Substance Abuse Counselor

Counselor (Full-Time - Location TBD)

Pinnacle’s Voice: A Tale of Transformation & Recovery

“I found myself like a lot of people in a position I never thought I would be in. I needed help bad… It all started with a call… one of the easiest and hardest things I’ve ever done. Every day I wake up and think how good it feels and how lucky I am to have found this place.”

-Patient, Pinnacle Treatment Centers

 Pinnacle Treatment Centers is a leading provider of comprehensive addiction treatment services, committed to transforming lives through compassionate care. Our approach is rooted in evidence-based practices, focusing on the holistic well-being of our patients, and treating our teammates with the same level of individualized compassion and empathy. We believe in providing a supportive and inclusive environment for both our patients and our dedicated team of professionals. Pinnacle transforms the lives of more than 35,000 individuals daily resulting in a network of care spanning across the country.

Position Overview: As a Counselor, you will play a crucial role in the recovery journey of our patients. Pinnacle’s unique approach combines compassionate care with innovative treatment methods to address the diverse needs of individuals seeking help for substance use disorders. Join us in making a positive impact on the lives of those we serve.

Teammate Appreciation Benefits: At Pinnacle Treatment Centers, we value our teammates and offer a variety of benefits to support their personal and professional growth.

1.  Variable Pay Structure: Competitive compensation based on experience, education, and licensure.

2.  Defined Career Pathing: Clear advancement opportunities through our Counselor Tier Program, designed to reward achievement in education, licensure, and credentials. 

3.  Bonus Incentives: Recognizing and rewarding quality patient care with monthly performance-based bonuses.

4.  STAR LRP Eligibility: 90% of our facilities are eligible for the Student Loan Repayment Program. This federal program selects applicants to forgive 100% of their student loans.

5.  Continuing Education: Free access to over 600 CEU courses to enhance your skills and knowledge.

6.  Paid Time Off: 18 days of PTO, sick leave, and 8 paid holidays to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

7.  Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives: Be part of a workforce that reflects the diversity of our patient population.

8.  Free Clinical Supervision: Available based on licensure and availability to support your professional growth.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Provides comprehensive orientation to new patients, including explaining programs’ rules, policies, procedures, and patients' rights.
• Conduct Intakes, Discharge Planning, Initial Assessments, and Initial Treatment Plans with professionalism and strict adherence to federal and state regulations, CARF guidelines, and Pinnacle Policies.
• Involve patients in the assessment, treatment planning, and intervention aspects of treatment, which provides the patient with a sense of entitlement to their own recovery.
• Administer the biopsychosocial assessment, which evaluates all areas of patients' lives, including their addictions, medical and mental health history, socioeconomics, legal, etc. at intake and on an ongoing basis.
• Recognize and utilize patients’ Strengths, Needs, Ability, and Preferences (SNAP), to develop and implement individualized Treatment Plans that effectively help patients to meet their short & long-term goals. • Determine the clinical necessity of counseling services based on the clinical assessment and evaluation of the patients.
• Monitor closely, and document any change of circumstances with the patients, especially as it relates to matters that may affect their recovery, identifying and addressing relapse indicators to promote relapse prevention interventions in an early stage.
• Comply with and implement the Medical Q.A (Quality Assurance) and Clinical Risk Management Policies, including:
  • Evaluate the patients for any high-risk conditions (e.g., liver failure, pregnancy, overdose, bipolar, schizophrenia, etc.), which may endanger the patient (suicidal) or other parties (homicidal).
  • Administer the BAM-R, C-SSRS, GAD-7, and PHQ-9 screening tools to determine the severity of the patient's mental/emotional status.
  • Evaluate the risk factors concerning each such case, considering the appropriateness of, and professionalism in treating such individuals in an OTP in comparison to treatment in a residential facility or other treatment modalities.
  • Review and ask about other practitioners' involvement in the treatment of these high-risk conditions. Recommend immediate referral to such a specialist in case of need. Request the patient sign a waiver for release of information which will allow communication with the other practitioner in case of need (e.g., deterioration of the patient’s condition).
  • Flag high-risk patients to the Medical Directors, Physician Extenders, and Regional Clinical Leadership (RCL) and highlight the conditions concerned.
  • Refer such patients to the Medical Directors, Physician Extenders or RCLs (Regional Clinical Leadership) based on the urgency, utilizing the informal Referral Policy or the scheduled Treatment Team/Case Conference session.
  • Review physician notes, following the Medical Directors or Physician Extenders’ session with the patient, verifying that they noted and addressed the high-risk factor, or otherwise bring it immediately to the attention of the supervising counselor, as well as the clinic manager, until the matter’s proper and professional handling by the physician or physician extender.
  • Advise, in writing, other staff members (including the clinic manager, supervising counselor, dispensing nurse and front office) of high-risk patients and their condition. Maintain and circulate minutes from treatment team/case conference sessions to the other staff members.
• Provide professional counseling and referral services by:
  • Addressing patients’ clinical and special needs by maintaining referrals to specialized (“second tier”) services rendered by physicians, physician extenders and counselors within Aegis, as well as referrals to Keys to Recovery (or other twelve-step) support groups, and other community resources (e.g., agencies and practitioners outside of Aegis), acting as a liaison to these agencies, as necessary.
  • Providing individual and group counseling as clinically necessary, to address the problem issues identified in the Initial Assessment and Treatment Plans. The counseling service will include protocols for the treatment of Relapse Prevention, Peer Pressure, Anger Management, Domestic Violence, Parenting, Family Preservation, Vocational Rehabilitation, etc.
  • Utilizing advanced counseling techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, etc.
  • Scheduling regular counseling sessions with patients; issue patient appointment cards and record scheduled or rescheduled sessions in EHR scheduler.
  • Documenting counseling entries, including signature and date, as required by applicable federal and state regulations, CARF guidelines and Pinnacle policies.
  • Engaging in Community Relations and Outreach efforts.
  • Attending all recommended training including Physician Training of Counselors, RCL training, and case conferences with the program physicians and physician assistants.
  • Collecting research data when requested.
  • Observing the collection of patients’ urine samples when required
  • Attend team meetings and complete all training courses timely as required. 
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Counselor I:  $19/hour to $21/hour

