Chemical Dependency Counselor (Twin Lakes Center)

Description

The purpose of this job is to provide clinical drug & alcohol treatment services to patients in the WPIC Addiction Medicine Service line. These programs are designed to service adults age 18 and above who have diagnoses of substance abuse or dual disorders and who meet the PCPC dimensions for any of the Levels 3A, 3B, 3C, or 1A for drug & alcohol treatment. The model of care is a recovery model approach and is based in the principles of therapeutic intervention and twelve-step recovery, and when indicated, psychiatric therapy.

The dress code is casual and parking is free. The schedule for this role will be flexible, but will require daylight/evenings as well as weekends and holidays as needed to support the department.

Responsibilities:

• Refer patient to other community social or human services as needed and advocates on behalf of patients to receive necessary services.
• Participate in weekly staff meetings and supervision to discuss administrative and clinic issues, review individual cases and groups. Audiotapes or videotapes (with patients' informed consent) select treatment sessions as required for supervision.
• Maintains competency requirements.
• Provide education to patients on recovery from substance abuse and/or psychiatric illness, relapse and other skills necessary for maintaining recovery. Educate and refer patients to self-help groups for addiction and mental health disorders (AA, NA, CA, Alanon, Naranon, SMART Recovery, Dual Disorders Anonymous) and Community recovery clubs (ONALA Club, Sahara Club, etc.) assigned both chemically dependent and dual disordered patients.
• Develop with supervisor an annual training plan in writing outlining needs for training and educational programs or other strategies or meeting these needs.
• Provide a motivational interview with each patient prior to discharge from care to link them with the next level in their continuing care plan and ensure support in that process.
• Lead or co-lead the family education groups and conducts family counseling sessions as needed. Secure written permission from patients to contact family or significant others to participate in treatment.
• Participate in regular treatment team meetings to review and update treatment plans, monitor therapeutic progress and initiate recommendations for referral and continuing care. Collaborate regularly with other staff regarding participation of patients in treatment sessions; collaborates with other WPIC faculty and staff regarding patients being treated in other programs.
• Agree not to socialize with any program patients outside of work.
• Discuss own reactions (thoughts, feelings and behaviors) to patients or unusual circumstances (e.g. patient requesting counselor's home phone number or to meet the counselor outside of the clinic) to avoid any impediments to therapeutic progress and to insure the patient-counselor relationship can be examined early and professional boundaries are maintained.
• Collaborate as needed with outside agencies e.g. DPW, CYS, etc.) on behalf of clinic patients. Secure written permission from patients to contact specific individuals from outside agencies.
• Complete all required documentation related to assessments, individual, family and group treatment sessions on the day of service provision.
• Seek immediate consultation from attending psychiatrist, medical director, or program director in cases in which a serious psychiatric problem (e.g. suicidality) or psychosocial problem (e.g. homelessness) may exist and require further assessment or psychiatric intervention.
• Provide individual and group therapy to patients in the Drug & Alcohol Treatment programs
• Help to identify patients eligible for research protocols, informs patient of the availability of these protocols, and informs research staff of prospective subjects. Participate in research protocols as needed in the provision of assessment and counseling services.
• Refer patients to community based self-help programs for addiction, mental health or dual disorders.
• Maintain up-to-date records of individual caseload and clinical productivity in the program.
• Assess changing problems and needs of patients and incorporate these into treatment plan and treatment plan review.
• Provide drug and alcohol assessments to patients requesting treatment at WPIC Drug & Alcohol Treatment Programs; reviews results of assessments with attending psychiatrist and/or clinical supervisor to determine diagnoses and treatment recommendations.
• Engage in follow-up activities (telephone calls and/or letters) for discharged patients.
• Complete problem lists, medication logs, Addiction Severity Index, treatment plans, treatment plan reviews, continuing care plans, discharge summaries, log of services, and other required paperwork for the patients' medical record as outlined by JCAHO, BDAP, and the hospital.

Qualifications

• Associate or Bachelor's degree required.
• Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC) credential or working towards this and is eligible for CAC within one year of employment.
• 2 years of experience providing individual and group sessions to substance abusers.
• 2 years of formal education can be substituted for one year of direct experience provided that the candidate has relevant training (course work, practicum, etc.) in substance abuse.
• Knowledge of chemical dependency and the recovery process.
• Knowledge of community self-help programs, recovery clubs, and the continuum of care for substance use and dual disorders.
• Assessment of DSM IV psychiatric and substance use disorders.
• Knowledge of Pennsylvania Client Placement Criteria for substance use disorders integrated treatment for dual disorders
• Knowledge of appropriate use of individual, group, and milieu treatment approaches in a structured program.
• Knowledge of family intervention techniques related to codependency.
• BDAP licensing requirements for residential treatment.
• Able to work 2 evenings per week and 1 weekend per month.
• May in the course of their duties be in rooms where medications are stored or may transport medications when they transport patients. Transportation of medication is limited from one department to another.

Licensure, Certifications, and Clearances:

• Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
• Act 31 Child Abuse Reporting with renewal
• Act 33 with renewal
• Act 34 with renewal
• Act 73 FBI Clearance with renewal



• UPMC is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran