Substance Use Counselor

We are seeking a qualified Substance Use Counselor to join our team at STGi. The successful candidate will provide on-going substance use case management and treatment interventions to HUD-VASH participants.

• Conduct intake and needs assessment of homeless Veterans and their families.
• Develop comprehensive treatment plans with the Veteran that address the factors that contributed to homelessness, including substance use disorder and other co-occurring factors within a recovery model framework.
• Work with the Veteran to realize his/her/their treatment goals, reassess, and revises goals as indicated by the Veteran's engagement in treatment.
• Organize and conduct individual and group case management including early interventions and supportive follow-up to ensure stability in home visits.
• Participate in policy making, goal setting, and treatment service planning discussions within the HUD-VASH program.
• Provide crisis management services (including periodic 24-hour coverage).
• Establish collaborative relationships with services providers inside and outside of the VA to ensure Veteran's continuity of care with wrap-around services.
• Advocate on behalf of the Veteran to assist in the delivery of needed services.
• Attend daily/weekly meetings, supervision and case conferences as assigned.

• Knowledge of/or experience with DSM diagnoses, assessment of level of functioning, EBP's such as Motivational interviewing, Critical Time Intervention, DBT, Harm Reduction, Cognitive Behavioral Therapies, Trauma Informed Care, Housing First, PTSD, Personality Disorders, Substance Abuse, etc.
• Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in substance use treatment programs or with special patient populations.
• Ability to incorporate complex multiple causations in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• Ability to work collaboratively with others and in a team.
• Takes initiative and has a solution focused practice.
• Uses good time management skills and resources to balance case load direct service and paperwork.
• Excellent verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
• Must have a current California driver's license and insurance for regular driving and transporting.

Possible exposure to inclement weather during visits with veterans in their community. Work with people experiencing homelessness may present inherent challenges and difficulties such as exposure to bed bugs or other infestations, unpleasant smells or odors, individuals who may have poor hygiene or unclean homes due to homelessness, mental health symptoms, or poverty.

Additionally, employees may encounter instances of profanity, sexually explicit or derogatory language, or verbal or physical expressions of anger and trauma. Very rarely do these situations ever escalate to physical contact, and negative or derogatory communication patterns can often be negotiated successfully.

All direct care staff are provided adequate training to develop skills to deescalate crisis situations that may arise, and STGi has established procedural safeguards for all employees to mitigate (but not eliminate) these inherent risks of employment.