Substance Use Counselor

Title: Substance Use Counselor


Unit: Treatment Services/ Behavioral Health

Reports to: Program Director, Behavioral Health


Status: Full Time; Regular; Non-Exempt


Salary Range : $30.22 - $32.97 per hour [Approximately $55,000 - $60,000 annually]

Location: Long Island City

Days/Hours: Monday - Friday, generally 9:00am to 5:00pm, with one or two noon-to-8pm days.


Position Summary:

Responsible for providing ongoing substance use counseling and potentially mental health counseling to clients with histories of criminal justice involvement in a Fortune Society managed transitional housing residence for persons with behavioral health concerns. The role will provide individual and group counseling services through Fortune's OASAS-licensed 822 substance use outpatient clinic. The position is envisioned as providing services primarily in Long Island City and Bronx location and therefore necessitating prior experience.


Core Competencies:

Mission Fit

This person shall demonstrate an interest in, and talent for, working with persons with criminal justice system involvement. The successful candidate will have an understanding of the impacts exposure to the criminal justice system may have had on clients, and demonstrate commitment to helping them overcome these difficulties. The successful candidate will also have demonstrated a commitment to using respectful, constructive means of communication when interacting with clients and colleagues. The individual will utilize a strengths-based, person-centered model and endorse the concept of looking for the best in people, rather than judging them by their worst decision(s).


Clinical Expertise

This person shall demonstrate understanding of all substance use disorder ('SUD') diagnostic categories, general criteria and theoretical frames for treatment. The individual shall also have some practical experience treating individuals with behavioral health disorders and SUD through individual and group therapy, ideally with evidence-based practices. Deep awareness of principles and techniques of motivational interviewing ('MI') are required. The ideal candidate will also have experience working with mental health and treating it as a co-occurring diagnosis.

Clinical Engagement & Productivity

This person shall demonstrate an ability to engage clients in treatment and build a meaningful therapeutic relationship. This includes reluctant clients with the aim of establishing regular attendance to appointments. The person will develop a stable caseload and produce billable activities equal or in excess to the productivity standards established for clinicians.

Time Management & Documentation


This position requires solid time management skills as the person must juggle making and keeping client schedules that can change on short notice, completing paperwork accurately and staying current with various ancillary tasks. The person will have good computer skills, familiarity with using an electronic health record system and minimum 40+ wpm typing skills in order to facilitate completing all documentation correctly and in a timely manner.


Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conduct initial client assessment and psychosocial interviews;
• Develop a therapeutic alliance with clients;
• Provide ongoing individual and group substance abuse counseling sessions;
• Appropriately document client-centered, strengths-based, and trauma-informed treatment goals with clients;
• Maintain detailed case records, with all case notes completed within 48 hours of interaction.
• Maintain on-going clinical communication with supervisor;
• Maintain productive communication with other Fortune staff members at the residence and staff in other Fortune programs/locations that share client;
• Provide linkages to outside agencies for additional services;
• Participate in case conferences and clinical supervision meetings;
• Participate in training opportunities to engage in his/her own professional development;
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• CASAC-T or CASAC required;
• Certifications in Thinking For Change and Seeking Strength preferred.
• Experience with counseling substance use clients required.
• Ability to work independently with off-site supervision required;
• Experience in dealing with either psychiatric issues, trauma or incarceration;
• Excellent client-engagement and counseling skills;
• Excellent clinical documentation and time management skills;
• Strong computer skills, particularly in electronic health records;
• Bilingual Spanish-speaking preferred;
• We seek talented, dedicated individuals from all walks of life who possess a strong commitment to this mission. Relevant personal experience is a plus.

Travel Requirements : Position is based primarily in Fortune Society's Long Island City and Bronx locations; work may require some travel to other Fortune locations or occasional 3rd party facilities.


Physical Demands:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The responsibilities and requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skills, minimum education, training, licensing, experience and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.


The Fortune Society is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of conviction history, race, religion/creed, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, predisposing genetic characteristics, victim of domestic violence status or marital status.