SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNSELOR / EMERGENCY APPOINTMENTS HOMELESSNESS

Salary : $48,783.24 - $65,591.04 Annually
Location : Los Angeles County, CA
Job Type: Full time
Job Number: b5884J-EA
Department: MENTAL HEALTH
Opening Date: 04/05/2024


Position/Program Information
TYPE OF RECRUITMENT:

OPEN COMPETITIVE - EMERGENCY
FILING DATES:

First Day of Filing: April 9, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. (Pacific Time)

This examination will remain open until the needs of the service are met and is subject to closure without prior notice
EXAM NUMBER:

b5884J-EA
This announcement is a re-bulletin to reopen the filing period.
The LA County Board of Supervisors recently declared a local state of emergency for homelessness, and the County is working to revise and expand our response to help all who are affected. We are looking for qualified and passionate individuals to help us in the mission of addressing issues like housing, mental health, and substance use. If you are looking for a new career that will directly benefit the population of LA County, this may be the opportunity for you.


The Department of Mental Health is seeking qualified candidates to fill emergency Substance Abuse Counselor vacancies related to the homelessness crisis.

Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.
Before the end of your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance. This assessment will be weighted 100%.
Those who successfully pass the assessment will be considered for permanent appointment to Substance Abuse Counselor.

Essential Job Functions


Conducts interviews of clients/patients and/or their family membersto obtain family, social, medical, work,and mental health histories.
Participates with the treatment team in developing, implementing , and evaluating treatment or therapy approaches for patients/clients, familymembers, and significant others in all phases of comprehensive substance abuse and/or mental health treatmentprograms.

Counsels patients/clients to prevent relapses by assisting them in recognizing causalfactors of substance abuse/mental illness and in developing appropriate coping behaviors.

Counsels patients/clients regarding communityresources or treatmentservices available to help prevent or cope withrelapses

Assists senior - level counselors in complex areas of social and psychological adjustment counseling.

Maintains a close system of follow-up for previously discharged persons by means of personal visits, telephone calls,and other means of communication;completes records on follow-up activities.

Participates in educational activities in formal academic settings and in treatment or rehabilitation centers to improve knowledge of substance abuse and mental healthrelated areas.

Develops and promotes interest in the substance abuse and/or mental healthfields by speaking before community groups or coordinating speakers or resource persons.

Monitors and documents client/patientprogress in substance abuse/mental health recovery.


Assists in the supervision of aids or trainees and in the recruitment, selection, and training of such program staff members, as needed.

Assist with on-call duties, as needed.

Requirements

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

One year ofexperience in a substance abuse program with experience providing physical assessment of patients, counseling of individuals, families and groups, and documentation.
-OR-


One year oftraining at the level of Substance Abuse Counselor Aid* in a substance abuse counselor training program.

-OR-

Completion of 60 semester units or equivalent quarter units in an accredited college or university with specialization in substance abuse counseling, social work, psychology, sociology, or human services.
You MUST meet one of the above requirement(s) within three (3) months of filing in order to be appointed to fill any vacancies related to this recruitment.

*Substance Abuse Counselor Aid is defined as participates as a trainee in a substance abuse or mental health services program designed for the prevention of substance abuse and the treatment of rehabilitation patients and mental health clients with substance abuse problems.

Candidates may file for this examination if they are within three months of meeting the experience requirements by the last day of filing. However, the names of such candidates will be withheld until the required experience is fully met.


LICENSE:
A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.

PHYSICAL CLASS: Physical Class II - Light: This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10 pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.


SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS INFORMATION:
* ACCREDITATION: Accredited institutions are those listed in the publications of regional, national or international accrediting agencies which are accepted by the Department of Human Resources. Publications such as American Universities and Colleges and International Handbook of Universities are acceptable references. Also acceptable, if appropriate, are degrees that have been evaluated and deemed to be equivalent to degrees from United States accredited institutions by an academic credential evaluation agency recognized by The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE).

Transcript: *In order to receive credit for any college or university course, or any type of college or university degree, such as Bachelor's or higher, you must include a legible copy of the official diploma or official transcripts from the accredited institution which shows the area of specialization with your application at the time of filing or within 15 calendar days of filing.


Official Transcript is defined as a transcript that bears the college seal and states "official and/or copy" issued by the school's Registrar Office. A printout of the transcript from the school's website is NOT considered official and; therefore, will NOT be accepted and may result in your application being incomplete or rejected.
Additional Information

EXAMINATION CONTENT :
Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.
Before the end of your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance. This assessment will be weighted 100%. Those who successfully pass the assessment will be considered for permanent appointment.
APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATION
Applicants are required to complete and submit an online Los Angeles County Employment Application AND Supplemental Questionnaire in order to be considered for this examination. Paper applications, resumes, or any unsolicited documents will not be accepted in lieu of completing the online application and Supplemental Questionnaire. We must receive your application before 5:00 pm, PT, on the last day of filing. Application filing may be suspended at any time without advance notice.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILING ONLINE

Applications must be filed online only.

