Relief Counselor I/II & Outreach Worker

City of Gaithersburg; Gaithersburg (MD); On-site; USD 10,000 - 60,000; Part time

Job summary

A local government agency in Gaithersburg is seeking part-time staff to assist individuals in recovery from substance misuse. This role involves handling admissions, preparing counseling assessments, and providing outreach services. Candidates must have a high school diploma and relevant clinical licensure for specific positions. Fluent communication in a second language is preferred. Applications are reviewed immediately until positions are filled.

Qualifications

• Possession of a High School Diploma, equivalent, or G.E.D. Certificate.
• Clinical licensure required for Relief Counselor II.
• Experience in substance abuse/counseling.

Responsibilities

• Handle admissions and discharges.
• Transport residents to meetings and appointments.
• Prepare counseling assessments and engage residents.
• Monitor patient medication self-administration.
• Facilitate community meetings.
• Provide street outreach to homeless individuals.

Skills

Counseling

Substance abuse treatment

Crisis management

Multilingual communication

Education

High School Diploma or equivalent

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC)

Licensed Clinical Social Worker – Clinical (LCSW-C)

Job description

The Wells/Robertson House provides transitional housing for people in recovery from substance misuse and has immediate openings for part-time staff to assist individuals undergoing alcohol/drug treatment or other professional counseling while looking to break the cycle of homelessness. These positions will assist with a variety of duties which may include counseling individuals and groups on substance abuse, homelessness and mental health matters and helping with a variety of intake, treatment, and discharge procedures. Hours per week vary based on operational needs; the position may provide on-call, evening, weekend, and holiday shift coverage. Hours will not exceed an average of 27.5 hours per week.

What you will do with us:

• Handle admissions and discharges.
• Transport residents to and from self-help meetings and other meetings and appointments when necessary.
• Prepare counseling assessments and counsel and engage residents.
• Monitor and document patient medication self-administration.
• Facilitate in-house community meetings.
• Provide street outreach to homeless individuals; help them to access needed services and transition from homelessness (Outreach Worker only).
• Provide translation services to assist with call-in/walk-in customers and when assisting with client intake and one-on-one client meetings and street outreach efforts to determine needs, proper referrals, and other support services.
• Respond appropriately to emergencies including contacting appropriate staff and supervisors; interact with emergency responders as needed.

Key job responsibilities are highlighted above; please refer to the complete classification descriptions for Relief Counselor I/Outreach Worker and Relief Counselor II for full details.

What you will need to be considered:

• Possession of a High School Diploma, High School Equivalency Diploma or G.E.D. Certificate.
• Clinical licensure; either a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) or Licensed Clinical Social Worker – Clinical (LCSW-C). (Relief Counselor II only).
• Some course work or specialized training in social work, counseling, psychology, or related field preferred.
• Experience in substance abuse/chemical dependency counseling, treatment, and rehabilitation.
• Possession of an appropriate driver's license valid in the State of Maryland.
• Ability to speak, read and write fluently in a language in addition to English (such as Spanish, Chinese, Korean, etc.).
• Or any acceptable equivalent combination of education, experience and training that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to satisfactorily perform job duties.

Interested applicants must submit a complete online application to be considered.

Review of applications will begin immediately, so prompt application is strongly encouraged. The position will remain open until filled; recruitment will close without notice when a sufficient number of qualified applications are received or all hiring decisions have been made.

Successful candidates will be subject to a background check and drug/alcohol screening. The City has established an alcohol-free, drug-free, and smoke-free workplace which applies to any person employed by, conducting business with, or applying for a position with the City. Each employee, as a condition of their employment, may be required to participate in pre-employment and reasonable suspicion testing. Employees classified as safety sensitive are also subject to immediate post-accident and random testing.

For more information about these positions, contact Homeless Services Division Manager Jimmy FrazierBey at [e-mail] or 240-805-1830. Questions regarding the online application process may be directed to the Department of Human Resources at 301.258.6327 or [e-mail].

This recruitment will establish an eligibility list which will be used to fill the current vacancies and may be used to fill other openings in this classification which occur in the next 6 months.