Substance Abuse Specialist

 The Substance Abuse Specialist is responsible for providing care under the supervision of a Team Leader, Program Director/Coordinator, or Clinical Director that will include education on substance abuse and promote harm reduction and abstinence to work toward recovery.  

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Conducts comprehensive substance abuse assessments considering the relationship between substance use and mental health.
• Assesses and tracks beneficiary’s stages of change readiness and stages of treatment.
• Uses outreach and motivational interviewing techniques to work with beneficiaries in earlier stages of change readiness.
• Facilitates access to 12-step groups and other community supports.
• Uses cognitive behavioral approaches and relapse prevention to work with beneficiaries in later stages of change readiness.
• Ensures that fellow service providers’ treatment approaches are consistent with the beneficiary’s stages of change readiness.
• Facilitates the Person-Centered Planning process for beneficiaries assigned to him or her.
• Facilitates group sessions.
• Takes a lead role in placement in short/long-term treatment as needed, and detox services.
• Participates in a first responder on-call system available to consumers and/or his/her natural support network on a 24/7/365 basis; coordinates “first response” resources according to consumer needs and the PCP.  
• Represent the company in a positive manner, reflective of the company’s mission, at all times.
• Ensures confidentiality regarding sensitive and protected information.
• Ensures individual rights to privacy and protected health information for the person supported.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This position can involve overseeing staff. 

Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education/Experience

• Minimum High School Diploma

Required Skills/Abilities

• Strong clinical skills
• Demonstrate knowledge of the population served.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

• CCS, CSI, LCAS, LCAS-A, or CADC 
• Current license or certification must be maintained if applicable.   
• Valid NC driver’s license including personal vehicle insurance coverage.

Work Environment:

 The work can be performed primarily in the client’s home/community, or the office setting. If work is in the home/community it may involve exposure to cigarette smoke, domestic animals/pets, household pests, uncomfortable heating/cooling, and other issues related to the domestic location in which service is delivered.