Substance Abuse Counselor

Join our team and enjoy a competitive salary, full benefits package, Paid Time Off, and opportunities for professional growth. 

Aegis / Pinnacle Treatment Centers is a nationally recognized leader in addiction treatment services that has been featured in publications such as: LA Times, NBC Today, US News, Health Digest, Medscape, and Huffington Post.  

Through our mission to remove all barriers to recovery and transform individuals, families, and communities with treatment that works we are able to touch the lives of more than 35,000 patients across the country every day.   

Our teammates believe we are creating a better world where lives and communities are made whole again through comprehensive treatment.   

As a Counselor, you will oversee all aspects of a patient’s treatment. You will be responsible for the coordination and continuity of care from admission through discharge and follow-up of the patients. You will also promote performance improvement and service delivery by providing comprehensive psychological therapy directed toward addressing the causes and effects of the patient’s addiction.

Benefits:

• 18 days PTO (Paid Time Off)
• 401k with company match
• Company sponsored ongoing training and certification opportunities.
• Full comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, short term disability, long term disability and accident insurance.
• Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program (STAR LRP)
• Discounted tuition and scholarships through Capella University

Requirements:

Counselor I:  $20/hour to $22/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).
• 0 -2 years of experience

Counselor II:  $22/hour to $25/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:  $25/hour to $28/hour (Certified) & $28/hour - $31/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). 

Responsibilities: 

• Provides orientation to new patients to the programs’ rules, policies, procedures, and patients' rights.
• Conduct Intakes, Discharge Planning, Initial Assessments, and Initial Treatment Plans professionally and within specified timeframes to comply with 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.

Join our team. Join our mission. 

Required

• Less than 2 years of counseling experience

Preferred

• Associates or higher degree in Human Services

Preferred

• LCSW
• CDAC
• CADC

Preferred

• Enthusiastic: Shows intense and eager enjoyment and interest
• Team Player: Works well as a member of a group
• Dedicated: Devoted to a task or purpose with loyalty or integrity

Preferred

• Ability to Make an Impact: Inspired to perform well by the ability to contribute to the success of a project or the organization
• Self-Starter: Inspired to perform without outside help
• Flexibility: Inspired to perform well when granted the ability to set your own schedule and goals

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.