Assistant Clinical Director

Turning Point Recovery Center; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Turning Point Recovery Centers in Albuquerque, NM seeks an Assistant Clinical Director to lead clinical operations while maintaining a caseload of individual therapy and crisis intervention. The role blends hands-on care with supervision of counselors and peer counselors, ensuring timely, standards-aligned documentation.

Applicants must hold a Master’s in a behavioral health field, NM licensure or eligibility, and at least five years of clinical experience with substance use and co-occurring

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a behavioral health field required.
• Active New Mexico clinical license or license eligibility; independent licensure preferred.
• At least five years of behavioral health clinical experience, including substance use and co-occurring disorders.
• Experience supervising or collaborating with licensed or license-track counselors and peer support professionals preferred.

Responsibilities

• Maintain an active individual therapy caseload, including assessment, treatment planning, ongoing therapy, care coordination, and discharge planning.
• Assess acuity and risk, provide crisis intervention and stabilization, develop safety plans, and coordinate with medical and clinical leadership.
• Complete assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, discharge summaries, and other required documentation accurately and timely.
• Provide regular individual and group supervision, coaching, and performance feedback to counselors and peer counselors.
• Coordinate clinical workflow, caseload distribution, group coverage, staffing needs, and service continuity across programs.
• Promote multidisciplinary treatment team meetings and coordinate with medical, admissions, utilization review, and administrative teams.

Skills

Clinical supervision

Crisis assessment

Treatment planning

Staff coaching

Documentation quality

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Education

Master’s degree in Social Work/Counseling/Psychology

NM clinical license or license eligibility

Job description

Clinical Leadership and Direct Care Role

About Turning Point Recovery Centers

Turning Point Recovery Centers is Albuquerque's leading organization dedicated to supporting individuals on their journey to recovery from substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders. We provide comprehensive, evidence-based care across a full continuum of services tailored to meet the unique clinical needs of each individual, empowering them to achieve lasting recovery and holistic well-being.

Our programming spans the full continuum of care, including inpatient medical detoxification, residential programming, Intensive Outpatient Programming (IOP), sober living, aftercare services, and individual therapy. Complementing our clinical programming is an extensive Certified Peer Support Worker (CPSW) program, through which individuals with lived experience in recovery provide direct support, engagement, and connection throughout a client's time with us.

Position Overview

The Assistant Clinical Director is a working clinical leader responsible for approximately equal parts direct client care and clinical administration and leadership. The position maintains an active clinical caseload and provides individual therapy, assessment, group facilitation, crisis support, and other clinical services as assigned. In the leadership portion of the role, the Assistant Clinical Director supervises and supports counselors and peer counselors, monitors the quality and timeliness of services and documentation, coordinates day-to-day clinical operations, and assists the Clinical Director with staff development, program improvement, and regulatory compliance. The role helps translate clinical standards into consistent daily practice while remaining closely connected to clients and frontline staff. All clinical services and supervisory activities must be performed within the individual's education, credentials, license, and scope of practice.

Direct Clinical Services:

• Maintain an active individual therapy caseload, including assessment, treatment planning, ongoing therapy, care coordination, and discharge planning.
• Assess acuity and risk, provide crisis intervention and stabilization, develop safety plans when indicated, and coordinate with medical and clinical leadership.
• Complete assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, discharge summaries, and other required documentation accurately and within agency timeframes.

Clinical Leadership and Administration

• Provide regular individual and group supervision, coaching, and performance feedback to assigned counselors and peer counselors, consistent with credentialing, licensure, and agency requirements.
• Partner with the Clinical Director and Human Resources to establish staff performance expectations, recognize strong performance, address performance concerns, and implement improvement plans when needed.
• Coordinate clinical workflow, caseload distribution, group coverage, staffing needs, and service continuity across assigned programs.
• Review clinical and peer services for consistency with treatment plans, evidence-based practice, recovery-oriented principles, and organizational expectations.
• Monitor the accuracy, clinical quality, and timeliness of documentation; provide coaching and corrective follow-up when standards are not met.
• Serve as an accessible resource for counselors and peer counselors regarding complex cases, client engagement, boundaries, risk, crisis response, and coordination of care.
• Assist with implementation of clinical policies, procedures, schedules, workflows, and initiatives that improve access, quality, consistency, and client outcomes.
• Help maintain compliance with applicable payer, licensing, accreditation, ethical, and agency requirements, including preparation for audits and surveys.
• Act on behalf of the Clinical Director in assigned operational matters or during periods of absence, within delegated authority.

Team Collaboration and Communication:

• Facilitate or participate in multidisciplinary treatment team meetings and promote timely, coordinated clinical decision-making.
• Workclosely with medical, admissions, utilization review, operations, peer support, and administrative teams to resolve barriers to care.
• Promptly communicate significant clinical, safety, staffing, compliance, or operational concerns to the Clinical Director and other appropriate leaders.

External Coordination:

• Communicate with courts, probation and parole, CYFD, hospitals, employers, primary care providers, and other authorized referral sources or collaborators as appropriate.

Education, Licensure, and Experience Requirements

• Master's degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or a related behavioral health field required.
• Active New Mexico clinical license or license eligibility appropriate to the duties of the position (such as LCSW, LPCC, LMFT, LMSW, LMHC, or comparable credential); independent licensure required.
• At least five years of behavioral health clinical experience, including experience treating substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders; supervisory or clinical leadership experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience providing individual and group services, completing clinical assessments, developing treatment plans, and responding to safety or crisis concerns.
• Working knowledge of current ASAM criteria, DSM diagnostic standards, trauma-informed care, ethical practice, and recovery-oriented systems of care.
• Experience supervising or collaborating with both licensed or license-track counselors and peer support professionals preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to balance a substantial direct-care workload with leadership, supervision, and administrative responsibilities.
• Strong clinical judgment, case conceptualization, crisis assessment, and treatment planning skills.
• Ability to lead with clarity, accountability, empathy, and respect for the distinct roles and scopes of counselors and peer professionals.
• Skill in coaching staff, providing actionable feedback, managing conflict, and addressing performance concerns promptly and constructively.
• Strong working knowledge of substance use disorder treatment, co-occurring disorders, recovery principles, professional boundaries, and ethical requirements.
• Ability to review documentation for clinical quality, medical necessity, internal consistency, and timely completion.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills across multidisciplinary teams and external partners.
• Strong organization, prioritization, and follow-through in a fast-paced clinical environment with competing demands.
• Proficiency with electronic health records, Microsoft Office Suite, and Google Workspace.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and handle sensitive personnel and client information with sound judgment.

Reporting Relationship

Reports to the Clinical Director. Directly supervises assigned counselors and peer counselors and may provide functional oversight to other clinical team members as delegated.

Additional Expectations

The duties listed above describe the general nature and level of work performed in this position and are not intended to be an exhaustive list. Responsibilities may be adjusted based on program needs, organizational priorities, and the employee's credentials and scope of practice.