SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNSELOR

Are you looking to find personal and professional fulfillment, and align your career with your values?

At Gateway Foundation, our employees have an opportunity to make a difference every day by helping people with substance abuse issues gain control of their lives.

Gateway Foundation is a recognized non-profit leader in evidence-based treatment proven to get results. Our experts in Addiction Medicine—including highly educated clinical and medical professionals and expert psychiatrists and nurses—deliver care that never stops. Throughout Gateway’s proud history of helping others, dedicated and professional employees have been vital to accomplishing our life-saving mission.

If you are a collaborative professional who shares our commitment to helping people with substance abuse and mental health issues turn their lives around – GATEWAY IS THE PLACE FOR YOU!

Counselors are responsible for:

• Conducts client interviews to review substance use disorder and treatment history.
• Evaluates client response to treatment to recommend modifications to the treatment plan and assist with caseloads and development of individualized treatment plan and preparing individually appropriate goals, interventions, and necessary support.
• Assists with and provides basic didactic group counseling, including psychoeducation, drug education, and family education to ensure peer support occurs.
• Provides individual client counseling, educational programs and lectures to address relapse prevention, problem solving, behavior modification, anger management, etc., and to assist in overcoming substance use disorder, adjusting to pro-social life, and making cognitive and behavioral changes.
• Under direct supervision and with supervisor’s approval, carries case load, per State and contract requirements.
• Collaborates with clients to develop discharge summary and plans for supervisor’s approval to integrate aftercare treatment with referral resource services.
• Coordinates required services to resolve emergency problems in crisis situations in support of continued recovery.
• Collects and maintains treatment records and reports to ensure organizational, regulatory, accreditation, and contractual compliance.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements:

• Candidates with a Bachelor's/Master's degrees in a related field will also need at least 6 months of professional experience in substance use counseling and/or mental health counseling. If the degree is not in a related field then the candidate needs 1 year of professional experience.
• Candidates with PhD degrees will need 1 year of experience if their degree is not in a related filed.
• Candidates with an Associate degree will need at least 4 years of professional experience in substance use counseling and/or mental health counseling.
• Candidates with a H.S. diploma/GED need 6 years of experience.
• Candidates who hold the Florida certifications for addiction counseling (Certified Addiction Professional [CAP], Certified Criminal Justice Addiction Professional [CCJAP], Certified Associate Counselor [CAC]) would also meet the criteria.
• Basic knowledge of the principles of human growth and psychosocial development
• Basic knowledge of group and individual dynamics, conflict resolution and intervention techniques based on client maturation level
• Basic understanding of mental health disorders requiring referrals
• Basic communication skills to exchange information and interact with various internal and external audiences regarding client care
• Active listening skills and social perceptiveness
• Ability to read and interpret policies and instructions
• Ability to understand side effects and impact of medications on client
• Adaptability / flexibility: ability to shift priorities

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to walk and move about the facilities for up to two hours at a time, to monitor and interact with clients
• Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects.
• Ability to record, proofread and check documents and files for accuracy, to prepare and analyze data and figures, transcribe, read
• Ability to use a keyboard and video display terminal to receive, retrieve, and/or audit information and data
• Ability to respond to telephones, and to hear and detect alarms and unusual noises

Competitive Compensation and Benefits:

Gateway Foundation values its employees and provides an inclusive and diverse work environment where dedicated employees can make a difference. We are committed to engaging and rewarding our employees in meaningful ways. For eligible employees, we provide a Total Rewards Package that includes:

• Health Insurance - Including a wellness premium incentive opportunity
• Dental & Vision Insurance
• Paid Time Off - Including 18 days of PTO and 9 paid holidays in the first year
• Catastrophic Absence Time (CAT) - Accrue up to seven days annually, to be used during an extended personal illness
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Commuter Accounts
• 403(b) Retirement Plan with company match
• Life and AD&D Insurance
• Long-Term Disability (LTD)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Gateway is a qualified employer for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Training & Development Programs

Gateway Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer: Race/Color/Sex/Sexual Orientation/ Gender Identity/Religion/National Origin/Disability/Vets. Please view Equal Employment Opportunity Posters provided by OFCCP here.