Substance Abuse Specialist

The Saratoga ACT team (Assertive Community Treatment team) is a multidisciplinary team including clinicians, nurses, prescriber(s), and case managers. The ACT team provides intensive, community-based mental health support to people with severe and persistent mental illness. Services are delivered in the person’s home or community, available 24/7, and focus on helping individuals stay stable, avoid hospitalization, and build skills for independent living.

The Substance Abuse Specialist is a professional member of the multidisciplinary Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team responsible for providing integrated, community-based substance use assessment, treatment, and recovery support to individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. This role emphasizes harm reduction, motivational interventions, and individualized strategies to promote stability, reduce substance-related harm, and support recovery in collaboration with the full ACT team.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Conduct comprehensive substance use assessments, including history, patterns, stages of change, and risk factors.
• Provide individual and group counseling using evidence-based approaches such as Motivational Interviewing, CBT for substance use, harm-reduction strategies, and relapse-prevention planning.
• Develop and implement individualized treatment plans in coordination with the ACT team, ensuring integration of mental health and substance use goals.
• Deliver services primarily in the community—homes, shelters, hospitals, and other natural environments—to support engagement and accessibility.
• Participate in daily team meetings to review client status, identify risks, adjust interventions, and coordinate care.
• Provide education on substance use, overdose prevention, safe use strategies, and the interaction between substances and psychiatric medications.
• Coordinate linkage to detoxification, rehabilitation, outpatient treatment, MAT (Medication-Assisted Treatment), and peer recovery services as appropriate.
• Support crisis intervention and collaborate with team members during acute psychiatric or substance-related emergencies.
• Maintain timely, accurate documentation compliant with Medicaid, regulatory, and agency standards.
• Track client progress, monitor risk, and adjust treatment strategies based on ongoing assessment.
• Provide training and consultation to the ACT team on co-occurring disorders, substance use trends, and harm-reduction practices.
• Maintain professional boundaries, confidentiality, and trauma-informed practice throughout service delivery.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in social work, psychology, counseling, human services, or related field required (depending on state ACT regulations).
• CASAC, CASAC-T, or CASAC-Advanced strongly preferred; other relevant licensure (LMSW, LMHC, etc.) an additional plus.
• NYS Driver's License
• Experience providing substance use treatment, harm-reduction services, or co-occurring disorder interventions required or strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of addiction, recovery models, and evidence-based substance use treatment approaches.
• Experience working with individuals with severe mental illness preferred.
• Strong engagement, motivational, and crisis-intervention skills, especially in community-based settings.
• Ability to work collaboratively on a multidisciplinary team.
• Commitment to harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and strengths-based, recovery-oriented practice.

Work Environment:
This position requires frequent community-based outreach and engagement, comfort providing services in nontraditional environments, and the ability to support individuals with complex clinical and social needs.

#HP123

Pay: $25.48 - $27.88 per hour

Expected hours: 40.0 per week

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 403(b)
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person

Salary : $25 - $28