Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC)

Job Description

Job Description

Position Summary

The Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) is responsible for providing integrated substance use treatment services to individuals enrolled in the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) program. The CSAC functions as a fully integrated member of the multidisciplinary ACT team and provides community-based assessment, counseling, crisis intervention, relapse prevention, psychoeducation, recovery support, and care coordination services to adults with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders.

Services are primarily delivered in the community and are designed to promote recovery, stability, independence, harm reduction, and improved quality of life while reducing psychiatric hospitalization, incarceration, homelessness, and substance use relapse.

The CSAC participates in daily ACT team meetings, treatment planning, crisis response, and collaborative service delivery in accordance with DBHDS, DMAS, ARTS, and ACT fidelity standards.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical Services

• Provide integrated co-occurring substance use treatment services to ACT clients in community settings including homes, shelters, hospitals, jails, workplaces, and other natural environments.
• Conduct substance use screenings, assessments, and ongoing evaluations.
• Provide individual counseling, group counseling, motivational interviewing, relapse prevention, psychoeducation, and recovery-oriented interventions.
• Assist clients in developing coping skills, recovery goals, and relapse prevention plans.
• Support medication adherence and recovery engagement in collaboration with nursing and medical staff.
• Provide harm reduction education and overdose prevention education when clinically appropriate.
• Monitor client progress toward treatment goals and update interventions as needed.
• Assist clients with developing healthy support systems and community connections.

ACT Team Collaboration

• Participate in daily ACT team meetings and multidisciplinary staffing.
• Coordinate care with psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, nurses, therapists, peers, vocational staff, hospitals, probation officers, social services, and community providers.
• Share responsibility for the ACT team caseload.
• Participate in rotating crisis response and on-call support as assigned.
• Assist with hospital admissions, discharges, and community reintegration efforts.
• Provide outreach and engagement services to clients who are difficult to engage or at risk of service disengagement.

Documentation & Compliance

• Complete all required documentation within established timeframes.
• Maintain accurate, timely, and audit-ready clinical records in the electronic health record system.
• Document services in accordance with DMAS, DBHDS, Medicaid, and agency requirements.
• Assist with treatment plan development, person-centered planning, and service authorization processes.
• Maintain confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2 regulations.
• Participate in internal audits, supervision, and quality improvement activities.

Community-Based Responsibilities

• Deliver the majority of services in community settings in alignment with ACT model expectations.
• Transport clients as needed in accordance with agency policies.
• Assist clients with accessing housing, employment, benefits, medical care, recovery resources, and community supports.
• Respond to crises and provide de-escalation support in the field.

Qualifications

Required:

• Current Virginia Certified Substance Abuse Counselor (CSAC) credential.
• Knowledge of substance use disorders, co-occurring disorders, recovery principles, and community behavioral health services.
• Experience working with adults with serious mental illness and/or substance use disorders.
• Valid driver’s license with acceptable driving record.
• Ability to work flexible hours as needed for community-based services and crisis response.
• Strong organizational, communication, and documentation skills.

Preferred:

• Experience in ACT, ARTS, MAT/OBAT, crisis services, or community mental health.
• Knowledge of motivational interviewing, harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and recovery-oriented systems of care.
• Experience with electronic health record systems.
• Bilingual abilities are a plus.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to travel throughout the community regularly.
• Ability to sit, stand, walk, bend, and lift up to 25 pounds as needed.
• Ability to safely operate a motor vehicle.

Work Environment

This position primarily operates in community-based settings and may involve exposure to unpredictable environments, behavioral health crises, substance use environments, and varying weather conditions.

Performance Expectations

• Maintain productivity and documentation requirements established by the ACT program.
• Demonstrate professionalism, teamwork, ethical conduct, and recovery-oriented care.
• Maintain compliance with agency policies, DBHDS regulations, DMAS requirements, and ACT fidelity standards.
• Promote client dignity, choice, autonomy, and person-centered treatment.

Benefits

Envision Health Inc offers competitive compensation, professional development opportunities, supportive team collaboration, and opportunities for career advancement within a growing behavioral health organization.