SUD COUNSELOR (CERTIFIED) - PIR/PIRM

Neighborhood House Association; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Neighborhood House Association seeks a Certified Substance Use Counselor to support incarcerated adults preparing for reentry. Role emphasizes Targeted Case Management, crisis intervention, and linkages to housing, employment, and behavioral health resources.

You’ll document services, meet productivity standards, and apply trauma‑informed, culturally sensitive practices. The position requires collaboration with corrections, probation, and community agencies, plus strong communication and

Qualifications

• Knowledge of case management principles and recovery-oriented care.
• Experience conducting substance use and mental health assessments, intakes, service plans, and progress reviews.
• Ability to facilitate individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, and reentry-focused groups.
• Skill in linking clients to housing, employment, vocational training, behavioral health, and community supports.
• Experience assisting clients with job readiness and mock interviews.
• Ability to collaborate within a multidisciplinary team and maintain partnerships with community agencies.
• Strong client advocacy and follow-through to ensure continuity of care.
• Knowledge of documentation standards, chart maintenance, data tracking, and accurate records.
• Experience providing outreach and community engagement.
• Ability to serve diverse populations including homelessness, SMI, and justice-involved individuals.
• Bilingual English/Spanish is highly valued.

Responsibilities

• Provide Targeted Case Management using applicable medical necessity, documentation, and billing requirements.
• Conduct crisis intervention and coordinate referrals to mental health, housing, and community supports.
• Complete job readiness activities and mock interviews.
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team and management to coordinate services.
• Maintain treatment/service plans and accurate client charts per requirements.
• Meet productivity and quality standards for service delivery and documentation.
• Arrange transportation for appointments and coordinate Medi‑Cal transportation when needed.
• Deliver culturally responsive and linguistically appropriate services.
• Maintain program safety and positive relationships with law enforcement and partners.
• Support underserved populations including justice-involved individuals.
• Apply trauma-informed, culturally humble approaches and document outcomes.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Case management

Trauma-informed

Crisis intervention

Bilingual English/Spanish

Documentation

Collaboration

Education

HS diploma or GED

AS/BS in social work or related

SUD Counselor certification (CA DHCS)

CPR/First Aid certification

Job description

POSITION PURPOSE

The Certified Substance Use Counselor provides services to incarcerated individuals age 18 and older with substance use, mental health challenges or co-occurring disorders as they prepare for release from detention facilities. Services include Targeted Case Management (TCM) which include individual and group sessions and coordination of community-based resources to support successful reentry and continuity of care. The position is responsible for providing services consistent with applicable fee-for-service requirements under the CalAIM Behavioral Health Linkage model, maintaining required productivity standards, and ensuring accurate and timely documentation of services. The counselor applies culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and recovery-oriented practices to serve individuals across diverse cultural, linguistic, social, and reentry backgrounds. The position also follows through on referrals and service linkages to support client engagement and service efficacy and performs related work as required.

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES

The duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to this position.

• Provides Targeted Case Management services in accordance with applicable medical necessity, documentation, service authorization, billing, and fee-for-service requirements, as applicable to the program and service delivered.
• Conducts crisis intervention, identifies client needs, and coordinates referrals and linkages to mental health treatment, substance use treatment, housing, employment, and other community-based support services.
• Completes job readiness activities, including employment applications, community resource linkages, and mock interviews.
• Collaborates with a multidisciplinary team and consults with management as needed to coordinate services, address barriers, and support client progress and continuity of care.
• Completes treatment/service plans, progress notes, and other required documentation; maintains accurate and timely client charts, service records, logs, and related documentation in accordance with program, contractual, and regulatory requirements.
• Meets established productivity expectations, including required service delivery, documentation, and reporting standards, while maintaining quality of care and compliance with applicable program requirements.
• Provides direct transportation or schedules transportation with Medi-cal transportation to appointments and community service linkages and provides outreach and community engagement as needed.
• Provides culturally responsive and linguistically appropriate services, when applicable, to individuals across diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, socioeconomic, and lived-experience backgrounds. Applies multicultural best practices, cultural humility, and an understanding of the varied barriers individuals may encounter during reentry.
• Ensures program safety, maintains positive working relationships with law enforcement and community partner agencies, and monitors client progress.
• Demonstrates the ability and willingness to work effectively and respectfully with underserved and marginalized populations, including individuals with sex offender registration requirements, transgender and gender-diverse individuals, and individuals living with severe mental illness and/or co-occurring substance use disorders.
• Applies cultural humility, trauma-informed practices, and person-centered approaches while recognizing the unique barriers, needs, and lived experiences that may affect access to services, treatment engagement, and successful reentry.
• Performs other duties as assigned

