ACT Substance Abuse Specialist

Job Description

Job Description

Brief Summary:

The Substance Abuse Specialist leads the team’s integrated dual disorder treatment (IDDT). We are looking for a clinician with extensive experience working with adults with serious mental illness. The specialist delivers IDDT and must be motivated to conduct assertive outreach and engagement, use motivational interviewing and stage-wise interventions that target an individual’s readiness for change. The Substance Abuse Specialist must be a team player with extensive knowledge of psychiatric disability and the special treatment needs of consumers with mental illness that have not engaged in traditional treatment services to promote their wellness, recovery and reductions in harmful behaviors.

- Complete the substance abuse assessment, a component of the ACT comprehensive assessment

- Identify the treatment services consumers should receive in ACT based on severity of substance use diagnosis, stage of change and immediate needs and recommend treatment objectives for the consumer’s service plan

- During the assessment obtains information: a) to establish the degree risk for substance use and associated harmful behaviors, and interventions required to promote progress towards recovery, and b) lead the ACT team in daily meetings and weekly clinical meetings around substance abuse issues and incorporate findings into service plans

- Build in review and evaluation points, and modifies the service plan in the light of feedback from recipients and relevant others Develop comprehensive service plans and 6-month service plan reviews in collaboration with the consumer and the consumer’s support system

- Run weekly IDDT treatment group

- Involve family and significant others in the consumer’s treatment with the ACT team

- Complete 6-month comprehensive assessment and crisis intervention and relapse prevention plans, progress notes and significant data

- Provide individual mental health, relapse prevention, harm reduction and substance abuse counseling based on motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral responses to mental illness and substance abuse

Education: * B.A./B.S. degree in sociology, psychology, social work, and/or counseling field and two years’ experience providing employment services to psychiatric population or M.A./M.S. degree in sociology, psychology, social worker, counseling, and/or addiction counseling similar field and at least two years’ experience providing employment services to psychiatric population

Experience:

• One year of experience providing addiction support or similar programmatic experience.
• Training in Supported Employment and Assertive Community Treatment models.
• Knowledge of behavioral management techniques and crisis intervention skills.
• Knowledge of procedure manuals and the ability to interpret these effectively to staff, family members and community providers.
• Has ability to work with minimal direction and supervision.
• Possesses skills necessary to provide effective counseling, therapy and clinical services, and the ability to successfully work as a member of a treatment team.