Substance Use Counselor: CASAC and/or LMSW

Compensation Range: $55,000 - $78,000 yearly commensurate with experience and credentialling Schedule: Wednesday-Sunday; 9:00AM-5:00PM Benefits: We have three comprehensive healthcare plans to choose from based on your priorities and budget. Housing Works covers most of the plan; you pay a portion, based on your salary. Staff begins accruing PTO immediately for a total of up to 30 days earned in the first year.

We offer employees an educational benefit. This money is available for tuition loan reimbursement, tuition costs, and text books.   Overview: This is a grant funded position with our MOCJ (Mayors Office of Criminal Justice) Hotels for the provision of therapeutic services to the formerly incarcerated population in a transition housing setting. Housing Works is seeking an experienced Substance Use Counselor (CASAC and/or LMSW) to provide on-site, trauma-informed, and harm-reduction–oriented services to justice-involved individuals transitioning from incarceration to the community.

The counselor will deliver integrated substance use and mental health (dual diagnosis) treatment, with a strong focus on re-entry stabilization, engagement, and continuity of care. This role involves conducting comprehensive assessments of substance use, mental health symptoms, and re-entry–related risk factors; providing individual and group counseling; supporting crisis intervention; and collaborating closely with an interdisciplinary team of medical, behavioral health, and re-entry service providers.

A central focus of this position is increasing clinical, behavioral, and psychosocial stability in support of residents’ readiness to transition from this transitional site to their next permanent or longer-term housing placement. The counselor will play a critical role in supporting residents during high-risk transition periods (e.g., recent release from incarceration, hospitalization, detoxification), promoting safety, stability, and successful community reintegration.

The facility operates 365 days on a 24-hour basis daily, including evening and weekend hours, work on holidays (some positions will require non-traditional work hours   Responsibilities: Clinical Services & Support: Provide individual counseling focused on substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions, utilizing evidence-informed, trauma-responsive, and culturally responsive approaches.

Facilitate psychoeducational and therapeutic groups addressing substance use, mental health symptoms, relapse prevention, emotional regulation, coping skills, and re-entry–related challenges (e.g., adjustment to community living, supervision stressors, stigma). Conduct comprehensive bio-psychosocial and substance use assessments, including evaluation of re-entry risks, legal involvement, and barriers to care.

Deliver crisis intervention services related to substance use, mental health decompensation, trauma responses, or behavioral concerns; consult with supervisors and complete required incident documentation. Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment: Develop and implement integrated treatment plans, in conjunction with the Case Managers, that address both substance use and mental health needs in collaboration with interdisciplinary providers.

Support residents with co-occurring disorders through coordinated care and conferencing with psychiatry, psychotherapy, primary care, and case management. Utilize a harm reduction framework, meeting clients where they are and supporting safer use, stabilization, and self-determined goals. Care Coordination & Systems Navigation: Coordinate referrals and linkages to detoxification, inpatient and outpatient treatment, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), mental health services, and recovery supports.

Collaborate with internal and external partners, including re-entry programs, medical providers, and behavioral health teams, to support continuity of care. Participate in case conferences and interdiscipl