DESIRED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Knowledge of case management principles, recovery-oriented care, and trauma-informed engagement strategies.
• Experience conducting substance use and mental health assessments, intakes, service plans, and progress reviews.
• Ability to facilitate individual and group counseling, psycho-educational and reentry-focused groups, and provide crisis intervention.
• Skill in identifying client needs and securing appropriate linkages to housing, employment, vocational training, behavioral health, and community-based supports.
• Experience assisting clients with job readiness, applications, and mock interviews.
• Ability to collaborate effectively within a multidisciplinary team and maintain strong partnerships with law enforcement, community agencies, and reentry stakeholders.
• Skilled in client advocacy and follow-through to ensure continuity of care.
• Knowledge of documentation standards, chart maintenance, data tracking, and accurate record keeping for accountability logs, client progress, and service delivery.
• Experience providing outreach, presentations, and community engagement;
• Ability to maintain program safety standards and support a culturally responsive service environment for diverse populations, including homelessness, co-occurring disorders, SMI, and justice-involved adults.
• Capable of exercising sound judgment within program policy guidelines; Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to operate computer software for documentation, spreadsheets, and database reporting; maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries; bilingual communication in English/Spanish is highly valued.

Knowledge of:

• Assessment and treatment of clients with substance use and co-occurring disorders, including ASAM criteria, DSM-V diagnostic categories, motivational interviewing, CBT, and recovery-based care coordination best practices.
• Cultural and socio-economic factors impacting LatinX, African American, and Transition Age Youth populations, as well as justice-involved adults.
• County’s System of Care, legal/ethical issues, criminogenic risks and needs, and human behavior theory.
• Local community, reentry, and mental health resources supporting incarcerated or recently released individuals.
• Group dynamics and facilitation strategies.

Ability to:

• Conduct clinical assessments and develop appropriate case management and treatment plans.
• Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary partners, including corrections, probation/parole, courts, and community agencies.
• Maintain accurate documentation, communicate effectively, and apply professional judgment with tact and cultural sensitivity.
• Prioritize tasks, organize workload, interpret regulations, and operate standard office and database software.
• Analyze complex service needs, identify solutions, and implement action plans in both office and field-based settings.

Experience and Training

• High school diploma or GED equivalent required; an associate or bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, behavioral health, human services, or a related field is preferred.
• Current and active Substance Use Disorder Counselor certification through a California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)-recognized certifying organization, such as CADTP, CCAPP, or CAADE.
• Completion of the education, supervised experience, and examination requirements established by the applicable certifying organization.
• Knowledge of substance use disorders, co-occurring mental health conditions, evidence-based treatment approaches, relapse prevention, motivational interviewing, and recovery-oriented services.
• Experience providing substance use disorder counseling, assessments, treatment planning, case management, and referrals to appropriate levels of care.
• Ability to maintain certification and complete all required continuing education throughout employment.
• Experience providing services to individuals with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders.

Licenses; Certificates; Special Requirements:

• Possess and maintain a valid California driver’s license and an acceptable driving record.
• Current and valid California automobile insurance is required.
• CPR/First Aid Certified, must obtain within 6 months of hire.
• TB test required upon hire and must be maintained every four (4) years.
• Transportation of clients in personal vehicles.
• Bilingual preferred; Bilingual candidates will be required to pass a bilingual competency test prior to their hire date.
• Sheriff’s background clearance highly preferred.

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL DEMANDS:

The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by employees to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to walk, stand and sit for long periods; talk or hear, in person and by telephone; use hands repetitively to finger, handle, feel or operate a standard computer and office equipment; reach with hands and arms; crawl, climb and bend; and push and lift up to 30 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus.

Mental Demands

While performing the duties of this job, employees are regularly required to use written and oral communication skills; read and interpret data, information, and documents; analyze and solve problems; learn and apply new information or skills; perform highly detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks; work under changing and intensive deadlines with constant interruptions and interact with management, employees, vendors, and others encountered in the course of work who may be anxious and impatient.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Employees work under typical office conditions, and the noise level is usually quiet.