• Hold an associate degree in a relevant field or a majority of approved counselor certification courses, license, or certification necessary to provide counseling services to our patient population. Note: Kern County requires a bachelor's degree or 75% of required counselor certification courses.
• Possess counselor registration/certification by a “Certifying Organization: recognized by the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. Proof of registration is required immediately once employed with a California Alcohol and Drug Program certifying body. Employees must be registered prior to providing any counseling services per the DHCS (Department of Health Care Services).
• 0 -2 years of experience

Counselor II:  $21/hour to $24/hour

• Possess an associate degree in a relevant field or a majority of approved counselor certification courses, license, or certification necessary to provide counseling services to our patient population. Kern County requires a bachelor's degree or 75% of required counselor certification courses)
• Possess counselor registration/certification by a “Certifying Organization: recognized by the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. Proof of registration is required immediately once employed with a California Alcohol and Drug Program certifying body. Employees must be registered prior to providing any counseling services per the DHCS (Department of Health Care Services).
• 2-5 years of experience OR Master level

Counselor III:  $24/hour to $27/hour (Certified) & $27/hour - $30/hour (Licensed)

• Degrees must include being licensed, licensed eligible, or certified. Clinical skills must be effective in complex cases. Along with the below: 
• Possess certification as an Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor with a CA approved certification agency or current credentials as licensed or license-eligible with the Board of Behavioral Sciences or the Board of Psychology. If license-eligible, must maintain the Board’s requirements to be able to practice including receiving the necessary amount of clinical supervision by a Board approved supervisor. 
• Proof of licensure or certification by a State approved regulatory agency is required immediately once employed. Employees must be credentialed prior to providing any counseling services per the DHCS (Department of Health Care Services). 

Join our Team & Start Saving Lives Today

Preferred

• Prior SUD counseling experience preferred.

Required

• Technical/other training or better in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services or related field
• Associates or better in Psychology or related field

Preferred

• Masters or better in Psychology or related field
• Bachelors or better in Psychology or related field

Preferred

• SUDCC III
• SUDCC II
• SUDCC
• LPC
• ACSW
• LCSW
• LMFT
• AMFT
• CADC III
• CADC II
• CADC I

Preferred

• Thought Provoking: Capable of making others think deeply on a subject
• Enthusiastic: Shows intense and eager enjoyment and interest
• Detail Oriented: Capable of carrying out a given task with all details necessary to get the task done well
• Team Player: Works well as a member of a group
• Dedicated: Devoted to a task or purpose with loyalty or integrity

Preferred

• Self-Starter: Inspired to perform without outside help
• Goal Completion: Inspired to perform well by the completion of tasks
• Ability to Make an Impact: Inspired to perform well by the ability to contribute to the success of a project or the organization

Pinnacle Treatment Centers is an equal employment opportunity employer and makes employment decisions based on merit and other legitimate business considerations. We want to have the best available persons in every job. Company policy prohibits unlawful discrimination based on race, traits historically associated with race, color, creed, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), parental leave, national origin, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, ancestry, physical or mental disability, military and veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic characteristics or information, political affiliation, non-merit based factors or any other consideration made unlawful by applicable federal, state, or local laws. It also prohibits discrimination based on the perception that anyone has any of those characteristics or is associated with a person who has or is perceived as having any of those characteristics.