Substance Use Counselor II

Job Requirements

I. General Summary

The Substance Use Counselor II is an integral member of the multidisciplinary treatment team who is primarily responsible for evaluating patients and coordinating individual and group counseling through the use of patient education, behavior modification and relapse prevention.

II. Principal Responsibilities and Tasks

The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. These are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by personnel so classified.

• Will perform a full range of clinical counseling services for patients and demonstrate unit focused leadership in clinical practice, professional development, service quality, or unit operations.
• Participation or Development of a Performance Improvement Initiative.
• Assists with education and development of Counselor I and interns.
• Leads activities to promote Joint Commission readiness and ongoing monitoring.
• Participates in unit based research activities, council, or committee to enhance quality of counseling practice.
• Develops interest in a service specialty by engaging in or developing opportunities in the specialty.
• Pursues membership in professional organization and demonstrate active participation.
• Demonstrates support and compliance with University of Maryland mission, vision, values, philosophy, goals, objectives and policies.
• Identifies areas impacting unit operations and assists in developing/implementing action plans.
• Contributes to development of unit based peer review processes; actively participates in peer feedback and case reviews

Work Experience

I. Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree is required.
• Must be a Certified Supervised Counselor- Alcohol and Drug (CSC-AD), Certified Associate Counselor- Alcohol and Drug (CAC-AD), Licensed Graduate Alcohol & Drug Counselor (LGADC), Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor (LGPC) or Licensed Masters Social Worker (LMSW)
• At least two years of Substance Use Disorder Counseling experience is preferred.

II. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Intermediate understanding of Substance Use Disorders.
• Modern knowledge of basic insurance guidelines, professional code of ethics (professional standards), patient rights, and confidentiality and privacy, as applicable to the particular area of specialty.
• Ability to provide therapeutic treatment recommendations based on drug screening results.
• Ability to professionally express ideas orally and in writing; to establish effective working relationships with clients, staff members and the general public.
• Ability to accurately apply cultural competencies to a diverse population.

III. Patient Safety

Ensures patient safety in the performance of job functions and through participation in hospital, department or unit patient safety initiatives.

• Proactive approaches to observed risks to patient safety.
• Reports adverse events and near misses to appropriate management authority.
• Implements policies, procedure, and standards consistently in the performance of assigned duties.
• Maintains effective working relationships and maintains good communication with other team members.
• Identifies possible risks in processes, procedures, devices and communicates the same to those in charge.