Many important notifications will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application, so it is important that you provide a valid email address. Please add View email address on click.appcast.io as well as View email address on click.appcast.io and View email address on click.appcast.io to your email address and list of approved senders to prevent email notification from being filtered as span/junk/clutter mail.
You have the ability to opt out of emails from LA County. If you unsubscribe, you will not receive any email notification for any examination for which you apply with Los Angeles County. Regardless of whether you choose to unsubscribe, you can always check for notifications by logging into governmentjobs.com and viewing your profile inbox, which saves a copy of all emailed notices.

Plan to submit your online application well in advance before the deadline as you may be required to verify your email address. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on govermmentjobs.com/careers/lacounty,gov you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Prime Variance Reports (PVRs), also known as Master Time Records, are not accepted, or required as part of the application process; this includes the selection interview and the background-check.
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER LANGUAGE
Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT LIBRARIES
For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.
FAIR CHANCE EMPLOYER
The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except for a very limited number of positions, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a contingent offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.

NO SHARING USER ID AND PASSWORD
All applicants must file their applications online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

DEPARTMENT CONTACT:
HR Examinations Unit: View phone number on click.appcast.io
HR Examinations Unit Email: View email address on click.appcast.io
Analyst Contact Phone: Nicholas Jordan, View phone number on click.appcast.io
Analyst Contact Email: View email address on click.appcast.io

ADA COORDINATOR PHONE: View phone number on click.appcast.io
TELETYPE PHONE : View phone number on click.appcast.io
CALIFORNIA RELAY SERVICES PHONES: View phone number on click.appcast.io


COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES

Employment Information

Any language contained in the job posting supersedes any language contained below.

This document is intended to provide general information about the recruitment process of the County of Los Angeles. Applicants with questions about a specific job posting should contact the exam analyst listed on the posting.

Equal Employment Opportunity/Non-Discrimination Statement:
The County of Los Angeles is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and is committed to non-discrimination in the County workforce, regardless of age (40 and over); ancestry; color; ethnicity; religious creed; protected family or medical leave status; disability; marital status; medical condition; genetic information; military and veteran status; national origin; race ; sex; gender; sexual orientation; or any other characteristic protected by State or federal law. For more information, please visit:
Testing Accommodations for Applicants:
The County of Los Angeles complies with all federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application process, please contact the testing accommodation coordinator listed on the job posting. Hearing impaired applicants with telephone teletype equipment may leave messages by calling the teletype phone number on the job posting. For more information on accommodations, please visit:
Fair Chance:
The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except as otherwise permissible under applicable laws, you will not be asked to provide information about conviction history unless you receive a conditional offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct and adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and will also consider potential mitigating factors, which may include, but is not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with County Fair Chance Policies and the Fair Chance Act (Gov. Code Section 12952).
Employment Eligibility:
Final appointment is contingent upon verification of U.S. citizenship or the right to work in the United States.
Career PathFinder:
Resources to help current and prospective employees plan a career with Los Angeles County are available. To explore career paths to and from nearly all job titles, please visit our interactive Career PathFinder application at
Veteran's Credit:
Pursuant to the County Charter and County policy, in all open competitive examinations (i.e., examinations open to everyone), the County of Los Angeles will add a credit of 10 percent of the total credits specified for such examination to the final passing score of an honorably discharged veteran, as well as the spouse of a deceased or disabled veteran, who served in the Armed Forces of the United States under specific conditions.
For more information on veteran's credit, please visit:
Revised September 2025
For detailed information, please click
01


The information you provide on this supplemental questionnaire will be evaluated and used to determine your eligibility to participate in the next phase of the examination process. Please be as specific as possible and include all information as requested. Comments such as "see resume or application" will not be considered as a response. Please note that all information is subject to verification at any time in the examination and hiring process. Falsification of any information may result in disqualification or dismissal.

• YES, I UNDERSTAND THE ABOVE INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS.

02


Many important notifications will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application. It is important that you provide a valid email address. Please add View email address on click.appcast.io to your email address and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail.Applicants have the ability to opt out of emails from LA County. If you unsubscribe, you will not receive any email notification for any examination for which you apply with Los Angeles County.Regardless of whether you choose to unsubscribe, you can always check for notifications by logging into governmentjobs.com and viewing your profile inbox, which saves a copy of all emailed notices.It is your responsibility to take the above steps to view correspondence. Los Angeles County will not consider claims of not viewing or receiving notification to be a valid reason for late test administration or rescheduling of a test component.I UNDERSTAND THE ABOVE INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTIONS.

• Yes

03


This position works directly with individuals experiencing homelessness.

• I understand and am willing to perform all necessary work duties.

04


Do you have one year of experience in a substance abuse program with experience providing physical assessment of patients, counseling of individuals, families and groups, and documentation -OR- One year of training at the level of Substance Abuse Counselor Aid* in a substance abuse counselor training program -OR- Completion of 60 semester units or equivalent quarter units in an accredited college or university with specialization in substance abuse counseling, social work, psychology, sociology, or human services?
Transcript: *In order to receive credit for any college or university course, or any type of college or university degree, such as Bachelor's or higher, you must include a legible copy of the official diploma or official transcripts from the accredited institution which shows the area of specialization with your application at the time of filing or within 15 calendar days of filing.


Official Transcript is defined as a transcript that bears the college seal and states "official and/or copy" issued by the school's Registrar Office. A printout of the transcript from the school's website is NOT considered official and; therefore, will NOT be accepted and may result in your application being incomplete or rejected.

• YES
• NO

05


Will you have one year of experience in a substance abuse program with experience providing physical assessment of patients, counseling of individuals, families and groups, and documentation -OR- one year of training at the level of Substance Abuse Counselor Aid* in a substance abuse counselor training program -OR- complete 60 semester units or equivalent quarter units in an accredited college or university with specialization in substance abuse counseling, social work, psychology, sociology, or human services within 3 months?

• Yes
• No

06


If you selected yes to the previous question, please indicate which Minimum Requirement you will meet within three (3) months.

• One year of experience in a substance abuse program with experience providing physical assessment of patients, counseling of individuals, families and groups, and documentation.
• One year of training at the level of Substance Abuse Counselor Aid* in a substance abuse counselor training program.
• Completion of 60 semester units or equivalent quarter units in an accredited college or university with specialization in substance abuse counseling, social work, psychology, sociology, or human service.
• N/A

07


Please describe your experience in a substance abuse program with experience providing physical assessment of patients, counseling of individuals, families and groups, and documentation.
Please be as specific as possible when answering by including all the information requested; please do not COPY AND PASTE all your Duties as stated in the application under the Work Experience section, from your resume, and/or from the Class Specifications. In doing so, your application will be rejected as INCOMPLETE. It is the applicant's sole responsibility to complete this questionnaire completely, correctly, and accurately. The experience you claim in this Supplemental Questionnaire MUST be consistent with the experience listed in your application. Please do not use "see resume and application", this is not an acceptable response and credit will not be given.

EMPLOYER/COUNTY DEPARTMENT UNIT

PAYROLL TITLE

COMPLETE DATES OF CLAIMED EXPERIENCE (BEGINNING/ENDING)

NUMBER OF HOURS WORKED PER WEEK

NAME AND CONTACT NUMBER(S) OF DIRECT SUPERVISOR(S)

DETAILED EXPERIENCE If you do not have any experience, please write "NO EXPERIENCE"


08


Do you have an active and unrestricted certification as a substance abuse counselor by one of the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) accreditation organizations recognized by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)?

• Yes
• No

09


If you answered yes to the previous question, please select the certification you have.Note: Please attach a legible copy of your certificate to your application at the time of filing. If you are unable to attach your certificate, please email your certificate to View email address on click.appcast.io within seven (7) calendar days from application submission.

• California Association for Alcohol and Drug Educators (CAADE)
• California Association of DUI Treatment Programs (CADTP)
• California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP)
• N/A

10


Are you proficient in American Sign Language (ASL)?

• Yes
• No

11


Do you have a County American Sign Language (ASL) certification?Note: Please attach a legible copy of your certificate to your application at the time of filing. If you are unable to attach your certificate, please email your certificate to View email address on click.appcast.io within seven (7) calendar days from application submission.

• Yes, I have attached a County American Sign Language certification to my online application.
• Yes, I will email County American Sign Language certification to View email address on click.appcast.io within (7) calendar days from application submission.
• No, I do not have a County American Sign Language certification.

12


Do you have American Sign Language (ASL) certification?Note: Please attach a legible copy of your certificate to your application at the time of filing. If you are unable to attach your certificate, please email your certificate to View email address on click.appcast.io within seven (7) calendar days from application submission.

• Yes, I have attached ASL certification to my online application.
• Yes, I will email ASL certification to View email address on click.appcast.io within (7) calendar days from application submission.
• No, I do not have ASL certification.

Required Question