Chemical Dependency Counselor

Overview

Job
Agency:
Department of Corrections - Behavioral Health

Location:

Pierre, SD
Salary: $23.00 to $32.00 per hour, depending on experience
Pay Grade: H
Closing Date:
Open Until Filled

The South Dakota Department of Corrections is hiring for a Full-Time position with the Behavioral Health team. For more information on the DOC, please visit (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). The DOC offers a $5,000 hiring incentive and full state benefits with SDRS retirement. This position provides substance use disorder services to the offender population, including formal and informal behavioral health evaluations, diagnostic assessments, and clinical interventions.

Why the Department of Corrections?

• Creativity — innovative ideas to achieve improved outcomes
• Making a difference — impact lives of fellow South Dakotans
• Professional development — trainings to ensure competent, accountable, and empowered staff
• Teamwork — collaborative work environment to achieve shared goals

The Ideal Candidate Will Have:

• Knowledge of social, behavioral, psychological, and physical effects of substance use disorders
• Knowledge of individual and group counseling techniques
• Knowledge of community resources for treatment and rehabilitation of clients with substance use disorders
• Knowledge of criminal thinking patterns and corrective thinking processes
• Knowledge of co-occurring disorders

Skills to:

• Effectively communicate and motivate treatment-resistant clients
• Effective time management
• Be organized

Abilities include:

• Elicit and identify criteria required to diagnose substance use disorders
• Gather, interpret, report, and use information concerning clients
• Establish and maintain effective interpersonal counseling relationships with clients
• Formulate treatment plans and make recommendations on client care
• Perform treatment needs assessments and treatment planning
• Facilitate groups and prepare discharge summaries
• Engage in consultation and make appropriate referrals when outside of scope of practice
• Work in a correctional facility and adhere to security requirements

What You Will Do:

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Direct involvement in screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning
• Provide group and individual counseling and psycho educational services
• Monitor offender treatment and maintain documentation to assure compliance with standards and continuity of care
• Provide clinical direction to non-clinical staff in behavioral health care and treatment of offenders
• Assure continuity of care for offenders by making appropriate referrals and providing necessary information and documentation for receiving units, facilities, or agencies
• Document electronically in an accurate and timely manner to provide comprehensive offender behavioral health records
• Communicate and respond to complaints, problems, transfers, classifications, and offender behavioral management issues
• Maintain standards of the program or work unit through compliance with applicable professional, departmental, organizational and unit standards
• Promote and be accountable for safety and security of the clinical and correctional environment
• Inform supervisor of violations of safety and security through the report writing process; attend trainings, including self-defense to ensure self-protection skills

Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in alcohol and drug abuse studies, counseling, psychology, or related field is preferred
• Current, valid certification from the State of South Dakota as a Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC) or Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC)

Conditions of Employment:

The SD DOC maintains a drug- and alcohol-free work environment. All job offers are contingent upon successful completion of a background investigation, urine drug screen, and the ability to perform essential functions. TB screening is required for all new employees. The position may involve carrying OC/pepper spray; if carried, a level 1 exposure during training is required. Selected individuals must complete a written and practical self-defense exam and CPR to AHA guidelines, and demonstrate the physical ability to perform the practical self-defense exam.

• Lift arms above head and kick as high as own waist
• Stabilize…