Substance Use Counselor

About the role

Do Work That Matters. In a Culture That Means It. Be part of a team that values connection, accountability, and real impact. At Access, our Culture Playbook isn’t a poster on the wall – it’s how we show up for each other and for the people we support. You’ll be part of a team that is clear about expectations, supportive and accountable, focused on outcomes that matter to people, and committed to helping people live the healthiest and fullest lives possible – while making sure staff can do the same.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for a caseload of participants living with Opioid use disorder and other co-occurring mental health diagnoses.
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of the Opioid Treatment Program (OTP), medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for opioid use disorder, and applicable regulatory standards.
• Provides orientation to new participants, including review of program rules, participant rights, grievance procedures, take-home medication policies, and 42 CFR Part 2 confidentiality protections.
• Completes comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments for substance use and co-occurring conditions, including ASAM-informed clinical impressions for level-of-care determination.
• Develops, implements, and reviews individualized treatment plans in collaboration with the participant, with measurable goals and objectives. Updates treatment plans at required intervals and at clinically indicated milestones.
• Provides Individual therapy, family/couples therapy, and group therapy.
• Delivers psychoeducation to participants and their support systems on the disease of addiction, harm reduction, relapse prevention, MAT medications, overdose prevention, and naloxone use.
• Provides crisis intervention for participants in acute distress, including relapse, overdose risk, suicidal ideation, or other psychosocial emergencies, and coordinates appropriate clinical response.
• Distributes naloxone kits and provides naloxone/overdose prevention training to participants and their families per OASAS and DOH protocols.
• Reviews toxicology screening results with participants, interprets results in clinical context, addresses positive screens therapeutically, and provides clinical input on take-home medication eligibility, phase movement, and level-of-care reviews in collaboration with the medical and nursing team.
• Discusses MAT dose increases and other medication changes with participants and collaborates with the medical provider to ensure decisions are made as a team, documented appropriately, and aligned with the participant’s current treatment needs.
• Coordinates care with the interdisciplinary team and external providers (medical, psychiatric, criminal justice, social services, mutual-aid recovery supports) to ensure continuity of treatment.
• Ensures all clinical forms