Substance Abuse Counselor – Full-Time, Day Shift
- Days
- BLS
How this pay compares
This posting does not state an hourly rate. Substance abuse counselors employed in District of Columbia earn a median of $29.06 an hour (source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics), according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025) (source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics).
Substance abuse counselors in District of Columbia: pay by town and employer
The Mental Health & Social Work job market: pay, applicant demand and hiring, researched nightly
Mental health and social work jobs in our research
- How long these jobs stay listed: Still listed at 7 days 76.6%
- Applicant demand per open job on this site (1.00x is the average job): Index 0.61x · Clicks 32
- How often these jobs state their pay: Jobs stating any pay 59.0% · Stating an hourly rate 43.4%
From every open job we read and every apply click on this site, as of 5 Nov 2026. Every figure for Mental health and social work jobs
About the job
Responsibilities Make a Meaningful Impact on Behavioral Healthcare. Psychiatric Institute of Washington (PIW) is seeking a compassionate and experienced Substance Abuse Counselor to join our clinical team. In this role, you will support individuals experiencing substance use and behavioral health needs through assessment, therapeutic intervention, group facilitation, patient education, and collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team. You will have the opportunity to build meaningful therapeutic relationships while helping patients develop the skills and support needed to move toward recovery. If you are passionate about behavioral healthcare and want to contribute to a team focused on helping patients achieve meaningful progress, we invite you to explore a career with PIW. What You Will Do As a Substance Abuse Counselor, you will: Complete substance use assessments and maintain accurate, timely clinical documentation. Facilitate therapeutic groups, educational sessions, and other assigned programming. Provide therapeutic interventions that support patients’ treatment and recovery goals. Build professional, goal-directed therapeutic relationships with patients. Participate in treatment planning, staff reports, and interdisciplinary team collaboration. Conduct and document family and outside-agency meetings as appropriate. Monitor and document patient progress throughout treatment and at discharge. Observe changes in patient behavior, condition, or safety and communicate concerns promptly to the appropriate clinical team member. Support admission, assessment, and patient-care processes in accordance with established treatment plans and clinical standards. Protect patient confidentiality and maintain professional boundaries at all times. Collaborate with patients, families, clinical staff, and community resources to support continuity of care. Qualifications Required Qualifications High school diploma or equivalent CPR/BLS Certification through the American Heart Association (AHA) Certified Addictions Counselor (CAC) Level I or Level II Three or more years of experience working in mental or behavioral healthcare as an addictions counselor. Experience facilitating clinical and/or substance use disorder groups and providing therapeutic interventions. Experience with treatment planning, clinical documentation, and direct patient services. Preferred Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in human services, behavioral health, psychology, social work, counseling, or related field preferred. Knowledge of community-based substance use and recovery support resources. Experience with hospital admission procedures and orienting patients to treatment programs. Experience using an electronic medical record system. Familiarity with Microsoft Office, Zoom, CRISP, or similar healthcare and productivity platforms. What Will Help You Succeed You’ll thrive in this role if you bring compassionate communication, sound clinical judgment, strong professional boundaries, and a collaborative approach to patient care. Success also requires the ability to remain composed in challenging situations, engage patients meaningfully in treatment, and work effectively with an interdisciplinary behavioral health team. About The Psychiatric Institute of Washington For nearly 50 years, The Psychiatric Institute of Washington (PIW) has provided behavioral healthcare to children, adolescents, and adults throughout the Washington, D.C. community. Our 130-bed facility offers inpatient, outpatient, and partial hospitalization programs designed to help patients find hope, stability, and a path toward a healthier future. At PIW, our team brings together professionals from across clinical, administrative, operational, and support disciplines who share a commitment to compassionate, patient-centered care. About Us | Mental Health | Psychiatric Institute of Washington Why Choose PIW? At PIW, your work is a part of something meaningful, and you will have the opportunity to contribute to work that has a meaningful impact on patients, families, and the broader community. When you join PIW, you will have the opportunity to work alongside dedicated behavioral healthcare professionals, strengthen your clinical skills, expand your experience, and build a career within an organization committed to passionate care, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Benefits & Rewards We believe a rewarding career should support your life both inside and outside of work. As a full-time Substance Abuse Counselor, you may be eligible for a variety of benefits that support your health, well-being, and professional growth, including: Challenging and rewarding work environment Generous Paid Time Off Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Excellent Medical, Dental, Vision and Prescription Drug Plans Additional insurance coverage (such as life insurance, disability insurance, and pet insurance) Pre-tax Metro SmartTrip Benefits 401(K) with company match and discounted stock plan Tuition Reimbursement and Student Loan Repayment Program SoFi Student Loan Refinancing Program Career development opportunities within UHS and its 300+ Subsidiaries! More information is available on our Benefits Guest Website: benefits.uhsguest.com Eligibility for benefits and programs may vary based on employment status, scheduled hours, position, location, and applicable plan requirements. Benefit information provided in this posting is a summary and is subject to the terms of the applicable plans and policies. Ready to Make an Impact? If you are looking for an opportunity to support individuals in their recovery, provide meaningful therapeutic care, and make a difference for patients experiencing substance use and behavioral health challenges, we encourage you to apply and learn more about joining the Psychiatric Institute of Washington team. Apply today and take the next step in your behavioral healthcare career with the Psychiatric Institute of Washington! About Universal Health Services Headquartered in King of Prussia, PA, Universal Health Services, Inc. (NYSE: UHS) is one of the nation’s largest and most respected providers of hospital and healthcare services. Since our founding in 1979, UHS has grown steadily into a premier Fortune 500® corporation perennially recognized by multiple esteemed national rating entities. Through its subsidiaries, UHS operates inpatient acute care facilities, inpatient behavioral health facilities, outpatient and other facilities, nationwide virtual behavioral health services, an insurance offering, a physician network and various related services with physical locations in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Ireland and United Kingdom. www.uhs.com. From Fortune, ©2025, 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Used under license. EEO Statement All UHS subsidiaries are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates. UHS subsidiaries are equal opportunity employers and as such, openly support and fully commit to recruitment, selection, placement, promotion and compensation of individuals without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), genetic information, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. We believe that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success. Avoid and Report Recruitment Scams We are aware of a scam whereby imposters are posing as Recruiters from UHS, and our subsidiary hospitals and facilities. Beware of anyone requesting financial or personal information. At UHS and all our subsidiaries, our Human Resources departments and recruiters are here to help prospective candidates by matching skill sets and experience with the best possible career path at UHS and our subsidiaries. During the recruitment process, no recruiter or employee will request financial or personal information (e.g., Social Security Number, credit card or bank information, etc.) from you via email. Our recruiters will not email you from a public webmail client like Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc. If you suspect a fraudulent job posting or job-related email mentioning UHS or its subsidiaries, we encourage you to report such concerns to appropriate law enforcement. We encourage you to refer to legitimate UHS and UHS subsidiary career websites to verify job opportunities and not rely on unsolicited calls from recruiters.
