Bilingual Alcohol and Other Drug Services Counselor I (English/Spanish) - Extra-Help

Position Information

Make a positive difference in our community as a Bilingual Alcohol and Other Drug Services Counselor I (English/Spanish) with the County of Sonoma!

Starting salary up to $48.35/hr and an additional $1.50 per hour for fluent bilingual positions*!
Note: California Health and Safety Code Section 11833(b)(1) requires that any individual who provides counseling services in a licensed or certified Alcohol and Other Drug Services (AODS) program, except for licensed professionals (see Minimum Qualifications below)*, must be registered or certified with an organization approved by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). Individuals must be currently registered, certified, or licensed to be eligible for employment.

For more information on registration and a list of approved certification agencies recognized by the DHCS, please visit DHCS's website: Counselor Certification Organizations.

The Department of Health Services is currently recruiting to fill one extra-help fluent bilingual (English/Spanish) Alcohol and Other Drug Services (AODS) Counselor position at either the I or II levels. If you are interested in being considered at the II level of this opportunity, you must apply to the separate concurrent recruitments being conducted for that level.

About the Position

The Department of Health Services' Treatment Alternatives for a Safer Community (TASC) Program is hiring an extra-help, fluent-bilingual Alcohol and Other Drug Services Counselor I (English/Spanish) to join its team. TASC is a case management program that allows individuals in custody with a substance use disorder the opportunity to participate in treatment, in place of jail time. The program provides the initial assessment in custody and then makes a recommendation to the court. If the individual is sentenced to TASC, they are released to their assigned case manager for transportation to the recommended treatment program. This position will be:

• Providing initial assessments to clients, using the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) screening tool
• Making recommendations to the court on whether the client should be sentenced to TASC
• Transporting clients to their recommended treatment program
• Provide supportive services throughout their sentence, as well as aftercare services for 6 months
• Work in collaboration with the Sonoma County Superior Court, the Public Defender's Office, and Adult Probation to ensure proper order of care
• Interviewing clients who are enrolled in TASC face-to-face, in English and Spanish, to ensure all documentation and requirements are fully explained to the clients
• Ensuring clients have full compliance with our program policies and procedures
• Monitoring clients and their progress throughout their time sentenced to TASC, having individual counseling sessions as needed

As the ideal candidate for this position, you will have some experience working with courts, public defenders, or adult probation teams, have strong and professional communication skills, and possess many of the following:

• A general understanding or applied knowledge of State and/or Federal laws and regulations
• Experience with Electronic Health Records (EHR)
• Demonstrated experience staying informed about current trends and treatment methodologies for addiction counseling
• The ability to maintain accurate and organized client information, utilizing data entry for client records and treatment plans
• The ability to shift gears quickly to ensure beneficial counseling sessions that address the clients' evolving needs
• Involvement in the community, and experience with public speaking or presentations
• A passion for the field of addiction treatment, with empathy and understanding being forefront
• Cultural competence, to communicate well with all clients in our community
• Active listening skills and problem-solving skills

Learn more about what the County of Sonoma is doing in the Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention spaces:

• The Opioid Epidemic SOCO Chat Podcast Episode
• Opioid Settlement Fund Uses
• County of Sonoma Community Health Dashboard

Interview and Referral Process

To be considered for the first round of interviews, applicants must submit their completed application by March 25 , 2026 .

If invited to an interview, please note that first-round interviews will be conducted in person on April 3, 2026 .

Weekly referrals will continue on Thursdays following the initial deadline.

Extra-Help Employment

Extra-help employees relieve or augment permanent staff. Temporary, extra-help employees are not in the classified civil service and do not have property rights to permanently allocated positions. In addition, they do not receive most employee benefits such as long-term disability insurance coverage, accrual of vacation, participation in the County retirement program, or eligibility to take promotional examinations. Temporary, extra-help employees are limited in their employment to a maximum of one calendar year. These employees must be off of work for three months before they can be re-employed on an extra-help basis. Extra-help employees who meet the eligibility requirements may qualify for a County contribution toward medical coverage.

Bilingual positions require English and Spanish skills at the fluent (reading, writing, and conversational) level. Applicants who wish to be considered for a bilingual position must indicate their level of skill in the required supplemental questionnaire. An examination will be conducted prior to employment in a bilingual position to confirm the level of skill in this area. Bilingual premium pay is $1.50/hour for fluent skill sets.

