiction therapy, clinical support, and education to individuals, couples, families, and the broader community. The Therapist evaluates patient mental health and substance use needs, implements behavioral activation techniques, and designs comprehensive treatment plans to promote long-term recovery, health, and overall well-being..
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Essential Functions
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Clinical Assessment & Intake
- Patient Intakes: Conduct comprehensive behavioral health assessments and detailed intake histories.
- Standardized Testing: Administer objective instrumental scales to accurately determine a patient's clinical level of care and diagnostic needs.
Therapeutic Treatment & Intervention
- Evidence-Based Therapy: Deliver high-quality individual and group addiction therapy using proven clinical modalities.
- Behavioral Activation: Apply targeted behavioral activation and motivational techniques as an adjunct to regular treatment.
- Treatment Planning: Create individualized treatment plans featuring clear, concise, and highly measurable recovery goals.
- Progress Tracking: Continually monitor, track, and re-evaluate client progress, adapting the clinical approach to meet changing needs.
Crisis Management & High-Risk Care
- Crisis Intervention: Perform immediate crisis intervention techniques, including support sessions and risk de-escalation.
- Safety Planning: Co-create actionable safety plans with high-risk individuals and provide immediate emergency resources.
- High-Risk Navigation: Identify complex psychosocial barriers and refer patients to appropriate levels of care (e.g., detox, inpatient care).
Integrated Care Coordination & Consultation
- Multidisciplinary Collaboration: Partner closely with Primary Care Providers (PCPs), psychiatrists, and the broader clinical team to align medical and behavioral treatment plans.
- Algorithmic Recommendations: Monitor patients for symptom changes or medication side effects to provide evidence-based treatment adjustments under expert supervision.
- Provider Feedback: Deliver timely, actionable verbal and written clinical feedback to referring providers and collaborative partner agencies.
Administration, Compliance & Operations
- EHR Documentation: Record all therapeutic interventions, encounters, and phone calls/emails in the Electronic Health Record (EHR) in strict compliance with organization policies.
- Program Fidelity: Maintain total fidelity to the design and protocols of the program's written clinical plan.
- Intern Supervision: Provide clinical oversight, instruction, and daily guidance to assigned interns and students on-site.
- Professional Development: Actively participate in case staffing huddles and complete all mandatory agency trainings and monthly competencies.
The essential functions listed above are a summary of primary duties and are not intended to be an exhaustive list. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.
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Competencies
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- Planning and strategic foresight
- Responsible, ethical decision-making and sound judgment
- High integrity, professional ethics, and accountability
- Clinical innovation, adaptability, and flexibility
- Leadership, teamwork, and collaborative conflict resolution
- Strong professional work ethic and profound clinical empathy
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Work Environment
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Work is performed in an office environment. Involves frequent personal and telephone contact with patients, physicians, and other healthcare personnel. Work may be stressful at times. Interaction with others is constant and interruptive.
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Travel
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Travel outside of Northshore locations will be rare for this position.
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Role Qualifications
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- Shows respect and sensitivity for cultural differences, promotes a harassment-free work environment, and is capable of relating to people of diverse age, ethnic, racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
- Attend meetings, team huddles and training sessions as required.
- Excellent working knowledge of behavioral medicine and Evidence Based Protocol for medical and mental health conditions.
- Knowledge of patient confidentiality (HIPAA) guidelines
- Ability to work through brief patient contacts as well as to make quick and accurate clinical assessment of mental and behavioral conditions.
- Should be comfortable with pace of primary care, working with interdisciplinary team and have strong communication skills.
- Good knowledge of psychopathology and psychopharmacology.
- Ability to design and implement clinical pathways and protocols for treatment of selected chronic conditions.
- Flexibility to work evenings and cover shifts as needed
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Willing to adhere to additional training and monthly competencies through the agency
- Have acquired and continues to maintain all state licensures that are applicable to the role, including CEU’s, and/or specified training.
- Demonstrate professionalism through adherence to professional affiliation to the code of ethics (e.g., NASW, ACA, Etc.)
- Knowledge of community resources.
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Preferred Experience Requirements
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- Minimum of 2 years’ clinical experience in a relevant setting.
- Advanced Licensure: Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor (LCAC) preferred.
- Certifications: Current CPR / BLS Certification
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Minimum Education Requirements
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- Education: Master’s degree from an accredited institution in Addictions Counseling, Mental Health Counseling, Social Work, Psychology, or a closely related behavioral health field.
- Licensure: Valid and active Indiana State Licensure as an addictions counselor or social worker (e.g., LCAC, LAC, LSW, etc.). Must maintain licensure and complete all required Continuing Education Units (CEUs).
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Preferred Education Requirement
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- Master's degree in Addiction Counseling, Mental Health, or Social Work
- Current CPR Certification
Office of Inspector General:
- Ensures ability to bill through Medicaid and Medicare, and no history of fraud
National Practitioner Data Bank:
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Required Skills
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- Clinical Knowledge: Deep working knowledge of behavioral medicine, psychopathology, psychopharmacology, and Evidence-Based Protocols for co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
- Primary Care Integration: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced primary care environment, managing brief patient contacts and completing swift, highly accurate clinical assessments.
- Compliance & Ethics: Absolute adherence to professional codes of ethics (e.g., NASW, ACA, NAADAC) and strict compliance with HIPAA and patient confidentiality guidelines.
- Communication: Exceptional verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills; highly responsive to clinical feedback.
- Operational Skills: Strong problem-solving, time management, organizational skills, and emotional intelligence under stress. Proficient with Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Microsoft Office Suite.
- Cultural Competence: Demonstrated respect and sensitivity for cultural differences; ability to connect effectively with diverse age, ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic populations.
- Schedule Flexibility: Flexibility to work evening hours or adjust shifts as needed to support patient access.
- Strong attention to detail
- Receptive and responsive to feedback
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Time management, prioritization, and sense of urgency
- Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software
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Physical Requirements
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Work is primarily performed in an integrated clinical office setting. The role involves frequent, direct personal and telephonic contact with patients, families, physicians, and multidisciplinary healthcare personnel. The environment can be fast-paced, constant, and interruptive, requiring high resilience and stress management. Travel outside of primary assigned NorthShore locations is rare.
Physical Requirements:
• Prolonged periods of sitting and/or standing.
• Ability to work shifts exceeding 8 hours, including day, evening, or weekend rotations as scheduled.
• Manual dexterity required to operate standard office equipment and enter data into computers.
• Frequent reaching, bending, stooping, kneeling, crouching, talking, and hearing.
• Occasional lifting and/or moving of office materials up to 50 lbs.
• Close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.
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