Make a Meaningful Impact on Behavioral Healthcare. Psychiatric Institute of Washington (PIW) is seeking a compassionate and experienced Substance Abuse Counselor to join our clinical team. In this role, you will support individuals experiencing substance use and behavioral health needs through assessment, therapeutic intervention, group facilitation, patient education, and collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team. You will have the opportunity to build meaningful therapeutic relationships while helping patients develop the skills and support needed to move toward recovery. If you are passionate about behavioral healthcare and want to contribute to a team focused on helping patients achieve meaningful progress, we invite you to explore a career with PIW. What You Will Do As a Substance Abuse Counselor, you will: Complete substance use assessments and maintain accurate, timely clinical documentation. Facilitate therapeutic groups, educational sessions, and other assigned programming. Provide therapeutic interventions that support patients’ treatment and recovery goals. Build professional, goal-directed therapeutic relationships with patients. Participate in treatment planning, staff reports, and interdisciplinary team collaboration. Conduct and document family and outside-agency meetings as appropriate. Monitor and document patient progress throughout treatment and at discharge. Observe changes in patient behavior, condition, or safety and communicate concerns promptly to the appropriate clinical team member. Support admission, assessment, and patient-care processes in accordance with established treatment plans and clinical standards. Protect patient confidentiality and maintain professional boundaries at all times. Collaborate with patients, families, clinical staff, and community resources to support continuity of care.
From Universal Health Services's job posting, checked 4 Nov 2026. The employer's own page is the final word on requirements and availability.
Selected agencies hiring now
All agencies and apps →
AHS StaffingTravel nursing agency
Places travel and local contract nurses and allied professionals.
Places: Nurses, CNAs & PCTs, Therapy & rehab, Mental health

Invo HealthcareHealthcare staffing agency
Places therapists and other clinicians in school and healthcare settings.
Places: Therapy & rehab, Mental health
These agencies and apps pay CareJobs.Now a referral fee when someone we introduce is placed or signs up. It costs you nothing and never changes your pay. Hospital and clinic jobs below keep their own order.
Sponsored jobs from job networks, which pay CareJobs.Now when you click one.
Free tools for this application: check your resume against this job, answer the application's questions or see every free tool.
New mental health and social work jobs in District of Columbia, by email
One email a week with the newest ones, straight from the employers' own careers sites, with the pay each posting states. Free, stop anytime.
About Universal Health Services
Universal Health Services is a hospital company based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, with more than 102,000 (source: Universal Health Services, Universal Health Services, Inc. to Present at September Healthcare Conferences (PR Newswire, Aug 25, 2026)) employees, 30 (source: Universal Health Services, Universal Health Services, Inc. to Present at September Healthcare Conferences (PR Newswire, Aug 25, 2026)) acute care hospitals and more than 380 (source: Universal Health Services, Universal Health Services, Inc. to Present at September Healthcare Conferences (PR Newswire, Aug 25, 2026)) behavioral health inpatient facilities in 40 (source: Universal Health Services, Universal Health Services, Inc. to Present at September Healthcare Conferences (PR Newswire, Aug 25, 2026)) states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, Ireland and the UK. Source: Universal Health Services, Universal Health Services, Inc. to Present at September Healthcare Conferences (PR Newswire, Aug 25, 2026)
Based in King of Prussia, PAHires in 39 statesPay on its listings: 2.5% of its open jobs state an hourly rate
More mental health and social work jobs
A licensed counselor or social worker?
One profile for every employer here. Hospitals, clinics and care companies ask us for people with a specific license, specialty, language or schedule: add yours once, and when a job fits, we introduce you, only with your yes. Free.
Universal Health Services openings, sent to you weekly
Each week we send the newest postings from Universal Health Services's own careers site, along with similar openings at other hospitals and care employers. It costs nothing and you can stop anytime.