The Department of Health Services is currently recruiting to fill a fluent bilingual, temporary, extra-help Alcohol and Other Drug Services Counselor position at either the I or II levels. This Alcohol and Other Drug Services Counselor I employment list may also be used to fill future extra-help positions as they occur during the active status of the list.

*Salary is negotiable within the established range.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience and Education: Any combination of training and experience that would provide the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. A typical way to obtain the required knowledge and abilities would be either:

One year of experience with responsibilities involving alcohol and drug treatment and education programs and academic coursework in sociology, psychology, alcohol and other drug services and other closely related fields.

OR

Some experience with responsibilities involving alcohol and other drug treatment and education programs and possession of a bachelor's degree in sociology, psychology, alcohol and other services drug treatment or other closely related fields.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including necessary special endorsements, as required by the State of California to perform the essential job functions of the position.

The position advertised on this announcement requires possession of a valid California Driver's License.

Special Qualification: All employees of this class must register, obtain, and maintain a Counselor Certification as defined by the California Code of Regulations, Chapter 8: Certification of Alcohol and Other Drug Counselors. Upon appointment to this class, employees will have six months to register and five years to obtain Certification from an ADP approved certifying organization whose curriculum includes a minimum of 240 hours of formal classroom training. Human Resources will waive the Counselor Certification requirement for licensed professionals (or registered interns) who successfully pass a written examination similar to that administered for Certification. This examination will be administered by the Sonoma County Human Resources Department, and will be designed to measure those areas included in the curriculum required for certification.

Due to regulatory changes, California Health and Safety Code Section 11833(b)(1) requires that any individual who provides counseling services in a licensed or certified AODS program, except for licensed professionals*, must be registered or certified with an organization approved by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). Individuals must be licensed, registered, or certified to be eligible for employment.

A list of approved certification agencies recognized by the DHCS may be found at the following site:

* Licensed professionals include a physician licensed by the Medical Board of California; or a psychologist licensed by the Board of Psychology; or a clinical social worker or marriage and family therapist licensed by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, or an intern registered with the California Board of Psychology or the California Board of Behavioral Sciences .

Additional Special Qualification: Some positions may require the ability to fluently speak and write a language other than English.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Working knowledge of: the needs, problems, attitudes and behavior problems of the alcohol and drug abusing person; basic principles of individual and group behavior; socio-economic, environmental, and cultural factors affecting the behavior of alcohol and drug abusing persons; principles and techniques of group, family and individual counseling; laws, rules, regulations and department policies related to client confidentiality; counseling techniques related to the treatment of alcohol and other drug abusing clients; services and resources provided through other governmental agencies and community-based organizations.

Knowledge of: County program policies and procedures; court procedures and etiquette; County, State and Federal laws governing public alcohol and other drug abuse programs.

Ability to: understand and apply County alcohol and other drug program policies and procedures; provide consultative services in complex situations involving behavioral and physiological conditions of the alcohol/drug client; evaluate the behavioral and physiological conditions of the alcohol/drug client; coordinate the delivery of alcohol and other drug abuse services; analyze situation accurately and adopt an effective course of action; recognize problems which call for the use of public and private community resources; effectively listen, mediate and resolve complaints; read, interpret, apply, and explain complex regulations and reports; communicate effectively with persons from a variety of social, cultural, and economic backgrounds; establish and maintain effective work relationships with all types of persons encountered in the course of work; develop rapport and maintain cooperative relationships with clients and service providers; read, understand, apply and explain regulations and procedures governing job training programs; work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team; use computers and related equipment as necessary for job assignments.

Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire be completed.

Responses to supplemental questions are used to evaluate your qualifications. Please provide sufficient information to allow for a thorough evaluation of your qualifications.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (pass/not pass) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's combination of educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities that relate to this position to ensure satisfaction of the minimum qualifications for this position. Candidates who possess the minimum qualifications for the position will be placed on an extra-help employment list and referred to the department. The department may contact candidates from the employment list who possess the most appropriate job-related qualifications for further consideration.

Additional Information

A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to applicants.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted online at Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax View phone number on click.appcast.io), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job announcement must be received by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Continuous recruitments may close without notice at any time that a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.

HR Analyst: SZ

HR Technician: PPB