Certified Substance Abuse Counselor

Job Title: Certified Counselor

Job Location: Sheridan Correctional Center, E Sheridan, IL

Position Type: Full Time

Education Level: High School

Salary Range: $24.62 Hourly

Job Shift: Day

Job Category: Nonprofit - Social Services

WestCare Foundation is seeking a Certified Counselor to join our team. As a Certified Counselor, you will be responsible for delivering clinical substance abuse treatment to clients participating in our program.

Key Responsibilities:

• Complete assessments of each client using required assessment tools.
• Initiate and sustain each client's motivation to participate in treatment, using techniques of engagement, including therapeutic relationships, individual counseling, and brief interventions based on the stages of change.
• Develop comprehensive service plans for each client, including the results of assessments, and short- and long-term treatment goals and objectives.
• Provide daily treatment and curriculum-based education groups on basic concepts of therapeutic communities, emotional incarceration, relapse prevention, motivation for treatment, and the stages of change.
• Assist clients in developing self-help groups, such as AA/NA, which offer clients an opportunity to support one another in recovery.
• Maintain individual client treatment files in accordance with agency policies and procedures, including documentation of vocational/educational activities, and ensure files are securely stored.
• Provide general client supervision, including planning and scheduling therapeutic activities.
• Maintain all information according to the laws of confidentiality as required by the Federal Register, General Provisions, Title 42, Chapter 1, Part 2.
• Obtain signed releases of confidential information from each client, authorizing IDOC to review case files for quality assurance reviews and evaluation of WestCare performance.
• Maintain thorough records of each client's participation, including participant IDOC number, unique identifier for the WestCare program, beginning and ending dates of service, number of hours of participation, and number of days of participation.
• Submit all individual client data on a weekly basis for entry into the WestCare database.
• Attend all required staff development training, including cross-training, and WestCare in-service training.
• Embody the mission, vision, guiding principles, clinical vision, and goals of WestCare Foundation.
• Perform any other duties as assigned.

Essential Qualifications:

Certifications/Licenses:

• Clinical Certification, must:
  • Hold clinical certification as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor from the Illinois Alcoholism and Other Drug Abuse Professional Certification Association (IAODAPCA), or
  • Be a licensed professional counselor or licensed clinical professional counselor pursuant to the Professional Counselor and Clinical Professional Counselor Licensing Act [225 ILCS 107]; or
  • Be a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches pursuant to the Medical Practice Act of 1987; or
  • Be licensed as a psychologist pursuant to the Clinical Psychology Practice Act [225 ILCS 15]; or
  • Be licensed as a social worker or licensed clinical social worker pursuant to the Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act [225 ILCS 20]
• If permissible and upon approval of the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), other clinical certifications that mirror one of the requirements above may be acceptable
• Training:
• If licensure is CADC, must complete 40 hours of continuing education biennially.
• If licensure is not CADC, must complete required continuing education hours as required to maintain the other licensure.

Education:

• Masters or bachelors degree is preferred.
• High school diploma or equivalent is required.

Experience and Competencies:

• Two (2) years of experience providing alcohol and substance abuse counseling services.
• Knowledge of offender populations, criminal subcultures, cultural differences, substance abuse assessment tools, therapeutic community concepts, and various specialty treatment categories.
• Intake and assessment experience is preferred.
• Bilingual is preferred.
• Must be highly organized, detail-focused, and have excellent time management.
• Must possess strong computer skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to pass background check.
• Ability to obtain and maintain OIG LEIE clearance.
• Ability to pass pre-employment drug screening.
• Ability to exercise good judgment and discretion.
• Ability to work well in a team environment.
• Adherence to the highest standard of ethical conduct, especially to standards governing confidentiality.
• Must have professional appearance and demeanor.
• Must be culturally/linguistically sensitive to populations served.
• Ability to obtain and maintain clearance from Illinois Department of Corrections.
• Ability to obtain and maintain CPR certification, first aid certification, and an annual tuberculosis test.

Working Conditions:

• Work is primarily performed in an institutional setting.
• Some outdoor activities may be required.

Essential Physical and Mental Demands of the Job

The employee must be able to perform the following essential duties and activities with or without accommodation:

Physical Demands:

• Requires mobility and physical activity: Having an adequate range of body motion and mobility to work in an office, residential, or outdoor environment, including standing and walking (even and uneven surfaces), sitting for extended periods of time, bending, twisting, reaching, balancing, occasional lifting and carrying of up to 50 pounds.
• Requires talking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word.
• Requires hearing: Hearing is required to receive and communicate detailed information through oral communication.
• Requires seeing: Clarity of vision at 20 inches or less and at distance.
• The normal work routine involves no exposure to human blood, body fluids, or tissues. However, exposure or potential exposure may be required as a condition of employment. Appropriate personal protective equipment will be readily available to every employee.

Mental Demands:

• Requires the ability to collect and analyze complex numerical and written data and verbal information to reach logical conclusions.
• Requires the ability to work and cooperate with clients, co-workers, managers, the public, and employees at all levels in order to exchange ideas, information, instructions, and opinions.
• Requires the ability to work under stress and in emotionally charged settings.
• The ability to defend oneself and clients in mentally/verbally abusive situations through the use of approved mental/verbal de-escalation techniques.