Position Summary:
To provide assistance to the multidisciplinary team in the assessment, treatment planning, counseling, and discharge planning for patients and their families.

Qualifications:
EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, Psychology, or Counseling and Master's Degree in Social Work, Psychology, or Counseling within 6 months of hire

CERTIFICATION & LICENSURE REQUIREMENTS
Certified Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselor (CADC) within 2 years and Licensed Professional Counselor Illinois within 2 years or Licensed Social Worker (LSW) Illinois within 2 years.

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
1-3-years experience in working with patients in the addiction setting, behavioral health setting, or related setting.

SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
Advanced reading, writing and oral skills Ability to respond appropriately to customer/co-worker. Interaction with a wide variety of people. Maintain confidential information. Ability to communicate only the facts to recipients or to decline to reveal information. Ability to project a professional, friendly, helpful demeanor. Basic computer knowledge: Uses word processing, spreadsheet, e-mail application, and web browser. Comfortable within a Windows OS and learning new applications

Essential Functions:

• Provides individual, group, and family counseling to assist patients/families in achieving treatment goals * Provides individual counseling to patients as stipulated on the treatment plan. * Facilitates regularly scheduled group therapy/week. * Assures that families are involved in treatment process. * Provides family counseling as stipulated on the treatment plan. * Group facilitation reflects expertise in group dynamics. * Cognitive behavior therapy and other brief therapies are utilized whenever appropriate. * Documentation is timely, succinct, legible, and uses the correct charting format. * During times of low census (less than 4), will assist with assessments, admissions, and facilitating other groups at the direction of the Program Manager. * When assisting as a team member to control an aggressive or violent patient, CPI methods will be used.
• Completes ongoing assessments of patients * Documentation is timely, legible and succinct and includes impression and recommendation. * Family and significant others are utilized whenever possible in the completion of ongoing assessment of the patient progress. * Patient is ongoingly assessed during informal sessions as well as during formal individual and family sessions. * Documentation of ongoing assessments reflects progress towards goals outlined in treatment plan. * Facilitates various groups and assigned with attention to achievement of the goal or process associated with each group. * Accurately documents activities according to the policies and procedures. * Is knowledgeable of and capable of providing emergency assistance in regard to inappropriate acting out behavior by any patient. Always attempts to utilize verbal redirection, interaction of other staff, utilization of quiet room, etc. before instituting emergency measures such as safety codes, restraints, etc. * Is knowledgeable and capable of working with patients who present a dual problem, Mental Illness/Substance Abuse co-occurring disorders * Is able to perform all duties of a counselor as needed and assigned.
• Collaborates with other members of the treatment team as well as community providers in the development and implementation of an individualized treatment plan and provides referrals and discharge planning. * Participates actively in regularly scheduled staffing meetings as well as community, return to work, discharge, and employer staffing. * Participation reflects knowledge of the patient's strengths, illness, support systems, and history * Document identified problems, discipline specific interventions, discharge plan, goals met, etc. on the treatment plan * Proactively meets with other members of the treatment team on a daily basis to coordinate care and discharge planning specifically; psychiatrist, Unit Counselors, other community providers, patients and family members. * Begins discharge planning process as soon after admission as is clinically appropriate and that plan is in place prior to discharge. * Keeps patient/family informed of plans as they progress (when clinically appropriate) * Uses creativity and patient advocacy in the planning and implementation of the discharge plan * Facilitates transition between levels of care within Service Line continuum of care * Provides necessary information to providers at next level of care