Substance Abuse Counselor

Illumination-Health-Home; Anaheim (CA); On-site; USD 34,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

Illumination Health + Home is seeking a Substance Abuse Counselor to provide client services in a shelter setting using a harm reduction approach. The role focuses on compassionate care and helping clients move toward abstinence or reduced use, while maintaining HIPAA-compliant documentation.

The position offers a Monday–Friday schedule, with pay at $27 per hour. Candidates will engage in assessments, treatment planning, and coordination with a multidisciplinary team to support client recovery

Qualifications

• Experience delivering counseling in shelter or recuperative care settings.
• Familiarity with harm reduction in substance use services.
• Ability to document client interactions per agency standards.

Responsibilities

• Provide counseling using harm reduction to motivate abstinence or reduction.
• Initiate client evaluations, assessments, care planning and goal setting.
• Collaborate with medical, case management, foodservice and transportation teams.

Skills

Harm reduction

Client assessment

HIPAA compliance

Documentation

Crisis intervention

Team collaboration

Tools

EMR system

Job description

“Every person deserves compassion, dignity, and the safety of a place to call home.”
Homelessness is the largest social and public health crisis in California. Illumination Health + Home is a growing non‑profit organization dedicated towards disrupting the cycle of homelessness by providing targeted, interdisciplinary services in our recuperative care centers, emergency shelters, housing services and children's and family programs. IF currently has 13+ facilities with 22+ micro-communities scattered across Orange County, Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire.

Job Description

Substance Abuse Counselor will provide client services in a shelter or recuperative care facility by utilizing a harm reduction model approach. Harm reduction takes a health rather than a disease perspective, a compassionate and humane rather than a moralistic, not a punitive perspective on why people use drugs and how they get into trouble. Harm reduction brings substance misuse into the realm of mainstream health care and releases it from the clutches of the criminal justice system and from programs that preach zero tolerance for substance misuse.

The pay offered for this role is $27 per hour.
The schedule for this role is Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm.

Responsibilities

• SubstanceUseCounselorwill use a harm reduction approach to help motivate clients towardsabstinenceas their goal, or a substantial reduction to drug or alcohol consumption
• SUCwillinitiateclientevaluationsupon admission, substance use assessment, care planning, and goal setting
• Collaborates (on a need-to-know basis) with the multidisciplinary team members, including medical, case management, foodserviceand transportationregardingclient’s behavioral health needs, ensuring the highest level of client care
• Maintains confidentiality of work‑related information and materials according to HIPAA standards.
• Participate in the development and implementation of client’s treatment progress as needed
• Lead site activities such as currenteventgroups, goalsetting& motivation,relapse prevention,mindfulness, stress management, drug & alcohol awareness,activities of daily living and/or recreational activities,asappropriate tothe specifiedclientpopulation.
• Recognizethe needsforprovidingcrisisintervention services to clients as needed according to Pro-ACT (Professional Assault Crisis Training)principles
• Documents all client interactions or activities completed on behalf of the client (including collaboration with other disciplines, case consultations, telephone calls leaving voicemails, and collateral contact)in clientsEMR system(if applicable) according to the documentation standards of the agency and within72hoursof service provision
• Meet documentationstandardsassigned bySupervisor,Manageror Director
• InformssupervisingManager or Director, within 12 hours of making an incident report,ProtectiveServicesand/orBehavioral Health holdreportswithin the mandatedtime frame
• Attend toclients’behavioralissuestactfully andutilizethe de-escalation process as needed
• Act as a liaison with patients, families of patients, or external facilities and agencies
• Follows established institutional policies and procedures,objectives, quality assurance program, and safety, environmental and infection control standards
• Researchandnetworkwith community agencies for client resources and linkage as directed
• Familiarization with supportive services in County/Counties, including but not limited to linking clients to outside therapy,mental health, substance use treatmentprograms, job training, schooling, church, AA/NA meetings,etc.
• Attends andparticipatesin staff meetings, servicetraining,workshopsand other required meetings as directed
• Reportto any IH+Hlocation for coverage,training, or support, as directed
• Supportvolunteers as needed: mayberequiredtosupervisevolunteer(s)
• Circulate throughout thefacility everyhour and check-inwith securityguards and medicalstaff concerning anyclient-relatedissues.Beavailabletoassiststaffimmediatelywith thede-escalation process when asked to do so
• Performs other responsibilities, as assigned by Supervisor, Manager or Director

Expectations

• We uphold the values ofCommunity, Action, Respect, andEmpowermentin all aspects of our work.
• CommunityWe lead with the vision